It’s amazing that Mr X Stitch is one year old.
I can’t quite explain how it’s happened, but a year ago I wrote the obligatory “This is my blog” introductory post and off I went:
“It’s an attempt to funk up the world of cross stitch a bit, and stems from my frustration at the lack of decent patterns for men, and for people with a bit of style. I’ve had enough of country cottages and kittens playing with balls of wool. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they bring joy and happiness to a lot of people. Just not me.” Mr X Stitch, 27th August 2008.
I still stick by that first statement – I prefer country cottages and kittens in real life, rather than embroidery, but that’s my particular persuasion.
What’s been astonishing about this site is that it’s introduced me, and you, to a huge array of stitch superstars who create magnificent works:
Like William Schaff, whose work just blew me away when I saw it. And I’ve also gotten to know a lot of very creative individuals, such as the inimitable Benjibot!
And the legend that is Ruby42 (NSFW).
It’s been terrific over the past year how people have manifested their own expression with a needle and thread.
The Nu Craft Movement is growing and the increase in stitched pieces that we’ve seen appear over at the Phat Quarter indicate how popular stitching is becoming. It’s a great time to be a stitcher.
I still blame this person for a lot of what’s gone on here:
![Our Core Value [via Beefranck]](http://www.mrxstitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Our-Core-Value.jpg "Our Core Value [via Beefranck]")
If Bridget hadn’t come on board, this site would still be crap. But her enthusiasm and endeavour has brought us all kinds of wonder. And for that, we are all grateful. Thanks Beef! 
We’ve had some exciting finds over the year. The discovery of Severija’s amazing embroidered metalwork was a good moment:
Particularly as we were able to also feature Lynette Andreason’s embroidered silverware on the same day:
And we’ve had some terrific concepts, like Girli Concrete:
Tinyhaus‘ embroidered porcelain:
And Liz Kueneke, who uses stitching to engage with communities:
It’s terrific to see new ideas emerge and to discover people who have so much to offer – long may it continue.
There have been some stitched pieces this year that have pushed at the boundaries of the genre, in a variety of ways. The thing I like about this is that each push opens up more creative ground, and gives other people space to explore.
I hope we get more works that continue to break new ground, and I also hope we get to see more stitchy animation stuff - that baby’s got loads of potential.
So it’s onwards and upwards for the next year – who knows what we’ll find along the way?
—–
If you know of anyone that should be featured on this or any of our posts, just email me, or Beefranck, with your ideas. We love hearing from you!
So, now that we’ve gotten all of that out of the way, it’s GIVEAWAY TIME!
Yay!
No, seriously YAY! Who would like to win a gift pack from the fantastic Subversive Cross Stitch!?!?!
(A bit like, but not exactly the one below!)
I want to know your thoughts:
Tell me about stitching, what does it mean to you?
What stitchy stuff excites you? What inspires you?
Competition Rules:
The closing date for this competition is Midday (GMT) on Thursday 3rd October.
The winning comment will be chosen by a random number generator and announced in a post on the same day.
The winner will not be eligible for any of the other prizes in the competition – if their comment is chosen at random in a subsequent competition, another number will be chosen.
The winners will be contacted by email and the details for postage arranged therewith.
(Ha! I said “therewith”! I love all that – “herein”, “forthwith”, “henceforth” etc. Magic words!)
Anyway, come and comment and best of luck to all of you.
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i fell in love with embroidered metal when i first saw it here and been itching to try it ever since!
i love how eclectic your site is, happy anniversary and many more to come!
To me, stitching is a way to express myself. Whether it be kittens playing with balls of yarn, Weighted Companion Cubes, or witting sayings. Whatever I make reflects a part of my personality.
What excites me is a wide variety of things. I like that there is a lot of different styles avaliable now, even if many things aren’t to my taste. I’m also every excited when I see things done on mediums other than the standard fabric, or using more than the standard cross stitch.
http://tkey.net/blog/images/HappyBirthdaytoYou.jpg
Yeah! The amazing team at Mr.X stitch has created a magnificent corner of the interwebz that shines a stupendous light to help those of us seeking more out of our crafty humanity navigate all the glory of the arts community.
Thank you for being such a beacon.
Stitching, to me, is an excellent example of evolution. What began as a necessary task to bind things is now just as detailed an art as DaVinci’s sketches.It is a medium of art that is both highly functional and extremely stimulating.
Personally, anything new to me is fascinating. I love to learn so to discover a place such as mrxstitch.com that gathers up the latest and greatest of the craft in one convenient place so I don’t have to dig through mountains of little spring cottages and kittens playing with balls of wool, certainly excited me. There were so many sites I wasn’t even aware of!
Thank you again and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
(I just got an idea though, for an “upcycled” stitch, which I never would have considered before if it weren’t for that disco, so at this second I’m excited to see if I can find the base for my idea)
Stitching is my nighttime relaxation method. It’s what I do when I need to unwind from a busy or stressful day. I get lost in it for hours. I’ve been stitching for 15 yrs and I love it just the same now as when I first started. It always amazes me how a blank piece of cloth ends up being a wonderful piece of art.
Family is usually the inspiration for most of the things I stitch. I love that you can pick a design that is truly personal for each individual. I often buy patterns and designs with a certain family member in mind (am I the only one that rarely stitches anything for myself?). And they love getting something so personal that they know has been made with love. They also appreciate the time I put into my work and that makes me feel pretty good inside.
