Spaz in Stitches

my cross stitch needles keep wearing through the plating?? like my fingers wear down the metal till it gets to the different metal inside? and it leaves my fingers smelling metallic? 

I hate it 

does anyone know about needles that won’t do this?

I am super, super allergic to nickel - but it seems like many embroidery needles are plated with nickel, because it’s a super cheap metal. I don’t find myself doing enough stitching to have a significant reaction on my skin, but boy howdy do I ever chew through needles.

I have found that when I use Bohin needles, they last longer than regular DMC-brand needles. I’ve tried gold-plated needles and platinum-plated needles and those are fine, but honestly? Bohins work just as well and while they’re more expensive than DMC-branded needles, they are cheaper than needles plated with fancy material.

You bet your butt I have recs! Lots and lots and lots, both here on Tumblr and also on Instagram. I’ve put the list behind a cut as I definitely got carried away and wrote more of a directory/novel–

Raiiinbooooow! Commission for a friend, free pattern for y’all. 💕

Xstitch magazine’s mixtape issue is out, so I can finally share my piece for it! The finale of the pride flag planets, it’s 🌈Rainbow Saturn!

This series has been incredible for me, and I’m very glad to be giving it a proper send-off. Thanks to everyone who’s enjoyed the planets! 😊

Moon Prism Eyes 

Managed to design and stitch in a day, which was really refreshing for things to go smoothly!

So i’ve started on my final nephew’s stocking! The pattern is from Best of Stoney Creek Stockings I, and the little boy pattern is from the magazine, Creation Point de Croix, hors-serie 13. (i’m not linking to the patterns because people have told me that links keep you out of the main search function? if you want links just message me)

some of the considerations i made for the redesign (Left) compared to the original (Right) was that my brother was very adamant that all the stocking toes point the same direction, which in this case was not as easy as just mirror imaging the entire stocking because of the peace on earth message. Then i had to try to make sure that this stocking was close to the same size as his siblings’ so that there wouldn’t be favoritism complaints later on. So the stocking ended up a bit fatter and taller and the toe facing a new direction. 

You thread a single thread below the x of a stitch to decrease the amount of cloth showing through? i mostly use it with large black areas on white cloth when i am too lazy to increase my thread amount in the needle.