Interview with Lola Crow Cross Stitch
Time to fan-gush over Amie's patterns and an exclusive sneak peek at her upcoming SAL!
Lola Crow Cross Stitch - if you've been cross stitching modern designs in the last several years, then you know exactly who I'm talking about. But let's talk about Lola Crow as if you've never heard of her designs.
Amie started designing years ago and took the market by storm. Her designs are so popular, I bet a day doesn't go by that you don’t see someone stitching one of her awesome and detailed stitchalongs. Her subjects typically border on the whimsical, gothic, and lots of literature-based references.
I can't talk about Lola Crow without expressing how her work and thoughtfulness has affected me. Back when I was hosting charity drives for local organizations in Austin, Texas with Austitch, I had reached out to several designers, asking if we had permissions to stitch their designs with the intent to auction them off for charity. Amie decided that her permission to stitch her designs wasn't enough, and she designed a hanging bat, stitched it, and allowed us to auction it for our charity at the time, Austin Bat Refuge. I was astounded at her generosity, and now this cute bat has a good home. We've worked on other collaborative projects together, and I've always considered myself lucky to be in the company of someone so talented.
So let's get into our interview! And we'll also get to see an exclusive sneak peek for her upcoming Stitchalong!
(Note: Links to all patterns are clickable in the captions)
Amanda: Tell us about you! How did you get into cross stitching and fiber arts?
Amie: I've always been into crafting and I've been cross stitching for as long as I can remember. My mom used to draw X's on a piece of fabric when I was little and I would stitch the designs. Later, I graduated to counted cross stitch, small projects for gifts, sometimes big multi-year projects. I've done it on and off throughout my life and it's really the only craft that I've repeatedly come back to over the years.
Amanda: I'm so grateful for your mom!! THANK YOU AMIE'S MOM!
Amie: I agree! She taught me a lot of different crafts: sewing, embroidery.
Amanda: How did that evolve into designing?
Amie: I had never tried designing cross stitch until a few years ago, when the pandemic hit. At the time I'd been running a costume/clothing design business for 12 years, but trends were changing and I was struggling to re-direct the business. Right as I was launching a spring clothing line, the pandemic shut-downs hit and everything changed. It was such a stressful time in the world, and for my business, and I needed a different creative outlet to cope with everything. I started designing cross stitch because I wanted to find a little joy in that difficult time and hopefully bring a little joy to others. I was surprised to discover a huge cross stitch community online and I was hopeful this could be a new direction for my art and business. I became instantly obsessed with designing and it really suited my personality and creativity much better than what I had been doing. It felt very right and so I dove in and haven't looked back.
Amanda: That's so cool, I didn't know you were also into clothing design.
Amie: Thanks! I had a lot of fun with it and it taught me a lot about running a creative business.
Amanda: I'm glad you had that previous experience. So what's with the name Lola Crow? Where did that comes from?
Amie: I get asked this a lot. Lola was the name of my late cat. I was still grieving her loss when I started designing and most of my early pieces (the window cat series, etc.) were a tribute to the 18 years that I shared with her. I thought the best way to honor her memory was for her name to live on as the inspiration for my business. The "Crow," aside from the obvious fact that crows are awesome, comes from the fact that my last name means "crow".
Amanda: Ok, that's so sweet, my pancreas is going into shock. What a wonderful way to continue her legacy! You know I had to ask for our readers!
Amanda: Ok, this is a hard one that stumps almost everyone.... How would you describe your design aesthetic in 5 words?
Amie: That is a hard one. Quirky, fanciful, detailed, unusual, creepy-cute.
Amanda: You've dominated the stitchalong scene! I see a Lola Crow everyday on my social media feeds. Let's dig into how you handle these projects! I feel like you have a little ghost whispering in your ear since you have so many ghosts in your designs! How do you come up with your themes? Is it a ghost friend?
Amie: Haha! I wish I had a ghost friend whispering in my ear, but sadly, no. The stitchalongs are huge projects that take hundreds of hours of designing, stitching and research and they are pretty-all consuming, so I have to choose a theme that I really, really love. My last couple of SALs (and the one that I'm working on right now) were all inspired by diversity in nature, plants and animals that are so strange they seem like something out of fiction. I choose subjects that I want to learn more about. I read about them, listen to podcasts, watch videos and then I think about their behavior, their environment and what story I want to tell. Approaching the SAL designs as a huge research project keeps me engaged, motivated and focuses the artwork.
Amanda: It's so good to hear that you do all this research, and you can really tell, especially with the Deadly Aquarium stitchalong. I learned a lot just watching others stitch all the deep sea critters! I'm going to throw in a question from one of my patrons (@thecassidyaudacity) who wants to know how long in advance do you start planning your SALs, or are you just cycling onto the next when one is done?
