One thing not said often enough about cross stitch kits is how versatile they can be. Whilst all embroidery is inherently for decoration, there's lots of patterns available that can be used to create jewellery or trinket boxes, unique handmade greeting cards or delightful home cushions. Sometimes though, you just want one incredibly detailed and breathtaking image to hang up on your wall; one with all the splendour of an oil canvas, but that uses all the unique qualities of cross stitch. For anyone who can't move in their own living space for paintings, prints and sculptures, here's 6 ideal cross stitch kits for the artsy home:
This exquisite pattern comes from Lanarte; a Dutch manufacturer of beautiful cross stitch kits whom, by their name alone, you can be sure will feature several times in this list. The Woman in Veil cross stitch kit in particular has all the qualities of a museum worthy masterpiece; careful uses of colour, shadows and figure, and a profound use of foreign fashion that could be used to tell a thousand stories. For anyone who sees their embroidery as an artistic endeavour, this has to go somewhere high on your 'to be stitched' list.
We'd like to introduce one of the many amazing works from a brand new cross stitch designer to our site. Anette Eriksson is a Swedish textile designer who's passion for crafts developed not only into a career, but a fully branded product. There are LOADS of her amazing cushion front cross stitch kits featured on Past Impressions now, and for this artsy blog we've chosen this Parisian inspired design. Using just a single colour to give it a distinct, hand-drawn feel, it's the perfect way to fill your home with a decorative tribute to the majestic architecture of France, and is also available in a Premium edition that comes with its own finished cushion cover.
Worldly cultures and religions alike are both heavy influenced, defined and exalted by the endless artistic portrayals of their central figures and stories. In this single embroidered image, the premium cross stitch brand Maia use a divine set of colours and symbols to visualize Lakshmi; the Hindu Goddess of wealth, prosperity and fortune, who is also the embodiment of beauty. Surrounded by the lushness of an Indian forest, this cross stitch kit is perfect for any home where culturally imbued art is abundant.
Another pattern from Lanarte, the mysterious yet enthralling stare of this design's subject makes the ultimate symbol of femininity and womanly beauty. The soft colours will do wonders when the finished embroidery is framed and mounted, and even the process of its completion is sure to teach any budding artist or cross stitch kit designer a good few lessons about proportion, unique human facial details and finding an appropriate skin tone and the most appropriate clothing & props to best bring it out.
This final pattern from Lanarte boasts similar artistic qualities as the 'Veiled Woman' pattern, but pays extra special devotion to other details like posture, lighting and a soothing background. The cross stitch kit's Spanish subject is able to give so much about her native dress sense with just a single still image, from the way her hair is tied up and decorated to the way she wears the shawl around her arms. A warm pattern that's sure to bring the warm glow of the Mediterranean climate into any home.
One of the many many beautiful designs from Dimensions, the Innocence Cross Stitch Kit is, in our opinion, the human figure at its most natural looking. The young lady, dressed in white with flowers in her hair, is most likely at a wedding, but its that lack of context that allows the viewer to find their own meaning in the piece. The extreme detail is no different to that of a masterpiece portrait, and we can only imagine what wonderful displays the artistically inclined can create with this blossoming cross stitch pattern as their centrepiece.
What cross stitch kits have you completed and used to decorate your artsy home, or that of a dear friends? Let us know via the Facebook page, Twitter and Google+, and don't forget to share it on our ever buzzing Cross Stitch Community.