Embroidery is my vice. I love it. It is relaxing, makes me feel creative. I love how you can make something beautiful or create something sarcastic and funny.
My inspiration is the world around me.
Stitching is a meditation for me; the process a hypnotic mantra that allows me calm control even when life is spinning without any. Well, it is calm til the real cats see I have the thread out and any calm is shot, but the first few minutes are swell.
I really enjoy seeing how far beyond the country cottage cross stitch can venture and with what different mediums it can involve. The possibilites are endless!
I have never really minced words so I won’t start doing so now. I had a crappy and lonely childhood. Stitching as a teenager was a way of creating and feeling valuable for me. It was a means to express myself at a young age and to present pretty things for much needed attention.
I stopped stitching for several years and picked up various other crafts like jewelry making and photography, but accidentally found inspiration again one day when I received a forwarded email that showed pictures of Kitty Wigs. Being the ever inquisitive person that I am (i.e., nosey) I followed the links on the site and experienced what only could be decribed as an “Aha!” moment. Subversive Cross Stitch!I distinctly remember being momentarily speechless right before the “fuck yes” came bursting from my mouth.
Since that time I have joined several flickr groups, SCS and Phat Quarter being the best , and it has changed my life. Where once I was silent, I now have a voice to express my thoughts and feelings and desires. Be it anger, lust, humor, or just silliness, having an outlet to vent with has been supremely therapeutic. This past couple of years my life has been filled change and numerous ups and downs. There have been several days in which I wholeheartedly believe that without a needle to put in my hand, I would have not survived. It may sound stupid to some, but stitching has really saved me from some dark times and quite possibly has saved my life.
As for what inspires me? Well, I would say a twisted sense of humor and a dirty mind for starters. If it makes me laugh or makes me feel something real then it is stitchworthy to me. Love, lust, anger, sarcasm…real human emotions inspire me the most. Physical manifestations of passion and love inspire me. The works of each and every person that has ever been featured here inspires me everyday. Knowing that my works are appreciated and bring humor to people inspires me. With each piece of art that is created a part of your soul is captured for all time. I really believe that. Knowing that parts of my work now reside all around the world, some in countries that I myself may never see, blows me away.
It is funny it is to me to see the looks on people’s faces when I tell them that I stitch. Watching their eyes glaze over as they imagine kittens and alphabet samplers and pictures of wolves and perfect little cottages by lakes as they think to themselves “God, how boring” humors me to no end. When I show them my work and they see it first hand and can hold it and stare at it….that blows me away. There is nothing like it. When people really get what it is you’re trying to accomplish? Priceless.
Thanks to the effort you guys have put in to share the works of such a variety of artists and techniques, I am absolutely amazed at the endless ways in which stitching can be interpreted and executed. I have been introduced to so many talent people here. I am proud to display some of their works in my home and I show them off to every new guest with pride.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing what you guys do everyday. I know what it does for me. I like to think that there are lots of others out there that share the way I feel.
*steps off soapbox now and goes back to real job*
happy birthday guys!
I think I started working with needle and thread around the same time you were launching this site, a year ago
before then it was all about the paper and paint for me
but I think I’ve really found something with this stitchery lark that suits me down to the ground, it’s wonderfully relaxing, which serves as a lovely contrast to my stressful work life
and there is such creativity and uniqueness and downright oddity out there for me to drool over – much more so than on the papercraft ’scene’ imo
I just feel like I ‘fit’ in this little corner of the world
I’ve still got a lot to learn about working with fabric and thread, but I am loving picking it up as I go along
thank you Mr X and Beefranck and all the contributors to this site, and all the clever embroiderers and quilters on sites like Craftser who provide me with endless eye candy and inspiration x
I can’t believe it’s been a year! Congrats! I’ve been enjoying your entries on this site since I found it “way back in the day,” hehe.
Hm, stitching, to me, is one of many means of self-expression. I also paint, collage, knit, and sculpt. Stitching though, especially crewel embroidery, is a family tradition, so it has sentimental meaning to me as well. I’m excited and inspired more by fine art paintings and sculptures, but calligraphy (especially Arabic calligraphy) is also something I find very inspiring. I like to render these things in embroidery or cross-stitch. I do really love seeing modern phrases and cursing in traditional-style cross-stitch too, I think it’s hilarious.
Congrats again on your one-year website anniversary, and here’s to many more!
It’s a love, it’s an art, and it’s a coping mechanism. For the past 30 years I’ve been taking it up and putting it down, and always returning to it. In terms of craft it’s my first love, easy to learn and cheap to outfit one’s self for, but absolutely limitless in it’s potential for expression. I’m one of those people who has no patience whatsoever, NONE. But stitching doesn’t seem to take the patience that those who don’t indulge it all think it does, so it helps me appear more “normal” in a world that is finally starting to embrace all things weird.
Stitching has woven together the fabric of my life. I have been sewing since I was a young girl and it has been my way of expressing myself. The embroidery pieces I did as a child for my Grandmother now hang in my studio, and whether it be by hand or machine, sewing continues to be my safe place to be me! I am sew happy to find your site (linked from Urban Threads-Facebook). New ideas inspire me and I love the edgy stuff at UT. Your site will definitely be added to my inspiration file…thanks for doing what you do! Mary
Happy Anniversary! There are so many brilliant ideas here, can’t wait to try some out.
