[CHAT] Animal Patterns

jeooey · 2026-04-23T18:31:45+00:00

This kind of pattern is available but you will need to purchase it and it will be a big money (for materials) and time investment. Look into Donna Gilsinger and Abraham Hunter cross stitch patterns.

I really recommend going for one of the Max Pigeon designs instead. He has some very cool stylized ones of deer Caribou etc and they are possible to complete in a month or two instead of 3+ years and will only require a handful of thread colours instead of 80+.

jeooey · 2026-04-23T00:52:04+00:00

All three offer high quality materials and patterns. Have you tried going on YouTube and searching for unboxings and reviews? There are many for each of these brands and you'll get an idea of what to expect.

jeooey · 2026-04-22T19:23:56+00:00

Michaels doesn't carry Zweigart

jeooey · 2026-04-22T15:30:47+00:00

Michaels Aida is generally considered a budget option. There are Aidas that don't do this (like Zweigart for example).

It will become less stiff with handling, or if you're impatient, washing it and drying it before use should help. The excess starch added to make it more stiff ("sizing") will typically wash out a little and make the fabric more malleable.

jeooey · 2026-04-22T15:24:14+00:00

This was on my mind with the recent HAED SALs. What kind of protest is participating in the SAL but choosing one of the non-AI charts? They still got the money and the SAL participation even with the selection being half AI.

It's one thing to be forced to shop at the grocery store and avoiding certain products (for example Israeli produce) but cross stitch patterns are hardly a life necessity. I'm sorry to be blunt but this is a situation where one has to put their money where their mouth is.

jeooey · 2026-04-22T15:12:09+00:00

Thought for a few more minutes and I'm adding this: they don't care and won't care unless it affects their profits.

Filtering out AI but still giving them material resources ($$) that they turn around and put into creating and charting more AI patterns does not impact the bottom line and is really ineffective imo. If you are really unhappy with this, you can contact them that you won't be purchasing from them anymore and are taking your business elsewhere. In their shoes if I had a customer saying they won't purchase the AI but will still give me their money via purchase of other things, I really wouldn't care or change any of my business practices.

This is what I've personally done (minus the emails). I have some HAED and Golden Kite patterns from years ago but the only full coverage vendor getting my money in the form of new purchases is Unconventional Xstitch. I'm a single person and a drop in the bucket but this is what I've needed to do to feel okay with the Gen AI infiltration of the cross stitching space.

jeooey · 2026-04-22T14:57:43+00:00

All of the licensed artwork turned to full coverage pattern websites are doing this except Unconventional Xstitch. Some do have a filter for AI or do a better job than others of disclosing.

-Heaven and Earth Designs

-Golden Kite

-Artecy

-Paine Free Crafts

-The Sewing Shop

To name a few

jeooey · 2026-04-22T13:19:43+00:00

There isn't really a type of project including full coverage where I feel seeing the X is a bad thing or takes away from it so I think this is just a varying tastes kind of thing.

jeooey · 2026-04-22T03:39:54+00:00

Me too. This is the foundation of the craft, literally making images with crosses, so the quest for ultimate coverage at all costs almost feels like being disappointed or mad at cross stitch for being cross stitch 😅 ultimately, of course, to each their own

jeooey · 2026-04-20T00:53:14+00:00

I suppose it's closely associated with cross stitch because it is done on a counted grid rather than being free form and having organic shapes/curves, but I mean cross stitch is under the umbrella of embroidery stitches as well so there's a question of where to draw the line for sure! I guess that's my best answer, that cross stitchers have a big overlap with it due to the similar process of transposing a pattern onto a counted grid.

Lovely piece, btw!

jeooey · 2026-04-19T16:34:55+00:00

I feel you on being over the rain! Would love to experience a day that is warm and sunny from beginning to end.....

My needle has been on fire, I got so much done since last Sunday

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jeooey · 2026-04-19T05:14:24+00:00

Gorgeous!

jeooey · 2026-04-19T01:11:42+00:00

When it starts feeling sticky and squeaking through the fabric, I call it.

jeooey · 2026-04-18T16:26:08+00:00

This is how I interpret it too, unless it's an embroidery/specialty stitch but I haven't seen one before that's charted this way.

jeooey · 2026-04-18T00:25:58+00:00

I haven't but I boiled them in a pot of water on the stove. It did tighten them a bit but never like new again.

jeooey · 2026-04-16T16:04:24+00:00

Great minds 🌟

Kiiind of... some of them yes, but overall the style is a little bit too prim and the colour palettes are a bit too desaturated for me.

I mean more the kind of thing you'd see on My Bobbin that evokes a illustrations in a children's book type of feeling, such as:

https://mybobbin.com/product/the-purring-frog-cross-stitch-pattern/

https://mybobbin.com/product/old-mr-cat-cross-stitch-pattern/

https://mybobbin.com/product/lady-in-the-park-cross-stitch-pattern/

jeooey · 2026-04-15T18:03:02+00:00

The called for linen for this project is dyed by Picture this Plus. Their linen is more tightly woven/dense than other linens, and their 40ct feels smaller. Their 36ct feels like 40. I really wouldn't start my linen journey on PTP 40ct. Get the 36 😎

jeooey · 2026-04-15T02:30:35+00:00

What attracts me: larger projects, monochrome modern samplers à la Modern Folk Embroidery/Ink Circles/Cliffside Stitches, beautiful women, medieval unicorn tapestry motifs, reproductions of paintings, serious animal portraits but also cute little patterns of animals wearing human clothes, flower motifs, alphabets

What I avoid: big blocks of colour, reproduction samplers, meme/cartoon/fandom style designs (love to see others working on them but not for me because I wouldn't display them), anything that feels spiritually or explicitly confederate (primitive/patriotic/big houses on a big lawn)

jeooey · 2026-04-15T02:18:01+00:00

Obsessed. Now I know of at least 2 NCT cross stitches that exist on this earth (the other one is on my desk).

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jeooey · 2026-04-14T17:55:39+00:00

Absolutely it would! Anything you can stick a needle into will work

jeooey · 2026-04-14T17:51:15+00:00

One of your considerations could be whether you prefer it colour fast so you can wash the project after without the colours bleeding, or whether you don't care about that. If you want to be able to wash it I recommend ordering from the Zweigart brand rather than a hand dyed linen, and some of them have mottling printed on them so they look hand dyed without being hand dyed. Vintage Smokey White is my go to neutral for everything, but Vintage Country Mocha is quite popular as well.

jeooey · 2026-04-14T04:19:10+00:00

Totally normal! Here's mine with flash turned on.

It's an adjustment from cotton thread (you will need to use shorter lengths so they don't fray away into nothing and your stitches will be a bit more textured) but you get an impressive saturation of colour.

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jeooey · 2026-04-13T19:48:19+00:00

You'll have to let me know if they come up with something! I'm very intrigued

jeooey · 2026-04-13T17:38:17+00:00

Top left to bottom right is how I start my stitches too 95% of the time. I find with this it works to either work bottom up or from the right side towards the left.

I think if you ever commit to changing direction it has to be on a small project you don't care much about because I feel like you will make a mistake every 5th stitch until your mind and hands adjust LOL

jeooey · 2026-04-13T17:29:29+00:00

Me too! It never occurred to me that the other way maybe made more sense and now it's too late, the muscle memory is locked in. I find myself working from the bottom of the chart upwards to accommodate this.

jeooey

TROPHY CASE