Amie: I have a general plan for my SALs a couple of years in advance, but I don't start actively working on them that early. They are fun, but intense, and I'm usually pretty creatively drained by the end. I always have to take some time off between to rest and re-fuel.
Amanda: YEARS OMG.
Amie: That's just because it's a business and I have to have a plan in place to not feel too overwhelmed. Also, I'm so slow at designing, I have way more ideas than time to finish them, so they get backed up for years.
Amanda: How similar is your first draft of a pattern to your final draft?
Amie: Very different. I use software to create the designs, but I do a lot of editing as I stitch. By the time I'm done, I've usually ripped out and re-stitched every element at least 3 times to get it right. The middle section of the Aquarium was re-stitched so many times that the linen on my model was threadbare by the end.
Amanda: Quickie question…How do you pronounce AIDA?
Amie: Haha! Eh-duh
Amanda: Ok, good, we can still be friends.
Amie: That's good!
Amanda: What's your current favorite pattern you've designed?
Amie: My favorite design will always be "The Haunted Library". It was meaningful to me artistically because it was the first piece that I really looked at it and thought, yeah, this is my style and artistic voice. It was also important for my business because it allowed me to start designing full-time and it pushed me to do more SALs. And, it was special to me personally because it was a love letter to the authors that I'd read and loved for years.
Amanda: I'm not crying, you are! It's so crazy to see how many people are still stitching that one! It must feel so good to have a legacy of artwork like this. And I've got to say, seeing so many local needlework shops swipe up your patterns is so reassuring to me. You know me, I'm an advocate for LNS, and it gives me hope that they're evolving in the right away when they are stocking yours and other modern designers patterns. Do you have any cool LNS stories?
Amie: Aw. What's really amazing is to see the community that grows around certain pieces (especially SALs). They take on a life of their own as people add their own creativity to the design. It's really special to watch it all unfold and I'm so grateful to the stitchers that want to give their time to stitching my designs.
So, print charts. When I first decided to offer my patterns in print, I wasn't sure how it would go. You and I have talked about this a lot. I'd been told so many things about what you should and shouldn't do and I wasn't sure if shops would even be interested in my style. But they have been really enthusiastic and most of them are excited to embrace modern designers.
I have to give a shoutout to my LNS "Acorns and Threads." They have been so supportive and I just had the opportunity last weekend to be the surprise featured designer at their "Acorn Gathering" event. It was a blast and there is an incredible sense of community in that place.
Amanda: I love the idea of trying to predict what will be new and trending in the cross stitch world. Do you have any predictions of what will be popular in our community this year?
Amie: Hmm, I think quirky animals seem to be having a moment right now.
Amanda: Who are your favorite designers right now? Do you ever get to stitch anyone else's charts?
Amie: There are so many great designers out there, it's hard to choose. We're really in the middle of a cross stitch Renaissance. I love The Witchy Stitcher, Pigeon Coop, Autumn Lane, Night Spirit Studio, Ink Circles and countless others.
I don't get many chances to stitch patterns by other designers because I do all of my own test stitching, but this year I decided to treat myself to stitching Pixel Pixie's "Beautiful Biomes" SAL. I haven't finished it yet, but I love to take it along when I go to stitch groups.
Amanda: Oooh Kristi is going to love that you're stitching her work!! HI KRISTI!
Amanda: What's on deck for LolaCrow this year? Any hints? Sneaky peeks?
Amie: I have a SAL coming up this spring. I won't be announcing the theme until next month, but I did drop a teaser with a screaming peacock as a hint. It will be another weird nature-based piece.
Amanda: The weird is what makes them good!! I think everyone is going to go wild with this!! My personal prediction is MORE BIRBS in 2025, so this definitely fits.
(( Spoiler Alert - As of 2/15, Amie has announced that the Stitchalong is named “Extraordinary Birds.” ))
Here’s our exclusive sneak peek from Amie! LOOK AT THESE COLORS!
Amanda: And our last question! People want to support you! What's the best way for the community to support you?
Amie: I think the best thing anyone can do to support artists is to share their art. If you stitch something and share it on social media or beyond, not only does that let the artist know that you are enjoying their work (which makes us want to create more), but it gets more eyes on it and helps spread the word.
Find all of Amie’s links here.
Thank you so much, Amie! I appreciate you entertaining me with this interview!
Have you stitched any of Lola Cross Stitch Stitch patterns? Which are your favorite? Are you jumping on the new stitchalong?
Bonus pattern that I stitched!
Fantastic interview! It’s so cool getting a behind the scenes peak into designing.
What a great interview! I had no idea that Amie started designing during the pandemic, and it was so cool to learn more about her. I'm stitching the Greenhouse of Oddities at my own pace. Amie has several sets of spooky holiday ornaments that I'd love to stitch eventually. And I'm definitely interested in the new birds SAL! 🦜