Happy Birthday, Mr. X Stitch! As a looong-time stitcher, I was very excited when I found your blog via Twitter. I love traditional cross-stitch and embroidery and seeing the many modern expressions of these forms of needlecraft that are featured here makes me love it even more! Thanks to you and Beefranck for all your hard work.
I remember picking up needle and thread for the first time since I was 11 and wondering why I’d ever dared to put it down!
And I thought I was okay just stitching dirty words and quotes from Absolutely Fabulous, but now I’ve bee exposed to so much and I have so much more new inspiration (if only I could get to all of it)!
I love visiting the site (especially on saturdays!) and I’m really excitied to get better at what I do– and maybe one day MY work can be shown off too!
Hah! I don’t know if I want to enter or not. Awww, what the heck, why not. If I win and make these, they will start conversations and that’s a good thing. Non? Eh?
Well, Happy Birthday, Mr.! This is the first time that I have been to your blog but your posts seem really exciting and some examples you have posted are just awesome. I’m still a novice but stitching is something that I really enjoy both as an art form and as a way to relax. Thank you for the opp. to enter your contest!
I can’t draw with a pen and paper, but give me a needle and thread and it’s all good and comfortable. Needlework is my painting. I get super excited by the things people do with stitching and other media – like the metal and porcelain pieces you posted. Seeing stitching on something unexpected is fun, even though I still prefer to stitch on fabric. I want to do some embroidered garments this year!
Happy Birthday X! (you know I think I’ll keep calling you that)
Stitching and I, well we go way back. I was a pure cross stitcher from the age of about 8 until about 17, when I discovered goldwork and stumpwork and blackwork (and, and, and..). It used to mean relaxation, now it means creation. It used to let me chill, now it gets me excited. I find myself in a lthered mess because I always have a dozen projects going and a dozen more in mind. It frustrates me that it takes so long to complete something I already see finished in my minds eye, yet the slowness and intricacy of the creation process lets me it enjoy it all the more. It’s one of my artistic releases, now that I can acknowledge that I do have an artistic side!
As to what excites or inspires… well there’s the stuff like that which you show here, the things that push techniques. Then there’s the thematic insipration and that can come from anywhere. Often, these days, it comes from the news or politics for me.
Thanks for giving us all the exposure to such amazing artists over the year. Keep it up!
To me, stitching means being creative and clever. The ones that inspire and excite me are usually bright and colorful, clever, and ridiculously cute. I’ve just started to start stitching again, making finger puppets for my niece, and it’s really sparked something inside me! I thought I would make about five puppets, and I had to make myself stop at eleven.
Thanks for the inspiration!!
Happy Blog Birthday! I’m largely an embroidery gal, and for me it’s two things: another artform (I collect these!), and a way to turn more uniform, mass-produced pieces into things which fit and complement my rather pecuilar self-image. I love nontraditional stitchwork, be it of interesting and unusual subject matter or new materials/techniques (like the cross-stitched metal).
Also, embroidered cephalopods. Or, well, anything cephalopod. All hail our new squishy and be-tentacled overlords!
I stitch what i see. It’s like painting to me. I don’t think I have ever followed a patter and in fact usually loose the instructions after I have my frame work and sometime before i start, lol! Stitching is my most relaxing art! When I tug that needle through the canvas I melt away with it and paint my thoughts. I love doing the little ones and making magnets. My grandmother started me sewing when she handed me a table cloth that had been worked on by all the women of our family and told me to finish all but one stitch so it will never really be over. I did and I love it so much.
This site has been such a wonder to me. I have expanded my stitching horizons with all the out of the traditional box stitching I have seen on here! I want to do my favorite comic strip panel in black out line and an anatomy chart of the brain! I have an idea for a portrait of my husband and I am jumping to do a french knot presentation bursting in colors. Thanks for the time you put in here it has been beautiful and exciting and made my eyes water with delight. (((HUG))) wishing you wonders and love!
Cat
Happy Birthday!!!!!
now i want to do frosty the snow man smoking a cig and trying to look like James Dean!
Happy Birthday — I love this site because it pushes my boundaries and understandings of what stitching can be.
Stitching to me is healing – it’s meditative – it is something I can do even if money is tight — it’s peaceful and energizing at the same time.
Looking at how people go in new directions and take something I understand and make it completely unexpected — that is so exciting. It’s a wonder really.
I am inspired by posts here – Flickr – and more and more everyday life is inspiring. When shopping for my son I kept seeing clothing that would look a little better with a little stitching here or there. I am constantly in amazement of what people create — it gives me energy to keep thinking of ideas – to try new things and stretch my boundaries creatively (and for that….I am thankful!)
Happy Birthday! What a wonderful site, my top priority site to check after the kids are fed and off running.
I can’t believe that this fantastic website was launched the same day I started stitching a year ago. I think I discovered it sometime around March ‘09.
Stitching has been such a creative, relaxing outlet for me over the last year. I have been a stay-at-home mom and I REALLY needed something creative to do on the side. There was a time long ago when I painted on canvas. I found it hard to go back to, since I couldn’t have the messy paint in the house or leave it once I started, having little ones around. I love that I can work on an embroidery piece and put it down when I need to, and still be excited to come back to it. I also suffer from anxiety/panic disorder and stitching has put most of those attacks on the back burner. It really has been so therapeutic.
I love giving my work away as gifts. I still have yet to make something for myself. Friends, family and even strangers, really appreciate the hand-made goodness and the beautiful floss colors, as much as I do.
