Our process
How I make my patterns
I'd rather tell you exactly how my patterns are made than leave you guessing. Here's the whole process, honestly.
1. It starts with an idea (and a cup of tea)
Every collection starts with a feeling I want to stitch: a snowy evening walk, a gingerbread house on the windowsill, a cat asleep on a quilt. I plan each collection as a little family, with one shared palette so the designs look lovely together.
2. Sketching, with digital tools
Designs are made in our studio using digital tools. For some ideas, that includes AI-assisted sketches: a quick way to explore compositions and colors before the real work begins. A sketch is only ever a starting point. It never becomes a pattern as it is.
3. Every chart is cleaned into a stitchable design
This is the part that matters most for you. Each design is redrawn and cleaned stitch by stitch into a proper cross stitch chart:
- Full cross stitches only in the main chart. No fractional stitches to fiddle with.
- Low confetti by design. Stray single stitches are merged away, so you are not changing color every other stitch.
- Tight palettes, usually 4 to 20 DMC colors, with shades you can tell apart under a lamp.
- Distinct symbols, with the clearest symbols given to the colors you use most.
- Floss colors come from the real DMC thread colors, so the chart looks like your finished piece.
4. Previews are rendered from the chart
Every preview image in the shop is rendered directly from the chart itself. That means what you see is what you stitch: same stitch count, same colors, same layout. When a listing shows a digital preview, it says so. I'll only call something a stitched sample once I have actually stitched it.
5. Clear, complete PDFs
Each pattern PDF includes a full-color chart with symbols, a black & white chart, a Pattern Keeper friendly file, a large-print version, a floss key with DMC numbers and stitch counts, and finished sizes for 14, 16 and 18 count aida and 28 count evenweave stitched over two. Charts have a bold line every 10 stitches and row and column numbers, so you never lose your place.
6. If something isn't right, tell me
Every file is checked before it goes in the shop, but we are human. If a file has a problem, we'll fix it or refund you. Just send me a message.
Thank you for stitching with me. ♡
Sara