BAD Stitch AMA
What *is* my favorite dinosaur? and other cross stitch stuff
It's Ask Me Anything time! Thank you so much to everyone who asked questions in my last post! I'm going to try my best to give you some good reading!
Cassidy Hubert asks:
Which of your designs are you most proud of?
This one is easy! I'm most proud of Neon Cicada. I think when I designed this one, something just *clicked* with placement of pixels + color palettes. I also started using these "candypop" motifs, which I think are cool, and I'm trying not to use them too much, but I like them, so I guess they're in everything now.
Crystal Carney, Editor asks:
You make zines! I love this (and thank you, the world needs more of them). How can I get some to share with my community?
Yay! Another zine lover!! Zines are so integral to free speech, right? And there's a zine out there for any subject, and if there isn't one on that subject, someone will inevitably make one! To answer your question, I used to have a bunch of zines at Wasted Ink Distro in Phoenix, AZ, but I believe they've all sold out. I haven't made any non-cross stitch ones in a long time. When I was playing Skyrim, I had this idea that I'd write out my adventures and how my character responded to the storyline, but then I just played more Skyrim and didn't make any zines. I do have a free zine available from my early days here! https://www.patreon.com/posts/4-year-of-my-96859611
Do you ever make zines on topics other than cross stitch? (How to be a better trans ally, or sketches and design work, for example)
So I don't tend to touch on these subjects, because there's SO MANY other great ones out there! For example, here's some of my favorites:
"We [Palestinians] Are Not Going Away," a series of first-person accounts, Free (Design by Pleasure Pie, 2023) https://www.pleasurepie.org/uploads/4/0/9/8/40981383/we_palestinians_zine.pdf
"How to Plan for Action: A Protest Prep Zine," published by Microcosm, $1.95 USD https://www.revoltstylestudio.com/journals-zines-books/how-to-plan-for-action-a-protest-prep-zine
“Walmart Workers Workit” by Sophie Duncan and Maria Florencia Caruso. Tells stories about Walmart Exploitation and worker’s rights. Free. https://freeradicals.gumroad.com/l/GTndf
For funsies:
"Let's Make Poop Together: An Adorably Gross Zine," by LittleNeoCreative, Free. https://littleneocreative.com/poop-zine/
"Sing, O Muse!" A Greek Mythology Zine. This is currently sold out, but a 2nd volume is coming in October 2025. https://web-cdn.bsky.app/profile/singomusezine.bsky.social
"Cat Party: Cats We've Known in Words and Pictures," by Katie Haegele. $17USD. This is a big zine full of such delights and cats. https://consonantcollective.com/shop/cat-party-cats-weve-known-in-words-and-pictures
Luminea asks:
Is there a charity or cause close to your heart that you've designed for, or one you'd like to create a future pattern for?
I've done quite a few charity collaborations, and I could write a novel about it, but I'll just talk about my favorites!
In 2022, I was in Austin, TX, running my local club, Austitch, and we chose Austin Bat Refuge to celebrate and raise funds for by auctioning finished cross stitch projects. ABR is such a lovely organization that rehabilitates injured bats in the Central Texas area. They have medical facilities and a giant net enclosure that houses bats that need extra care before they are released back into the wild. During this time, we were invited to come to the ABR grounds and help stitch up any holes that were in the netting, to prevent predators (like snakes) from getting in. Being there, and seeing first-hand the bats and how much work they do to help these little critters made my heart swell so much. Here's a picture of me and Lee of Austin Bat Refuge with a bat cross stitch WITH BATS ON IT.
I am not transgender, but I feel like I am privileged and in a place where I can advocate for my transgender friends. This year will be the third year I will be raising funds for Trans Lifeline with a Trans Pride themed cross stitch pattern. Trans Lifeline does so much for transgender folks, most especially a support line hosted by transfolk and microgrants that assist those looking to do name and gender-marker changes on official documents. Please stay tuned, Transgender Day of Visibility is March 31st, 2025.
Luminea asks:
We all know that you love the vaporwave aesthetic, and it's so fun! Do you have another colour palette that you love, or one that you would like to experiment with?
I'd love to just stick with vaporwave and neon colors all the time! Can I just do that? I've been digging into my Cosmo floss collection, which has different palettes to play with, and I would design with these colors all the time if I could.
Journey asks:
Is there an artist or pattern maker who you dream of doing a collaboration with? Why, and what sort of pattern would you work on with them?
I've tossed this idea around with my designer pals a couple times, where we all build on the same design, and that's so hard. I'm one of the few designers that uses KG-Chart Pro for my pattern-making, so of course that isn't compatible with the more popular WinStitch / MacStitch, etc. Aside from logistics, I think it could be fun, but I wouldn't be in a place to spearhead anything like that.
I've collaborated with most of my favorites! The Bookmark Book in November 2024 is where I hit up 30 designers. I'm not afraid to reach out to people to see if they'd be interested in collabs, because the worst they could say is "no", and that won't hurt my feelings. There’s more stuff in the works under the Spellbound Stitches umbrella, so please stay tuned!