I have been inspired by so many fantastic stitchers from the Embroidery and Phat Quarter groups on Flickr. There is so much talent out there, it’s overwhelmingly awesome.
Thank you for all of the hard work, time, and wit, you put into this site. I just adore you guys and can’t wait to see more fabulous artists throughout this next year to come.
X-X-X-X-X
Happy birthday!
I have stitched on and off since I was 9 or 10. Took it up seriously again about 10 years ago. I love the new edgy stuff that is out there – Sublime Stitching, Urban Thread, Pimp Stitch. Love the raunchy do it yourselfers. And want to have the time to do it all, all, all~!
Stitching excites the mind for me. Its putting words and images in full color. Finishing creations is a high and a low for me. Its done,yay! and its done, wah!Love the wish I could say it without offending you kit. Point and read. LOL Keep up the new and exciting work. Its Fabulous!!!
once into fiber always an addict
have the closets to prove it
need to keep the hands working so the spirit can flow
sanity, it’s all about maintaining sanity
oh, and get creative as hell
Yay for Mr. Xstitch. So glad I found this site, even if it was only recently. Going back over all the posts from the past year has been amazing! Who new stitching and textiles could be so darn amazing!
I grew up around cross stitched pillowcases and the typical grandma folk art stuff like stuffed country rabbits. I decided to do cross stitch myself just as something to do while I watched tv to justify sitting there and not doing something more productive. I had never really thought of ways I could take it on my own though until I discovered this site (and Phat Quarter, and Subversive Cross stitch, and Urban Threads…., you get the picture). Suddenly porn and cursing and Cthulhu could be part of stitching things! Who wouldn’t want to get in on that action?
I’m inspired and excited by all the people out there who do something new. Stitched outlines of wrestler sketches (I still say they look like sexual positions), cross stitched pin-ups, graffiti, adorable and crazy stuffies. It all makes me think about what I could do, and reminds me that I CAN do it. There are no rules, no limitations beyond the ones I make, and this is just as much art as the drawings or paintings I’ve done. I can mix it all up too. I’m inspired and excited by thinking about what I can do, once I take that plunge of moving beyond what others have designed and to what I can do. Scary, but I have a feeling once I do it will be very worthwhile. And a little obsessive. Possibly expensive. Who doesn’t collect supplies, I mean really?
So thank you. Thank you for the reminder that art can be anything, any medium, and it is all about what the artist chooses to do. There doesn’t have to be a line between art and craft. Happy birthday and may everyone involved, featured, or reading this blog continue to inspire and be inspired by just how cool thread and floss and fabric and felt are!
I am new to hand embroidery. I started because I have an embroidery machine but would like to do all the beaded and ribbon embroidery my mother does. Also it’s nice to have something to do while my son plays outside.
I take inspiration from pretty much whatever I feel like. I’m geeky so I like geeky things. I’m still learning (and so a sampler pack would be fantastic!). I also make clothing and many other crafts (jewelry making and such). I’m a total dabbler.
Some great sticthing there, I am more of a safe stitcher I’m afraid,But I just adore Hardanger all that cutting and weaving. Stitching for me relaxes me in a stressful world it is my getaway,to a wonderful world of threads and fabrics.
Oh and Happy Blogoversary!!
I love stitching, because I may not be able to draw one bit, but I can stitch till daybreak! I love to use it to express humor, love, my faith- anything that makes my ‘list of important things.’
I love to see anything stitched, because I can draw inspiration from it all. That being said, I *need* my daily dose of this website!
you want to know the real cheeseball reason I started embroidering in earnest? I read the Scarlet Letter in high school. yes, really. It inspired my to try a new art wform in my own cheesy high school angsty way.
I learned as a younger kid to stitch and sew but hadn’t really embroidered much until my sophomore year in HS. Now I find it soothing and relaxing and I like to do abstract stitch samplers and images of flowers.
Stitching was basically my introduction into the world of craft. I learned to cross-stitch at an early age and have since delved into other crafts (mostly jewelry-making.) Recently, I taught myself to embroider and am still working on that. But, when I think about stitching, I see myself sitting on my mom’s couch at the age of 8 working away on some long forgotten cross-stitch project. It’s homey!!
To me, stitching is like Prozac without the side effects. When I’m stitching I just escape into the fabric and into those little Xs and nothing else matters. I could lose days with my nose stuck in a patch of aida.
Stitching means relaxing and taking some MUCH NEEDED Me Time
I can’t stitch with kids climbing all over me, so I reserve it for when I can escape to the coffee shop alone 
I am always inspired by seeing what others are doing. I am a novice at best, but I see things that inspire me to want to be better
I learned to sew when I was 6 because I wanted to enter something in the County Fair. Over 2 decades later and I’m still at it! Sewing and stitching are always on my mind – it is a way to express myself that is both beautiful AND useful, and I can’t imagine not having a needle and thread to hand, always.
I started stitching about a year and a half ago and have put it down and picked it back up a few times now. I’m a college student, single mama, and the most undomestic person most people know so when anyone hears that I stitch they laugh. They think I’m joking. I find it to be relaxing. It’s so different from the reading, writing, and studying I usually do that it’s a nice break.
Congrats on making it a year with the site!
Stitching is definitely a great relaxer and something I put aside to do when I am alone or just want to be with my thoughts. I don’t know what I would do with myself otherwise!
