Have You Worked a Stamped Cross Stitch Project?

When I was first learning to cross stitch as a teen in the 1990s, I remember there being a lot of beginner kits available where the cross stitch pattern was stamped onto the fabric for you to stitch. This process eliminates the need for a printed pattern because you just stitch the colors as you see them printed on the fabric.

It’s a fun way to get started stitching, but I hadn’t really thought about stamped cross stitch in a while before I came upon this article from Caterpillar Cross Stitch talking about the differences between stamped cross stitch project and regular counted cross stitch patterns and why you might choose one over the other.

It mentions that stamped cross stitch isn’t just for beginners any more. There are actually a lot of designers that do stamped cross stitch with varying degrees of difficulty (and I found this cool tree of life project on Amazon as an example).

One benefit of these kinds of projects is that all the supplies you need are also included, so it can be a good way to build up your thread stash if you don’t use all of the supplies on the project included in the kit.

Of course when it comes to counted cross stitch projects with printed patterns you stitch onto fabric without guidance, there is a lot more variety in the kinds of projects and the skill level involved. Almost anything you are interested in you can find a printed pattern for, which is certainly not the case when it comes to stamped cross stitch patterns.

Still, stamped cross stitch patterns give you a great extra bit of guidance that can help build your confidence, regardless of your skill level.

Have you ever worked a stamped cross stitch pattern? I’d love to know what you think.

[Photo: Fred’s Haberdashery via Caterpillar Cross Stitch]

I was recently approached by Alyssa, the cross stitcher behind the Etsy shop Stitchonomy, to take a look at her cross stitch pattern subscription club, known as The Pattern Club.

I took a look around and there’s a lot of cute stuff and fun options you’ll want to check out, especially if you love themed patterns that are small, easy to stitch and fun to combine.

The Pattern Club combines cross stitching with a social network. When you open the site you’ll see a news feed and have the ability to share updates much like you would on Facebook. You can see who is online, have buddies and post your own updates and photos. The community aspect is a little sparse right now but that should only grow.

The stitch along hub is the place to find the most recent patterns and information on the current stitchalong. As of this writing the Book Lover’s stitchalong was happening, with little designs like Peter Rabbit, a skull for Hamlet and keys for Jane Eyre as well as authors including Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

Other pattern collections include European designs, Halloween, ocean life, an allotment garden and more. Alyssa tells me there’s a new theme every month that either she picks or members in the community suggest. You can stitch just the patterns you want or put them together to make a larger collage.

The Stitchanomini vault gives you access to all of the previous patterns, and new patterns are released daily through the stitchalong. You can download individual patterns (most of them are 19 by 19 stitches) as PDFs or Pattern Keeper files. The PDFs include a color and black and white chart as well as a floss list.

Another cool thing you can do is build your own pattern collages from all of the squares that have been released. The collage configurator allows you to add patterns of your choosing to a grid ranging from 2×2 patterns up to 4×4. You can scroll through all the current patterns or search by theme and size to make a project that suits your needs. (Above is an example I made kind of at random but you get the idea.)

If you want to check it out, you can grab a three-day free trial and see all the pattern options. Membership is $7.99 a month, or if you pay for a year at a time you’ll get two months free. In addition to the patterns in the club, members receive discounts on patterns and supplies purchased through the shop within the club. Annual members get access to three paid/retired stitchalongs and lifetime members receive all retired patterns.

If you check it out I’d love to hear what you think!

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