Sublime Stitching's embroidery patterns

Sublime Stitching was founded in 2001 by Austin, TX's Jenny Hart. She had an artistic background, and had become interested in embroidery, but was generally disappointed with the patterns that were available to purchase in most stores. Not only had vintage patterns mostly faded out of stores by then, there wasn't much that was hip and modern.

What would a DIY'er do when faced with these circumstances? Start her own company, of course! (...With a small loan from her dad. DIY'ers also know when to ask for help!)

Six years later, Sublime Stitching is well-known in the indie craft world, but instead of resting on her laurels, Jenny continues to put out interesting patterns. Aside from classics like Cat-A-Rama, Tattoo Your Towels, and Unicorn Believer, you'll see the new "Artist Series" (with adorable designs from Kurt Halsey and pure pin-up pulp from Mitch O'Connell), and new patterns from Jenny herself like Dress-Up ("girly" objects like a handbag and a diamond ring) and Gnomes & Fairies.

I think Sublime Stitching is great! There's much more info for you after the break.

All Sublime Stitching patterns are heat-transfer line art that serve as a guide for your own embroidery. You don't have to use any specific stitch -- you're free to fill in the designs in any color or style you like. Some designs are made to be customized even more than usual, like banners and letters; they can all be used anywhere, but some are very obviously intended for linens. You can also purchase a kit: your choice of pattern, plus the materials for your choice of project, like pillowcases, tea towels, or a baby bib.

Basic stitch tutorials are available on the website and also come in every kit. You can also look at the line art for all the patterns. The patterns are mostly sold via the website, but if you have an indie craft store in your town, you may be able to find them there. Some vendors sell them at regional indie craft fairs (look for names like Bazaar Bizarre and Renegade Craft Fair). Some needlework stores carry them, as well.

If you'd rather get a good sampling of patterns at once, through mainstream channels, check out the Stitch-It Kit, or the Sublime Stitching book, both from Chronicle Books. The kit comes with a packet of useful, varied designs, as well as an instruction/idea booklet, two plain white tea towels, a nice little embroidery hoop, some floss, and a needle. The book has many patterns in assorted sizes, with instructions on how to use them. Finally, Plaid/Bucilla produces a line of Sublime Stitching kits, which you may be able to find in your local, large-chain craft stores like Jo-Ann and Michael's.

Many people seem to feel that the designs in the Stitch-It Kit are slightly "edgier" than the designs in the Sublime Stitching book (I haven't seen the Plaid/Bucilla kits, so I am unable to include them in the comparison). It doesn't seem like there's any overlap: the designs in the kit are not the same as the designs in the book, and neither are the same as any of the designs sold on the site. Either one will give you plenty of appropriate designs for towels, pillowcases, blouses, handkerchiefs, table napkins, and so on.

One caveat about the Stitch-It Kit: it comes with decent floss, but doesn't tell you the equivalent DMC numbers so that you can replace the floss when you run out of it. This could be a problem if you run out in the middle of a project and need to match the floss exactly. However, you get about two dollars' worth of floss in the kit: you won't run out quickly, and it's not a big deal to buy more when you're running low. Just take it with you to the store so you can do a close visual match.

Want to know more about Jenny Hart? Read this interview with Jenny at Indie Shopping Blog, another interview at Crafty Gal, and yet another interview at Art Star Philly.

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