Seeing other people’s work excites me, especially William Schaff, whose work I am familiar with because of flickr.
Thanks for doing the giveaway and happy anniversary!
I have been cross-stitching for as long as I can remember. My mother taught me, and it keeps me connected to all of the hand work of my mother and grandmother, and the generations of women before. I am now inspired by the more modern patterns and wry designs that provides an update on this old tradition. It relaxes me and brings a special detail to all gifts. I love the cross-stitch and metal on your website!
For me cross stitch is a way to relax, focus on something, show someone you care. I can easily spend a whole day stitching and watching television, only to look up and wonder where time went. I was never good at drawing, acting, or writing. Creative things I love but could never achieve. When I found cross stitch I knew I had found my creative outlet, finally.
I started stitching during my childhood…I was raised in a devout Mormon household and stopped with the kittens and hearts and shit around the time I started thinking for myself. The new movement of non-vomitous cuddly-free crafts got me excited and I’m thrilled to be back stitching again. I LOVE YOUR BLOG!!
Cross-stitch started as a way of making me look busy when I didn’t feel like talking to people. And to decorate my clothes. Then it turns out: I really enjoy it. And it makes all kinds of stuff look cool. Keen.
The x-stitch stuff I like is the kind that makes flowery napkins run and hide. The knid that takes samplers of yesteryear behind the swing sets, makes out with ‘em, then drags them into the dark underworld of x-stitch subculture from which no threads escape.
And stuff with cats.
I used to stitch alot more before I got the internet. I am currently looking for a phrase that I want to embroider for my office. This website has given me hope.
Tell me about stitching, what does it mean to you?
I love cross stitching.. and have done it since I was a child. My mom did a lot of needle arts but not cross stitch so it was kind of like my own little thing and she was always amazed at the effort versus say embroidery.
What stitchy stuff excites you? What inspires you?
I love Subversive… my mom saw the kits in the Urban Outfitters catalog years ago and I’ve been doing kits ever since. It really ignited my joy for the art. The kits in the stores are not what I was looking for… another wolf yeah! NOT!
I now make little funny cards for people because I’ve learned that I can use small elements from the different patterns to create my patterns.
Sorry, not creative enough to come up with something clever or deep. Or mean or funny. My daughter made me a cross-stitch that says “Desert Dwelling Pussy” because I complained about the cold (60 degree) weather. She was inspired by you, too. I hope your birthday is happy, anyhow, and I’m glad you are doing what you do.
I started stitching to relieve stress and to give me something to concentrate on other than the myriad of health problems I have now. It is also a way to be creative and to express myself. I hate cutsie shit but I like it if there are genitals and/or swear words involved!
Many things inspire me and most of them I see through this website. I love to see the use of other media with needle work. I love how creative and unique people are. I also love that all these artists come together and support others, no matter what their experience level. I’m proud to be a part of that community!
My Grandma taught me how to cross stitch when I was about 7, I cross-stitched everything (even a fancy turtleneck for her) but it all came to an end until I found your site! I work at a Law Firm and over half of the attorneys and paralegals here have a Subversive Cross Stitch piece hanging in their office from me and I have a waiting list!!!
Cheers to your anniversary!
Happy birthday!!
As I have said before (and will say again and again and again), MrXStitch.com has brought me a great deal of happiness in the past year. You’ve introduced me to fantastic new artists and techniques and given me loads of inspiration and even a few new friends! I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done (both Mr X & Beefranck) and for the entire community.
xoxo
-Mia
Mostly, stitching has been a way to wile away the unemployed hours. But it’s kind of more- it’s like when I used to buy clever patches for my backpack or pithy stickers for my bassoon case, but better! It’s a way to be creative and display my sense of humor or stitch homages to things I like.
Most awesomely, it’s become a way to see what incredible things other people are doing with needle art. Joining the Phat Quarter group on Flickr has helped me to see ordinary objects in terms of whether or not i could stitch them or stitch onto them. Those people are damn inspirational, and really kind to boot. Thanks Beefranck and Mr. X!
Honestly, as corny as it sounds, stitching is one of those awesome, multigenerational things that my mom and grandmother, my hubby’s grandmom, and I do as well, so even though I may stray on a stranger path than them subject-wise it still brings everyone together.
My inspirations are from everywhere. Colour, texture, looking at other art mediums and seeing what you can do with them. I knit and crochet as well, so mixing fibres and mediums that way is always amusing to get textural and pattern differences you couldn’t get with just one medium.
I know it’s been said before, and it will be said again, but the mixed media is fantastic. I thought I’ve tried some crazy things, but there are some truly amazing artists you’ve featured on here. Happy Freakin’ Birthday!
Tell me about stitching, what does it mean to you? For me, stitching is a small self expression that also helps me relax. I get to be creative in a small dose that sticks around (unlike my usual creative outlet of theater).
What stitchy stuff excites you? What inspires you? The really beautiful and the really silly. Part of why I love subverssive crossstitch is it reminds me of the type my grandmother would do and the kits my mom did when I was growing up, but it is irreverant and fits my style better.
Please enter my name in your draw. I really like this package.
wandanamgreb (at) gmail (dot) com
Whoo! The day is finally here! Congratulations to Mr. X Stitch and Beefranck for a job so well done that I don’t think I have the hyperbole to adequately describe! YEY, YOUSE GUYS! I’m really looking forward to seeing what this week has in store… it’s been quite a task to not badger you for hints and peeks. (I have not peeked)
Stitching for me is a creative outlet that I get such pleasure from. I use it as tool in my art and really love mixing mediums and I think that stitching just adds another layer of texture and meaning. I get so much inspiration from here and Phat Quarter and want to thank you guys so much. I feel like my stitchy friends really “get” me and support me. How great it that!!
