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

Unique Stitch Crafts is a Turkish designer that has a couple of main interests in their cross stitch designs: travel and Christmas stockings.

By far the biggest category in their storefront is Christmas stockings, with more than 100 options to choose from. There are fully stitched fronts with designs classic and whimsical (like an alicorn and a pastel rainbow, or a bunny in Harlequin costume playing violin to a mushroom) and designs that just go across the cuff of the stocking. There are ornaments with a Nutcracker or Frozen theme, New York City stockings and stockings for your dinosaur.

As an example, here’s a stocking covered with mini holiday designs, which you could also use as ornaments if you wanted. The full design is 165 by 255 stitches, which comes out to 10.3 by 16 inches, or 26 by 40.6 cm on 16 count fabric. The pattern just makes the front of the stocking so you need to grab some fabric for the back of the stocking and sew it together yourself.

There’s also a large collection of travel cross stitch patterns, including national parks designs both large and mini, and travel poster style designs for many US states and cities. (There’s not an Arkansas, which is my standard test since I live there, but there is a pattern of the Mississippi River bridge in Memphis, which is technically half in Arkansas.)

If you’re more of a world traveler you’ll find more of the travel poster style designs for cities and countries, including Thailand and China, Berlin, Sydney and Marrakech.

In addition to all of that, you’ll find patterns called retro, which includes a wide range of designs, but many seem to be food and coffee related; folk art designs (lots of flowers and birds); and famous paintings translated to cross stitch. Smaller categories include Christmas, Halloween, animals, kids and castles.

Check out all the fun designs at Unique Stitch Crafts on Etsy.

[Photo: Unique Stitch Crafts]

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