I've said this a million times and probably won't ever stop, but Em of Steotch is my role model. Not only did Steotch get me into cross stitching, but they also laid out the groundwork for cross stitch community. They inspired me to start Austitch and build a local community of stitchers. I would love to do something *big* with Em! Here's where I fangirl and interviewed her last year: https://badstitch.substack.com/p/interview-with-steotch
Lana asks:
How do you choose your color palettes for a design? Is the design first or the colors first or does it change?
I typically have an idea of vague colors that a design will be when I'm slinging pixels. The colors picks actually comes AFTER I'm done with the design, and in some odd cases, I change out the colors if they aren't quite right during test stitching. My DMC threaded color card is usually within a foot of me at all times.
Which have been your favorite color palettes (outside of vaporwave ones)?
Always Vaporwave, Lana. Always.
What's the smallest design you've ever made and was it harder because it was smaller?
Oh, this is a fun one! When I saw designing my Monthly Mushrooms, I designed an Ink Cap with a root system hugging a skull. Then I decided it would be fun to design a tiny version of it.
What has been your favorite things to stitch along to (tv shows, podcasts, music)?
Asian Dramas!! I can't get enough of them! It makes me stitch slower because I have to read the subtitles, but there's so much quality content out there to keep me entertained while stitching for millennia.
What has been your favorite things to design along to?
When I'm designing, I listen to (and please don't judge me), a lot of Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Low, The Cure, and LCD Soundsystem.
Have you ever wanted to add beads to your designs?
I could! Is that something people want? I hate doing french and colonial knots, so that's why you never see them in my designs. If I don't enjoy stitching something, I bet everyone else will dislike it, too.
Do you sketch a design first traditionally or do you just dive right into the digital designing? Do you keep a sketchbook or digital sketchbook of your designs before they're a final product?
A majority of my designs, I just start pixelating. I did go through a phase where I'd do digital drawings, but I got exasperated trying to learn different graphic design software and I'm more comfortable looking at references and pixelating straight away. Sometimes I do doodle stuff, and then it makes it's way into a design somehow.
Here's an example from my Froggo Pond design.
Jen asks:
Where do you get inspiration for your patterns?
For the last year, my patrons! I make them decide for me, because I'm a Gemini and I can't decide anything for myself. If I had to pick what was for dinner, I'd starve. But sometimes I have a hankerin' to design a frog or bat.
What is your favorite DMC color if you had to pick just one?
Porque why do you do this to meeeee?? Ugh, 820. Yes. 820. LOOK AT HOW BRIGHT AND AMAZING THIS BLUE IS.
Favorite Cosmo color?
This one is easy, because there's no DMC equivalent and it's BRIGHT AF:
Cosmo 2001. This is what PANK is.
You started Austitch - how did you get the ball rolling to build such a wide and varied community?
Once upon a time, I used to be a moderator for a local club called Lady Geeks of Austin. I ran the Doggo Dates (we'd meet up at dog parks with our doggos) and eventually, I took over the Fiber Arts Club. During this time, Steotch was hosting the first Steotchalong that implemented teams. I gathered all the local stitchers I knew and peer pressured them to stitch the Golden Girls with me, and we got Third Place IN THE WORLD. I met lots of nonbinaries and masculine types who weren't in Lady Geeks of Austin, so I splintered off and made Austitch to be more accommodating. We had lots of meetups, which also garnered more people to join, and now there's over 1,000 local stitchers in the club! It's hard being away from them now, since I'm in Coastal Georgia, but they are still thriving and meeting up all the time!
Is there a dream project you've been wanting to do but haven't yet - the one you're dying to make but can't or just haven't yet? Whether its due to lack of time, current ability, etc.
Oh yes, I have grand schemes for a Stitchalong sometime. Can you believe I've never made a SAL? I've been too scared. I also have other big collaborations in mind, but I can't quite talk about them yet.
Do you have a favorite artist, cross stitch or otherwise?
Can I say Ghibli? Everything Miyazaki and crew draw is so clean and bright. I wish I was able to untangle the fuss in my head that makes me draw / design the way I do, and just go simpler.
Don't tell her I said this, but Iris of NeedleLot is my favorite designer and every single design she does it absolute gold.
Cassidy asks:
I love the collab projects, what prompts you to put them together?
🤑🤑 Haha. Money. 🤑🤑
But seriously, one of my business tenets is Community over Competition, and I try to show that by lifting other artists and collaborating with them in ways that showcases their talents. The last few Spellbound Stitches have been my attempts to introduce stitchers to Cosmo floss and also encourage people to shop at local needlework shops.
Heather P. asks:
What is your favorite dinosaur?
Now this is an awesome question! My current favorite is one that my spouse and I saw on the Prehistoric Planet documentary. The speculated mating dance of the Carnotaurus was so unexpected and hilarious, that my husband and I do this funny little dance to each other. Here's a video starting at the good parts. It’s also quality meme-content.
Carnotaurus dancing for the mate - [Prehistoric Planet] season 1
I think that's everything!! Thank you so much to everyone who threw down some questions and gave me some validation! I appreciate you reading and being here!
~Amanda