Happy Birthday!
Crystal
Please registration and me so I would like to win…Elina from Slovakia
I don’t stitch much (I mostly knit), but when I have, I loved it. I have a great one in progress from years ago that is an old owl pillow kit. Great stuff. Stitching means relaxing to me, in that wonderful productive way that crafts have. Learning the stitchy stuff excites me. Whee!
Happy birthday!
Sewing, for me? Keeps me alive sometimes! I live with bipolar disorder and sometimes focussing on a cross stitch is the only way I make it through a day. Other times when the energy hits, I can creative super woman so sewing becomes an outlet for joy.
Right now…. I ‘m cross stitching A LOT!!!
Bet you wish you hadn’t asked!
I’ve tried a number of different crafts over the years and nothing has really stuck. The last couple of that I’ve gotten back into cross stitching have been some of the most creative for me and I think a lot of that has to do with this site and the Phat Quarter group. Getting to see what other people are doing, whether it’s cross stitch or something else has really kept me inspired and wanting to do more and more. It’s always great to see creative people support and inspire each other.
Happy Birthday!
I said some more nice stuff on my site. Spread the love!
I like stitching because it has truly evolved from the 1950s mentality of kitchy to hip and styling. It is a fast craft, which lets me make plenty of prezzies like a recenrt one for my boss. “I’m kind of a big deal around here”. Just keep thinking that. ..
Making a prezzie is more personal and well recieved than buying something.Plus you get to tell someone to f**k themselves and they don’t think you mean it!
Stitching has become a crafty obsession for me. Every time I see an image I like, I think, “will this look good stitched?” I usually can’t watch a movie or a show without paper nearby in case i hear something thats too good not to be stitched! I’m on a quote binge lately- working on quotes from the ridiculous show “Trailer Park Boys”- awesome. It’s super relaxing, unless i’ve been at it for too many hours
I find tons of inspiration from Craftster, Phat Quarter, Feeling Stitchy, and of course, this site (thank you). Vintage illustrations and tattoo art are also big sources for me. Keep up the good work guy, us crafters appreciate you!
I love stitching…I love all sorts of crafts. Sewing is by far the most satisfying, though. I love to troll Etsy to find new ideas & inspiration, and I would definitely love to win that gift pack! I just found your site today (of all days) and I will definitely be following as kittens & cottages don’t really do it for me, either!
I love creative expression in all it’s forms. If we can communicate something relatable/meaningful/interesting/heart-lightening with string on a needle than so much the better. Communicate with sand and wool and water and concrete and sugar and celluloid and words and noises and rhythms… the world is better for all of it!
This is a great blog. Keep it up.
makes me smile every time!!
For me…it is the ability to combine creativity with all the things I never said, and wanted to badly. I am coming up with some “Presents for your Ex” patterns for you. They’re so mean, they’re cute.
My friends/family/significant other/anyone who has known me for more than an hour know that when I’m in “Project Mode” I am not to be distrubed. Don’t try to invite me to things, don’t try to distract me, don’t do anything that might interrupt me getting a few more stitches in! I find it so relaxing and I love seeing the picture or whatever I’m making come to life. This is especially satisifying since I can’t draw for the life of me… but I can make a mean group of X’s become a shape! Also, I’m fat!
Stitching is my way to relax (except when a mistake has to be rectified…then the trucker language comes out!!) I find a lot of patterns out there, and while I love the traditional type patterns, there are times when I want to say “bite me” or something stronger…I already ordered the “**** cancer” pattern, along with a couple others, and can’t wait until they get here. We stitchers do have a sense of humor, along with a darker side sometimes, and I love designers who recognize that. Please enter me in the competition. Thx.
Ah, you’ve been here a whole year and I just found you!. What a fabulous site.
My [Grand] Mama taught me all the needlework that I know. She patiently taught me to embroider, knit, crochet (though that didn’t take) and to sew. I have excelled in the sewing category and she was always so proud.
When I sit down to embroider a little something I have Mama on my mind. She would have laughed at the “subversive” sayings being stitched and probably would do one herself. She would be delighted that I have again found time to relax and embroider.
She lived to be 104 years old. I miss her every day since she has been gone – almost 6 years now. But stitching brings her back to me in a wonderful memory.
What a great website!!!!! Happy Birthday to you!!!
I have always loved embroidery, and any time I see something that is beautifully embroidered, but has a modern sensibility about it, I get really happy. I love the creativity that people put into their embroidery, and the way it has become a truly modern art medium. Since finding this site, and a couple of others, I have definitely moved away from the flowers and the days of the week towels.
a broken leg forced me deeper into this lifestyle.
i’ve been cross stitching since the 4th grade (when a student teacher named Miss Bop – no lie – taught my class to cross stitch). mom encouraged it heavily, being an owner of a quilt store on the first floor of our house. Coleen’s Stitchin’ Post, bitches. awww yea.
but that giant pop in my leg meant a few things:
1) no walking for five months
2) supreme Golden Girls viewage
3) take the stitching to the next level. design for more than just my friends. think outside the box. needle. thread. ridiculously giant online purchases. stitch. aida cloth. 14 count, please. dmc floss. cannot stand any other brand, thank you. stitch. meals brought to me. physical therapy. stitch. long car rides to doctors appointments. surgery. pins. stitch. screws. graph paper. chewing pencils. get well cards. stitch. anesthesia. crying. healing. insurance. stitch. stitch. stitch.
it brings me back to center. each and every x.
