{"id":14465,"date":"2020-03-02T00:00:49","date_gmt":"2020-03-02T08:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.disneyexperience.com\/news\/?p=14465"},"modified":"2020-05-12T08:38:51","modified_gmt":"2020-05-12T15:38:51","slug":"disney-pixel-art-cross-stitch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.disneyexperience.com\/news\/disney-pixel-art-cross-stitch\/","title":{"rendered":"Disney Pixel Art Cross Stitch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you ever notice that the classic Disney Experience icons<\/a> look a lot like cross stitch patterns? You know, the old 32 x 32 pixel icons that have jagged edges. I’ve noticed it, and I finally tried my hand at turning some of them into cross stitch patterns.<\/p>\n

When I was younger, my stepmother loved to do stamped cross stitch; she liked being able to work with a printed pattern, to see exactly where her stitches had to go. Counted cross stitch relies on being able to accurately count and place individual stitches on completely blank piece of fabric, and she was afraid of making mistakes on the large pieces that she always worked on.<\/p>\n

Trying Cross Stitch<\/h2>\n

Personally, I like counted cross stitch. It is relaxing, and the 32 x 32 stitch area is very easy to work with. I had absolutely no supplies, so I grabbed a cross stitch kit<\/a> online. While I waited for the kit to arrive, I watched many YouTube videos so that I had the knowledge to dive right in. It’s pretty straight-forward, although I did learn that embroidery thread should be waxed\/conditioned before working with it.<\/p>\n

\"Pluto<\/a><\/p>\n

For the first design (Pluto), I used four threads on the needle. That made the stitches nice and full, leaving no room for the fabric to show between the stitches. The result is a solid design that looks\u2014and feels\u2014wonderful. The downside is that it could be hard to find the holes in the 14-count Aida cloth. This introduced a tiny bit of stress into an otherwise relaxing hobby. Maybe a 16 or 18-count cloth would have been better? My kit came with 14-count cloth, so that’s what I had to work with.<\/p>\n

\"Pluto<\/a><\/p>\n

For the second design (Iago), I experimented with using only two threads on the needle, which is the standard amount. This design was a full 32 x 32 square (2.29\u2033 x 2.29\u2033), and I completed it in the same time that it took me to do Pluto. It was a lot faster, and the holes were much easier to see\/find.<\/p>\n

\"Iago<\/a><\/p>\n

The end result has an overall crafty\/handmade appearance compared to the Pluto design. The ‘X’ of the stitches are definitely more visible, and the fabric color shows through. But, the experience was definitely more relaxing. I wonder what three threads would look like on this fabric.<\/p>\n

Since the writing of this post, I have discovered that 3 threads is perfect for 14-count Aida cloth.<\/p>\n

\"Iago<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Iago<\/a><\/p>\n

The backside of the cross stitch patterns are a jumbled mess of threads, but I’ve seen much worse. Believe it or not, my backs are considered “tidy.”<\/p>\n

And, no string-based craft would be complete without the assistance of a cat. They really do feel obliged to help you wrangle those wily threads.<\/p>\n

Try Cross Stitch Yourself!<\/h2>\n

If you’d like to try your hand at counted cross stitch, here are the three patterns for Pluto, Iago, and Mara (Indiana Jones Adventure). These patterns are far more colorful than the ones that I did. I have a limited palette of 100 colors, so I had to adjust the color schemes of the characters accordingly for my own use.<\/p>\n