Hello!
I can't believe it's the first week of March already. We have had so much wintery weather. Although the snow has been nice I'm ready for Spring, flowers blooming and the color green. I feel like winter gives us lots of browns and white, after a few months I start to miss color. That's one reason I love cross stitch. Cross stitch can be so colorful. I love lots of color and it shows in my patterns and in my woodworking.I thought it would be fun to do a post about my cross stitching process. How I design a pattern, to the software I use, to the finished product. When I create a pattern I don't just throw a picture up and turn it into a pattern. A lot of thought, drawing, and changing happens when I create a pattern.
I have a notebook full of ideas for patterns, signs and anything creative I jot down. I'll go through the notebook and pick an idea. I'll then sketch it out on graph paper with a pencil and use colored pencils for color ideas. I use the graph paper to get the idea of the shape of the design. I want to see how it will fit into little boxes. After I've drawn the picture I'll usually let it sit for a few days and think about it. I'll then go back to it and see if I want to make any changes or if I even like the idea. Then it's time to chart out the design.
I use Ursa Software Cross Stitch Software to chart out my patterns. I love this software program. It's easy to use and I can print out the finished pattern or save it. I also use a DMC threaded color card to choose colors. I love the color card because I can see the actual thread and how the color will look. Once I've finished charting out the pattern I'll let it sit for a few days especially if I'm undecided about a color. Once I'm totally in love with the pattern I print it out, order any floss colors or fabrics I need and start stitching.
I cross stitch each of my patterns. Sometimes I make changes as I stitch. I usually never decide how many threads for a back stitch until I'm stitching the back stitch (sometimes I like 2 threads and not 1). Sometimes I'll change a color. When I made the St. Patrick's Day pattern I didn't like the original yellow I used. I ended up pulling out all of the yellow and changing it to a slightly darker yellow. I stitch my patterns, not only because I love cross stitching, but I want to make sure each pattern is perfect and ready for my fellow stitchers.
Once I've stitched my pattern, and it's just the way I imagined it, I take a few pictures and create the digital booklet. Each pattern comes with stitching instructions, color chart, a full page chart and a larger split chart. I also include a symbols only pattern and a color on symbols pattern. When you purchase a digital download I also give a free basic cross stitching guide. Each digital booklet has everything you need, minus materials, to cross stitch your pattern. I'm also available for any questions you may have about the pattern.
That's my creating a cross stitch pattern process. If you have any questions or have any suggestions I would love to hear them. I love to see behind the scenes and how others make their craft, so I thought it would be fun to share one of my processes.
I would like to leave you with a sneak peek of a few things I'm working on in my shop. I'll post more soon. I hope everyone has a fantastic week!
Happy Crafting!
Jennifer
Milly Bean Handiworks
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This post is my own opinion, I didn't receive compensation for this post.
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