I am just getting into crafty things – and I love “non-traditional” patterns.
Choose me, oh random number generator!
Congratulations on your one year anniversary, guys! It’s been wonderful reading about such great stitchery, and a huge honor to have my stuff be featured here a few times already. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings!
I actually didn’t start cross stitching until just over a year ago. I found a Subversive Cross Stitch kit at a craft fair in Chicago and thought it was hilarious. After I finished the piece, I just couldn’t stop. Cross stitch relaxes me and forces me to focus. I love how tiny little “x” stitches can create such amazing works of art.
Happy birthday you guys!
Like so many contributors have said before, my stitching helps me to relax and prevents the potential murder of my bosses and colleagues ;0). I even stitch on my lunch break and am slowly converting the masses in my building.
I’m a relative newbie, as I’ve been visiting the website and Phat Quarter for about 4 months now. I like to think of myself as transitional – I’m still stitching the cute animals but dabbling with my own ideas, inspired by you guys and all the other fabulously talented individuals that post their craft online. This Christmas morning will be such a blast, when my family unwrap their Clairy Fairy originals!
Here’s to the next year, can’t wait xxxxx
Happy birthday! I just found this blog a couple weeks ago, but I am already addicted to it.
For me stitching is a relaxing tool. I’m an art major, and sometimes having to make things to fit class guidelines just makes me die a little inside. When I get too wound up I quit and I pull out my embroidery- it’s just relaxing, knowing that I can put whatever I want on there and no one’s going to grade me on it.
I find inspiration in stupid places. The Bunny Suicide books, newspapers, my own sketchbook. I love that I can take a craft that’s been around as long as embroidery and make it fit however I’m feeling right now in the present.
I always knew I’d end up doing crafty shit. My mother, grandmother and great-grandmother dragged me to damn near every fabric store in a hundred mile radius. (Seriously, the highlight of my mother’s and grandmother’s trip to Vegas was finding a fabric store they’d never been in.) You can’t spend that much time in fabric and craft stores before it starts to change you. Nature, nurture, blunt-force trauma, call it what you will, but I knew some day the crafting urge would kick in.
I think it would have taken a lot longer if two things hadn’t happened: I got a bunch of blood clots and had to sit on my ass at home for a month, and I discovered beefranck on Flickr. I made a cross stitch that said “Cubicle sweet cubicle” and I was hooked. Mostly I make things that make me laugh. If I don’t find it funny, there’s a real good chance I’ll never finish it. It’s also become a way for me to deal with rage and other socially inappropriate emotions, by converting them into funny, beautiful works of art.
Because dammit, there’s no reason something can’t be beautiful, funny, and obscene.
‘Happy Birthday’
As an Art teacher and as a practicing painter/printer/stitcher/knitter, I can say that the end product when working on a piece is nearly as important as the journey made in making the piece of work. Without that journey and stitching I personally would not exist as the person I am
(Tooooooooooo deep?!?!)
Loving what you do :O)
I just started- totally inspired by the outline style of Sublime Stitching. I am in no way, shape or form an artist (we’re talking public health degree here) but I get this thrill from designing embroidery sets.
The scandalous excites me. Pin ups, bondage, and bicycles. Mostly things that I’d be embarassed to take to a local stitch and bitch session. It scared me at first, but embroidery has allowed me to explore topics that I’ve kept off limits to myself.
Stitching keeps my hands busy so I don’t shovel ice cream in my gullet! I like to embroider pillowcases and do a cross stitch ornament every year for the tree. I exhibit my stitchery at the county fair, this year my pillowcase got 2nd place, my ornament got 1st!
Stitching to me is a way to de-stress. When I am working on a project I am passionate about I can become so absorbed in it that I forget about everything around me (including time). I love seeing new and creative ways that people find to use stitching. Inspiration comes in many forms other people work, life, a new fiber or color, etc.
Stitching means to me loud music, fast cars, and chicks. Or it could be wit and craftsmanship.
I get excited by good composition and quality execution.
I am inspired by the ignored.
Happy b…
Stitchin to me is a place to go in my head where most folks wouldnt want to visit. Been at it for 46+yrs. Love to teach it to those who want to learn. The rest Id like to use as a pincushion. Look for inspiration in odd spots. Bits of rust and broken things. And yes I do torture the young by dragging them to out of the way fabric shops. You never know what might inspire.
I currently do machine embroidery and am trying my hand at crossstitch. I love the versatility of the designs and have gotten some great inspiration for my digitizing from these lovely pieces.
i bounce around between many different crafts. right now i am obsessed with stitching! i love that it is portable and the supplies are affordable. i love that you can do ANYTHING you want with it (mr xstitch has taught me that). and i love that there is such a great history to it and also a new great community supporting it. i am really inspired by the pieces with unexpected subject matter or techniques.
I just cross-stitched fifteen brightly-coloured space invaders for my dad’s birthday. I really love when stitching and geekness meet; I can be old-school weird (you do crafts?!) as well as proper geek at the same time. I’m now thinking of segueing into embroidering theatrical posters…the sheer potential of stitchery inspires me.
