This is me with my X-Files cross stitch
Welcome to PDX-stitch, a cross stitching & other needlecraft blog! I’m Kate, and I live in Portland, Oregon, AKA the Rose City, AKA the city where it rains so much you have to find indoor fun — like crafting. I have been cross stitching since 2011. I started with a simple craft-store kit, and was so enamoured, I quickly learned how to make my own patterns so that I could stitch whatever I imagined. I also enjoy sewing and knitting, and I dabble in quilting and needle felting, too. I also collect postcards & run a blog about that over at deltiolog.
Contact
- Email me: pdx.stitch@gmail.com
- Find me on your favored social medium:
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell the free charts you post?
No. Unless the chart itself says otherwise, the free charts I post are for personal use only; please do not sell the charts, include them in kits for sale, or sell items made with the charts. However, please do use them to make things for yourself, your friends, your family, or anyone else who needs some cross stitching in their life, and feel free to share them on your favorite social media with a link back to https://pdxstitch.wordpress.com.
How do you make your cross stitch charts?
I use a cross stitch chart program called MacStitch (which is Mac only, but the same company makes an apparently identical program for Windows called WinStitch). Usually I use Adobe Photoshop to edit an image to the size I want (with one pixel equal to one stitch), save the file as a .png, and use MacStitch’s image conversion feature to turn it into a chart. I’ve posted a basic tutorial explaining how I use Photoshop to edit images before importing them into MacStitch; you can read it here.
Before I had MacStitch, I also used a free program called KG-Chart (Windows only). It is a great basic chart-maker, and the price is hard to beat.
How do I learn how to cross stitch?
Getting started with cross stitch is really simple. I learned by buying a DMC kit from my local chain craft store; it had all the needed supplies and decent instructions, too. This was a great way to get started with the craft. I sell a beginner’s kit in my Etsy shop, which includes an instruction booklet, cross stitching needle, and embroidery scissors, which can get you started on any project!
You can also check out the cross stitch section on Reddit and refer to their FAQ document that is full of tips & instructions. The About.com cross stitch section also has many tutorials.
Good luck on your first project!
PDXstitch 