My first entry in geeky cross stitch was this hilarious and easy to follow experience points pattern!
I love Etsy's ability to bring me closer to people who share my hobbies. When gaming and crafting come together, it's music to my ears. That's why when I found this pattern from Rather Unseemly, I knew it was the first cross stitch I was going to try.
If you don't know, sellers on Etsy have the ability to sell digital items. In this case, for a couple bucks I bought a PDF with instructions on how to make this cross stitch. The pattern tells you exactly what colored thread to buy, so I gathered all my supplies at my local craft store and got to work.
Since this pattern was a simple project, I was able to pick it up easily and spend a few minutes here and there on it. I initially started off by coloring out the blocks I completed so I can get my bearings on the pattern and the cloth. (This really helps when your pattern is complicated and isn't just text.)
Once I completed the pattern, I thought about taking it to a craft store to get it professionally framed until a friend advised me to save $100+ and frame it myself. I used my Cricut Easy Press 2 to smooth out the mess my hoop made. (A regular iron should do the job just fine if you have one.)
After the cloth was smoothed out to my liking, I taped it to the matting for the frame I purchased at the craft store.
At my husband's suggestion, we ended up hanging the framed cross stitch next to our gaming TV in the basement. The brick wall already had a nail ready for something to be hung on it.
I don't physically have any artistic ability, but when it comes to crafts like cross stitch, I feel like I am an artist. Cross stitch can be an easy hobby to pick up and learn and it can be cheap on your budget. I hope to do more geeky and gaming cross stitch projects this year!
Note: At the time of writing this blog, it looks as though Rather Unseemly has taken down the exact listing for this pattern. Their page says they're open to custom requests, though, so you're welcome to message them and ask if this pattern can be listed again.