Cross stitch entitled ‘Peacocks Timepiece‘
Why Us? How are We Different?
Welcome to Dragoneye Creative! We’re all about taking the classic craft of cross-stitch and shaking it up with a dash of modern magic. If you’ve ever felt a bit bored scrolling through the same old stitch patterns out there, you’re not alone. We’re here to mix things up and add a little spice to your stitching, pushing the boundaries of what you thought was possible with needle and thread.
We’re passionate about making cross-stitch cool again. We use all the latest tech and a whole lot of creativity to design patterns that are anything but ordinary. Our goal? To make sure every piece you work on tells a story, pops with colour, and leaves you feeling pretty darn proud of what you’ve made.
We like to do things a bit differently here, and we’re excited to take you behind the scenes of how we create our patterns. Every single one starts from scratch and takes us between 8 to 15 hours to perfect. Not everything makes the cut – we’re pretty picky, and only the best designs get to see the light of day. Want to know how we do it? Keep reading.
The Original Artwork
This is the original artwork for this selected pattern before any adjustments have been made - read on to see how it becomes a full cross stitch pattern.
Patterns....
Every pattern begins with a picture, and let’s be honest, choosing the right one can feel a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. What catches the eye as gorgeous and captivating doesn’t always translate into a beautiful and meticulously crafted cross-stitch pattern.
Allow me to walk you through the key steps we follow to bring each of the patterns to life, here at Dragoneye Creative.
The Original Artwork
This is the original artwork - read on to see how it becomes a full cross stitch pattern.
Patterns....
Every pattern begins with a picture, and let’s be honest, choosing the right one can feel a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. What catches the eye as gorgeous and captivating doesn’t always translate into a beautiful and meticulously crafted cross-stitch pattern.
Allow me to walk you through the key steps we follow to bring each of the patterns to life.
Picking the Picture...
It all starts with choosing the right image, something from my own art that I think will look amazing as a cross-stitch. I refine it in professional graphics software and other tools to make sure it’s just right (tweaking colours, brightness, backgrounds, and so much more) so it looks perfect even before we start turning it into a pattern.
Here, in the gallery you can see how the Original image has changed, and how it looks on first import into our cross stitch software.
Picking the Picture...
It all starts with choosing the right image, something from my own art that I think will look amazing as a cross-stitch. I refine it in professional graphics software and other tools to make sure it’s just right (tweaking colours, brightness, backgrounds, and so much more) so it looks perfect even before we start turning it into a pattern.
Here, in the gallery you can see how the Original image has changed, and how it looks on first import into our cross stitch software.
Making the Pattern
Now we have the image in our cross-stitch software, we can see how it translates into stitches. This stage is crucial, it is now that we make sure the colours look good and the details stand out. If something’s not right, we go back and adjust and try again. It’s a delicate balance to maintain the integrity of the original art, with many images falling at this first hurdle.
For this picture, the meticulous “tidying up” process begins, ensuring the pattern is as enjoyable to stitch as it is beautiful. After all, it’s all about making sure the pattern is fun to stitch and looks amazing in the end.
Each step taken here is done a few stitches at a time, then viewed as a “stitched impression” within the software
Making the Pattern
Now we have the image in our cross-stitch software, we can see how it translates into stitches. This stage is crucial, it is now that we make sure the colours look good and the details stand out. If something’s not right, we go back and adjust and try again. It’s a delicate balance to maintain the integrity of the original art, with many images falling at this first hurdle.
For this picture, the meticulous “tidying up” process begins, ensuring the pattern is as enjoyable to stitch as it is beautiful. After all, it’s all about making sure the pattern is fun to stitch and looks amazing in the end.
Refinement
At this point it is a ‘deep dive’ into the details – making sure everything from the colours to the stitch placement is just right. This step involves adjusting colours, removing ‘halos’ and deleting or adjusting stitch placement. With every change or set of changes I step back to review the overall image, always remembering that this step is all about cutting out anything that doesn’t need to be there, and making sure the pattern is as clear and easy to follow as possible. Removing ‘Confetti’ where possible (see Last Looks)
Refinement
At this point it is a ‘deep dive’ into the details – making sure everything from the colours to the stitch placement is just right. This step involves adjusting colours, removing ‘halos’ and deleting or adjusting stitch placement. With every change or set of changes I step back to review the overall image, always remembering that this step is all about cutting out anything that doesn’t need to be there, and making sure the pattern is as clear and easy to follow as possible.
