How to Cross Stitch a QR Code

I came across this Bored Panda post the other day that shows different cool and unusual things people have done with cross stitch. You’re welcome to scroll through the whole thing if you like — there’s definitely a lot of cool stuff in there — but the one I wanted to point out was number 11, which is from a Reddit post, in which user _The_Blonde_One_ made a QR code for their WiFi password, which is actually pretty genius.

So I dug around a little bit and found a post on Instructables by r-lavelle that explains how to go about converting a QR code into cross stitch. It’s actually not that hard to do.

They used an already produced code, but if you want to generate your own for something like your WiFi password, directions to your house or whatever you might want to keep in a handy, scanable format, you can use a free QR code generator online to develop the code you want to stitch up.

Once you have that, you can draw out a chart (or a QR code is a grid, so you can stitch directly from that if you’re super fancy). The way the Instructables tutorial does it, it makes a grid that’s 29 by 29 stitches square.

And when you have your grid transferred to graph paper, you can just stitch it up in black thread on white fabric and you’re all set. You’ll of course want to test it before you hang it to make sure it sends people where you want it to go.

I love _The_Blonde_One_’s addition of the house shape and a label so people know what it is for. If you’re chaotic you can make several QR codes to hang around your house and send people random places. I love the idea of having one hanging in the bathroom. Where would you direct people to go with your cross stitched QR code?

[Photo: _The_Blonde_One_, via Reddit]

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Shamrock Cross Stitch Patterns

There are so many fun ways you can go when stitching Halloween cross stitch patterns or giving your place a slightly spooky or witchy vibe any time of year. I love the look of little potion bottles, whether they’re real bottles lined up on the mantle or shelf or cross stitched versions like these.

The gorgeous Elixir of Life cross stitch pattern from Makaronka Stitch is decidedly not Halloween in its vibes, so it would be fun to stitch and display any time of year. This is also definitely not a pattern for beginners, as it uses 37 colors and 34 blends to make the beautiful colors. It also uses full and half cross stitches, back stitch and French knots. The design measures 82 by 115 stitches, which comes out to 5.8 by 8.2 inches or 14.88 by 20.86 cm on 14 count fabric.

If you’re looking for something a little smaller but still a lot of fun, check out this set of six potion bottles from MIYA Stitch. I love how each bottle seems to have its own personality, from one with a pumpkin and witch hat to one with crystals, mushrooms, or a butterfly and flower. The patterns are 60 by 88 stitches each. That’s 4.3 by 6.3 inches or 11 by 16 cm on 14 count fabric. The full set uses 26 colors and blends.

Or try this set of five mini potion bottles from Plenty of Strings. I love the colors on these and they’d look great as a set on one piece of fabric or individually stitches as shown. Each one fits in a 3-inch hoop.

These minis from Giselles Cross Stitch are really cute, too, though they are meant to be worked together as one piece. The whole pattern uses 26 colors and measures 93 by 107 stitches, which comes out to 6.6 by 7.6 inches or 16.8 by 19.4 cm on 14 count fabric. They’re perfect on black or a dark blue fabric.

I also like this bigger set of potion bottles from SamXstitch, which is meant to be stitched as a set but you could also work individual bottles in their own frames if you’d rather. The full design uses 10 colors and is 123 by 173 stitches. Taht comes out to 8.78 by 12.36 inches/22.31 by 31.39 cm on 14 count fabric.

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