Stitch People portraits make great gifts. They especially make great gifts for big, family and life events like weddings, marriages and anniversaries. But what do you do when the anniversary you’re commemorating with your portrait is Grandma and Grandpa’s 50th wedding anniversary, and their four or five children all have four or five children of their own!? Allow me to …
Podcast Recommendation #1: Stuff You Should Know
When I cross-stitch I love to have “my stories” on in the background. Usually it’s a TV show (which is usually a kitschy British crime drama, but more on that later), or a podcast. I keep resolving to get into audiobooks, but that hasn’t happened yet. I’ll let you know when it does. The first podcast I’d like to recommend …
Free Cross-Stitch 101 Guide
I remember learning to cross stitch as a young girl. My mother taught me, I think because I wanted to learn it (having seen her do a lot of cross stitching.) My grandmother cross-stitched, too. She made my Christmas stocking and a baby blanket, both of which have cross-stitch work. And her mother cross-stitched – a lovely piece of her’s …
How to Create a Leopard-Print Pattern
Recently I completed a custom portrait in which were a myriad of very specific details requested, including a leopard-print unitard. I’ve also completed portraits including leopard print scarves, leopard print cardigans, and leopard print shoes. So let’s talk about how to create a leopard-print pattern in a Stitch People portrait! When you step back and look at a completed cross-stitch …
Happy Fourth of July!
To celebrate the upcoming Fourth of July, I thought I would also celebrate one of our Stitch People fans! This photo of a completed work was submitted to me by Sharon Little, of New Hampshire. Impressive, isn’t it? I believe the finished work is around 24″ wide x 18″ high, at least! Sharon said it took ages to complete but …
Create a Mobile Crafting Station
I love coming up with systems for things. So, when Stitch People began to grow, I enjoyed figuring out what to do to organize and consolidate all my “stitch stuff.” I do share a room in my home with my husband that functions as our office space, but as opposed to limiting myself to stitching in that one place, I created myself something …
Why Stitch People?
When I started this business, even I was a little skeptical. Cross-stitch family portraits? Is this something universal? Will this really be something people want and like? Yes. Very much so. And over the few years of building Stitch People, I’ve come to understand the “Why” behind it all. Creativity Loves Constraints I’m sure you’ve heard this before. And it’s true …
How to Start Your Own Business: Part 1
How Do you Start Your Own Business? Yes, I’m going to tackle this question. Why? Because the answer is pretty simple: Start. When I catch up with old friends or family members and get the question, “So what are you up to these days?” The honest answer to that is: my husband and I work from home, primarily running our company, Stitch …
Including a Departed Loved One in a Stitch People Portrait
Many of us have lost loved ones who are dear to us. So, when creating a Stitch People family portrait for your own family or as a gift, what are we to do when faced with these losses? Perhaps you have three children, but one of them passed away within hours of birth and though they are not with you, …
Stitch People’s Cross-Stitch Character Design Explained
As a young’n I was always fascinated by the idea that no two people in the world were exactly the same. I tried to think it through in my head – – certainly there could only be a finite number of individual features, and combinations of those features for all the people in the world! Certainly doppelgangers are running rampant in …