Well, I promised you insights into being a designer, so here’s the naked truth about why you haven’t seen any new releases from me for the last six months or so: My PDF Software expired, and I needed to find a more affordable substitute for Adobe Acrobat.
That's one expensive acrobat!
I landed on Tungsten Power PDF which does everything I need for a once-and-done lifetime license... or so I thought. For the last few weeks, I have been working with their tech team to solve what seems like a basic problem. But you’re here for the stitching, so enough with the technical details. I haven’t been idle all these months, and I have a pile of new designs dropping all at once. I thought you might like an introduction...
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
(LISTEN) (Take me to the Chart)
This was originally going to be my contribution for the Magic issue of XStitch Magazine. Sadly, the magazine is moving to an annual format, and the quarterly themed issues are no more. As with all of my XStitch magazine contributions (and in fact, most of my designs), I wanted a music-related motif. Since I am a diehard fan of 80s music, coming up with the lyric was easy. For the theme of magic, I wanted to avoid top hats and rabbits, Harry Potter, and sappy relationship messages. Instead, I opted for the idea of mystical magic. Since every little thing SHE does is magic, it seemed only natural that the Divine Feminine should be represented. After I decided to use variegated floss in shades of blue and purple, I learned that the name of this floss is “Mystical Midnight” (DMC 4245) – how fitting!
I resolved to call her up 1,000 times a day
The stars are a variation of my free 5-pointed star design, and this was my first time mounting a finished design in a hoop. To keep it tidy, I used a blanket stitch to hold a felt circle on the back. Not only does this look nicer, it keeps the excess fabric inside the hoop so it can hang flat against the wall. If you want to try it yourself, I used this great tutorial.
Nice looking backside!
New Wave
(LISTEN) (Take me to the Chart)
Last year when XStitch magazine announced an '80s-themed issue, I couldn’t have been more excited! It took me a minute to figure out how to encapsulate everything I loved about the '80s into a single cross stitch without resorting to Rubik’s cubes, sunglasses and neon colors. Of the all the styles of music I like (and there are a lot!), the Alternative and New Wave music of the 1980s will always hold a special place in my heart. My design went through several incarnations, and the version published in the magazine was less complicated than the final design. It highlights the New Wave scene that I love, but doesn’t really bring you into it.
For that retro, '80s sunset, I used the same gradient technique that I used for my Bob Marley - Jamming piece (on sale right now!). The '80s-aesthetic of the triangles was stitched using sparkly needlepoint thread from Rainbow Gallery – a departure from the traditional DMC threads I usually use. The piece of resistance™ however, is the wraparound list of some (but by no means all) of my favorite new wave bands in alphabetical order from ABC to Yello. (I’m sad to say, I’ve only seen 16 of these acts live.)
Tonight I’m gonna party like its 1982
Wanna Be Stitchin’ Something
(LISTEN) (Take me to the Chart)
Strap on your disco shoes and get ready to boogie! Add a little vintage MJ, and you'll really Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'! This piece was featured in the final quarterly issue of XStitch Magazine – Mixtape Vol. 7. As Disco wound down, Post-Disco jams like this one packed the dance floor. The lyrics represented here were borrowed from a 1972 jazz/funk number by Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango called "Soul Makossa." The spelling - different from Michael Jackson's published lyrics - reflects this African heritage. Sadly, we lost Manu Dibango to Covid in 2020, but his legacy lives on.
Don’t stop ‘til you’ve stitched enough
I kept this design pretty simple with just a touch of metallic thread to give that bling a little sparkle.
Thriller
(LISTEN) (Take me to the Chart)
What’s better than a Michael Jackson cross stitch pattern? How ‘bout TWO Michael Jackson patterns! The disco ball design captured the bounciness of MJ’s Off the Wall album, but Thriller was something altogether new when it came out. And don’t even get me started on that groundbreaking video! My usual go-to is album covers, but the cover of Thriller doesn't leap out at me as something I want to stitch. Zombie Michael on the other hand...
The funk of 40,000 years
It’s been a while since a design of mine had only full stitches. Hopefully this will appeal to all levels of stitchers.
Summon Demons
(LISTEN) (Take me to the Chart)
You can buy all kinds of signs asking you not to do coke in the bathroom. Honestly, I never thought it was very funny, yet it is *very* overdone. There are also many cross stitch designs asking you not to summon demons in the bathroom (which is funnier in my subjective yet authoritative opinion). What makes my version different is that the words “summon demons” glow in the dark. (More glow in the dark designs here and here.)
To glow or not to glow, that is the question
Memento Mori
(LISTEN) (Take me to the Chart)
And while we’re on the subject of skull-themed bathroom cross stitching…
Memento Mori is basically a reminder of our mortality, and an encouragement to make your life as meaningful as possible. It’s also become a common pop-culture phrase, from the name of Depeche Mode’s latest album to the souvenir store outside the Haunted Mansion at Disney World.
This version is stitched backwards so that it can be read forward in the bathroom mirror. Don't worry! The chart comes both forwards and backwards so you can stitch it either way.
I've got many more new designs coming, but hopefully this'll hold ya for a little while.