Colours and Stitches
I always take a step back to look at the colours, especially if I’ve been staring at the screen for too long. Sometimes, I’ll even sleep on it and come back with fresh eyes. It’s important to get the colours just right, which is where subtlety in shading plays a crucial role in the pattern’s visual depth so the final piece really ‘pops’.
During this stage, I merge colours (replacing a low count with its nearest match) with this pattern I replaced white for cream as an example, this process is repeated within reason for most ‘low stitch’ colours.
Colours and Stitches
I always take a step back to look at the colours, especially if I’ve been staring at the screen for too long. Sometimes, I’ll even sleep on it and come back with fresh eyes. It’s important to get the colours just right, which is where subtlety in shading plays a crucial role in the pattern’s visual depth so the final piece really ‘pops’.
During this stage, I merge colours (replacing a low count with its nearest match) with this pattern I replaced white for cream as an example, this process is repeated within reason for most ‘low stitch’ colours.
Last Looks
One of the last things I do is check for any areas and detail that might be too fiddly, like the well known “confetti stitching.” It’s a bit of a pain, time-consuming and for many stitchers, a challenge, but it can make the pattern look really detailed, keeping both realism and depth.
Personally, I’m not a lover of confetti! I do my best with every pattern to remove it as much as I can, however I know that it can also be an essential for some patterns. This stage shows the reduction of ‘confetti’ and the removal of remaining stray stitches.
Last Looks
One of the last things I do is check for any areas and detail that might be too fiddly, like the well known “confetti stitching.” It’s a bit of a pain, time-consuming and for many stitchers, a challenge, but it can make the pattern look really detailed, keeping both realism and depth.
Personally, I’m not a lover of confetti! I do my best with every pattern to remove it as much as I can, however I know that it can also be an essential for some patterns. This stage shows the reduction of ‘confetti’ and the removal of remaining stray stitches.
Symbols, Threads, and Final Touches
Finally, I sort out the symbols and order the threads, making sure everything is super clear so your stitching experience is as smooth as possible. I strive to minimise symbol similarities and ensure clarity through highly contrasting ‘Key’, thus, making a more enjoyable stitching process. After a very final check, it’s ready to go, I produce the pattern in PDF format and you can find it in our shop.
Symbols, Threads, and Final Touches
Finally, I sort out the symbols and order the threads, making sure everything is super clear so your stitching experience is as smooth as possible. I strive to minimise symbol similarities and ensure clarity through highly contrasting ‘Key’, thus, making a more enjoyable stitching process. After a very final check, it’s ready to go, I produce the pattern in PDF format and you can find it in our shop.
And there you have it... Or do you?
The biggest test for my patterns comes from you the stitcher. We never stop learning, we never stop listening, and encourage you the customer to feedback and make suggestions, but so far everything has been positive.
That’s a quick walk through how we make our patterns at Dragoneye Creative. We’re all about creating designs that are not just beautiful, but also a joy to stitch. We invite you to download a sample of our patterns, allowing you a closer look at the meticulous care and passion embedded in all of Dragoneye Creative’s work. So why not take a peek at what we’ve got? You might just find your next project waiting for you.
And there you have it... Or do you?
The biggest test for my patterns comes from you the stitcher. We never stop learning, we never stop listening, and encourage you the customer to feedback and make suggestions, but so far everything has been positive.
That’s a quick walk through how we make our patterns at Dragoneye Creative. We’re all about creating designs that are not just beautiful, but also a joy to stitch. We invite you to download a sample of our patterns, allowing you a closer look at the meticulous care and passion embedded in all of Dragoneye Creative’s work. So why not take a peek at what we’ve got? You might just find your next project waiting for you.
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What We Do
- 100% Unique Artwork
- Professional X Stitch Design
- Selling to Size not Stitch
- Bespoke Options on all Products
- Art Commissions for X Stitch
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Unit 4 Ewleme Park Cottages
Henley on Thames
Oxfordshire
United Kingdom
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