Friday, March 16, 2012

Cross-Stitch Software


When I started branching out into more creative stitching projects, I knew I needed to get a good cross-stitch software program. I'm just not crazy enough to try and make the patterns from scratch, despite being crazy in general. One very large problem. I ONLY use Macs. Born and bred, I am a Apple lover. So although I knew there were a few programs out there, they were all for PCs. I googled around, and finally found one that would work with my computer. I downloaded the demo, and played around for a bit, and then took the risk and purchased it as an online download. At the time it was about $99.00. It is MacStitch from Ursa Software, and it has been the greatest purchase of my life. I would never have been able to do my work without it.

There are different settings of complexity, so you can set it at the hardest to achieve the most photorealistic effect (as I do), or the easiest to make a more color-blocked effect. You can choose your design size, stitch count, thread brand and all sorts of things. And then you can edit. This program is AMAZING. I bought it probably about 5 or 6 years ago now, so I am going to
upgrade to the 2012 version. They do have an upgrade offer that makes the program less expensive.

If there are other programs out there that you have used, let me know! I'd love to hear feedback on other options. However, MacStitch is
my go, and probably always will be. :)


Olivia. Stitched on 18-count aida cloth. ©2010.


Friday, March 9, 2012

New Emo Look, Same Bat Place


Hooray! I'm no longer boring! I spent my entire day searching for new templates that would suit my personality and subject matter, as I don't like the templates that blogspot offers. I finally found a cute one, a little emo, true. But then, so am I. And it's cute cuz the skull has wings. And my nickname for Passion Parties used to be Emo Angel. :) Oh, good times.

Anyway, this template came from Templates Block. Very cool, and with lots of options. And I'm totally up for giving credit to the site for giving templates away free, but I LOVE that their little "created by" note on the website itself isn't super in your face. Anywho. That's really all. I just was excited that now my blog looks nice. And now, for something completely different...


Litsy Leopard, on 16-count aida. ©2010



Thursday, March 8, 2012

Cross-Stitch iPhone Case

Completed Project - QR Code

Unfinished Stitching of QR Code

So a cool new product I found is the cross-stitch iPhone case from www.leesedesign.com. I actually purchased mine through thinkgeek.com (LOVE that site!), but they are no longer available. They come in a variety of different colors, and come with a few pattern options, some threads and a needle. Very super cute!

I, of course, didn't want a regular iphone case. I was going to plan a new sexy girl pattern for the back of it, but got a little over enthusiastic and decided to do a Subversive QR Code design from Subversive Cross-Stitch. This is also one of my super favorite websites, and has been an inspiration in creating my artwork. (www.subversivecrossstitch.com) I purchased a PDF pattern from the site for the QR code, and stitched it within a few hours. It works great, but I had to stitch the white background as the QR codes do not work with inverted colors (ex. white on black), only dark on light. Since my phone case was black, I needed to add the stitching in for a light background. Anyway - very happy with it, except that I am so attached to my Otterbox iPhone case that I can't seem to use the stitched one. And now I want to purchase another one, to do a girly design, and I can't find anywhere with reasonable prices to buy one! Will keep an eye out, and let you know!


Monday, February 27, 2012

In the Beginning.....



The piece that labelled me "cleavage-obsessed". Stitched on 18-count aida cloth, 2008.


A little history...

Needlepoint doesn't have to be boring. But somehow, it usually is. Boring to look at, and for most people, boring to make. (Not me, as I'm anal retentive...) I started cross-stitching as a school project when I was 13 years old in my Home Ec class. I stitched a bright orange peace sign for my craft module and it was ugly as hell. I even ran out of thread from the kit because I messed up so much. But I caught the bug. So I stitched everything. Teddy bears and gardens and kittens and Disney designs and flowers. Cheesy inspirational sayings and dragonflies and more flowers and more teddy bears. All the way through high school and straight into university.

So I went to university (obviously, from that previous sentence). I wanted desperately to be a fashion designer. But it turned out, I didn't really like to sew. Or draft patterns. Or pretty much anything required to be a fashion designer, other than drawing people. I started university in Human Ecology ( fancy-schmancy name for Home Economics) and after one year decided I was probably going to poke my brains out with my colored pencils. But I LOVED Orange County Choppers (especially Paul Sr.), and decided I should design motorcycles instead. So I applied to the Industrial Design program, and applied to the Fine Art program as a backup (just in case). Big surprise, I totally didn't get into the ID program, but oh well. I didn't really know anything about motorcycles anyway. But I did make it into the BFA program...

Art school was like a whole different planet. In high school, I had been one of the best at drawing and being a weirdo, and now I was in a program with ALL the best drawers and weirdos (it takes skill, y'all). I was actually kind of normal and sucky compared to everyone else. So I decided to be a realist painter, cuz that's cool. That didn't work. Definitely not qualified to be a realist painter. So I decided to be an abstract painter. I had a thing for Jackson Pollock, and tried that for a bit. I submerged my interest in chains and sexy models into modernist painting. I became (dun dun dun) an "Abstract Painter". Beautiful paintings that beautifully match your couch.

It took me three years to realize that I wasn't really making anything interesting, and that I felt like crap. The paintings were pretty, but there was nothing emotional or intellectual there for me. So I threw it all away and started over in my last year of schooling. A big F-U to the system. I started working with pornography and satire, conceptual video work and gel transfers, and everything else I could lay hands on. And my love of cross-stitching finally came out. And so did my love and interest in dissecting stereotypes and imagery of women in our media, as I was so obsessed with what I should look like and was expected to be. And then, my art was born! Ta-da!!!

In my graduating art show, I was noted by local papers as the most controversial work in the show, as "cleavage-obsessed" (I was quite proud of that). My work takes hours upon hours. Sometimes hundreds of hours. I do what I can, when I have time now - I work full-time as an admin assistant to pay the bills and co-support my pug with my husband. So here I am. Hoping to make it and find people who love my work as much as I do. Wow. Sorry, that was very "I'm just a girl... standing in front of a boy... asking him to love her." Well so be it. LOVE ME.