(I also love words. “Therewith”. Massive win.)
Happy birthday!
Stitching is learning the craft. Stitching is continuing the tradition. Stitching is fiercely female. Stitching is determinedly male. Stitching is solitary. Stitching is sociable. Stitching is social commentary. Stitching is private diary. Stitching is the prettiest way to sweetly shock.
Stitching is as close as I can get to painting. I knit and crochet, but stitching is where I can go wild with color and patterns, and where I can make something transcend into art. My current project is transferring a drawing made back in high school by a friend that included rubber stamping and lettering, and making it into a stitched piece.
stitching is such an exciting place to be right now! what’s going on the realm of needlework is really exciting, in almost all its forms: cross stitch, embroidery, knitting, tatting, anything to be done with “needles”. there are so many amazing people doing these crafts now, that literally take it from craft to art. where do i find inspiration? that’s a hard question to answer. really, isn’t everything inspiring?
thanks to you Mr. X and to anyone else making needlework so exciting!!
To me stitching is a transformation. When I stitch I feel beautiful. When I stitch I feel like I am creating art for the whole world. When I stitch I can change the world with a needle and thread.
What inspires me most about stitching is it’s potential to change itself and the world.
hmm…stitching means spending hours just to make tiny details, but it’s all worth it! I love stitching pretty borders and stuff that are just plain cute!
Stitching is how I relax – I can see a project progressing & feel like I’m accomplishing something. I’m inspired by old biology & anatomy plates. Something about the order and symmetry to biological systems cries out to be embroidered.
Your blog goes from strength to strength and is an amazing source of undying inspiration.
Happy Birthday! Love your blog!! I mostly stich to give as gifts…. I like to do non-traditional pieces…… Cheers!
Stitching, to me, is heritage. Both my mother and grandmother sew – and I love the idea of passing on their handmade treasures for years to come. That said, I too, love creating as well, and want to stitch items that reflect the times and my personality, thus I love making “modern” scenes and words that are are more current. I’m inspired a lot by nature, but love presenting it in less than traditional manners.
I like making all kinds of things, especially when they are made with pointy needles. I don’t like pretty twee crap. I like ones that look like paintings, especially when they have skulls on them. The rude and witty sayings make me laugh, more if they look sedate at first glance.
Happy Birthday Mr X Stitch
Tell me about stitching, what does it mean to you?
My first embroidery, at age six, was a graceful swan. Now, I use it as a way to mark time. I stitch all of my work during my daily commute to graduate school, which is 2.5 hours a day. I love stitching because it is fundamentally such a visceral art form: no where else is blood, spit and strain so delicately combined to make such beautiful, pristine images.
What stitchy stuff excites you? What inspires you?
The artist Andrea Vander Kooij utterly astounds me. Her work is amazing and heartbreaking. I became friendly with Julie Jackson from Subversive Cross Stitch through flickr about two years ago when I submitted one of my stitched Decorative Cum Rags.
Since I started my third trimester, my stitching has become more important to me than ever! I’ve been cross stitching and doing blackwork embroidery since I was about eight years old (yay SCA), but I am an all around crafter. Well, since I started the third trimester in August, my hands have been so swollen and sore that the only thing i can do is hold a needle. I’ve been working on birth announcements that are all done in blackwork, and on designing other projects.
My inspiration is usually the artwork around me or random craftiness that i see when I’m surfing around online. I like to take images or ideas that I find interesting and make them into something stitchable. I generally like to design my own, because otherwise, I’m making what everybody else and their brother can make, and that’s just boring. But some things, like Subversive Cross Stitch, just warm the heart so much that I love to use their patterns too.
I love cross stitch. To me it serves as something to keep me occupied when im stuck in bed, anger management (poor aida pays for many mistakes idiots have made in my life), an insomnia cure, an outlet when im manic. It serves many functions. I have loved watching the nu craft movement explode. Before it did I often found myself sitting with graph paper and sharpies to come up with designs that arent cute and snuggly, seeing my generation claim something that supposedly was a granny hobby and turn it back into an art form that expresses our attitudes and values has been a ton of fun. I plan on continuing to churn out scarves, blankets, book marks, pillows, poppets until I am actually a grandma lol. Through out the years I have evolved from stitching the manson emblem on my jean jacket… lets just say many years ago… to making elaborate wall hangings that insult sensitive house guests, and bookmarks that my nerdy/geek friends now clamor for. Finally there are other like minded crafters that realize you can stay true to the art while staying true to your personality and avoid rosebud motifs.
I love to work with my hands. A lot. They are constently busy with any number of projects. Cross-stitch, embroidery, crocheting, knitting, sketching, painting, etc………..
Stitching for me used to mean cross stitching the same old kitties and pretty views, but now it’s a way of expression. I’ve seen stitching take on the form of bumper stickers and graffiti. It’s so much more open and free than what I was raised seeing. It’s a way of taking something plain and making it your own – your own design, your own thoughts, your own expression. There are no rules and that gives us the freedom to do what we will.
I find stitching a soothing exercise- normally a knitter stitching is the more elegant sister art, where each individual stitch means something on its own, as opposed to knitting’s ‘links in a chain’ stitches.
I was fascinated by Kate Kretz’s hair embroidery projects, seen here:
http://www.katekretz.com/hair.html
The detail is superb, especially working with a monochromatic palette.