Maker Spotlight: Stitches Lovers Shop

Stitches Lovers Shop is one of the Ukrainian cross stitch designers I’ve started following since the Russian invasion, and she has a lot of great designs that are related to the current struggle and just lots of great designs in general.

She has been having problems with people trying to steal her shop and it was even shut down earlier this week, so if you don’t see it when you click over or it looks weird try again later or buy direct from her website instead of from her Etsy shop.

She reported on Instagram that she had evacuated and was in a refugee camp in the Czech Republic but her hometown was being bombed and many family members were still in the country.

She has a Stand with Ukraine design (as well as a saltier one about a certain Russian warship). On both designs she indicates that sales will go to help people in need in Ukraine.

I also love this Ukrainian countryside design worked in the shape of the country. It’s a lovely reminder of the beauty of Ukraine and its people that will still be there once all of this is over.

[Photo: Stitches Lovers Shop.]

Looking for more Sunflower patterns? Check these out on Etsy. and these on the DMC website.

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Stitch a Retro Sampler with Badass Cross Stitch

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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