Nerdgasm: A collective of cross-stitch patterns for your inner nerd!

Well, yesterday's post got derailed by a string of doctor appointments, and one of my littles that decided to flush paper towels down the toilet resulting in a small pond in our downstairs. Lovely, right? Just how I wanted to kick off the week. Let's hope it can only get better from here! *knocks on wood*

But, as promised... I'm back with February's 12 months of Christmas project!

Any guesses as to what this might be?

Sometimes, I can whip through a cross-stitching project. Sometimes, not. So, the beginning of the year is a great time to get started stitching! This time, we're tapping into your inner nerd. We all have something we nerd out about, don't we? For some, it's Harry Potter. For others, like my husband, it's Star Wars. And, we all have that quirky person on our shopping list that is next to impossible to shop for. The perfect solution? A handmade gift honoring their crazy little obsession.

On my list, I have 1 super-hero fanatic, 2 Harry Potter nuts, 1 Star Wars freak, and 1 Lord of the Rings junkie. (There's a 12 Days of Christmas *Nerd Edition* in there somewhere.) Hahaha. And, trust me... there are cross-stitching patterns for ALL of them. I'm going to round up a few of my favorite sources here, and I hope that you'll stitch along with me!

If any of you guessed Harry Potter for the theme of my sample up above... you were right! I'll be working with this pattern from Cloudsfactory...

Cloudsfactory is probably my favorite for nerdist stitchery. They have some super-cute Doctor Who patterns to include this clock project. I never would have thought of turning one of my projects into a clock, but Doctor Who is a home-run for that idea. There are also Star Wars alphabets, dozens of Disney patterns, this Star Trek pillow, and even an obscure A Clockwork Orange pattern. Basically... anything your nerdy little heart desires, I can almost guarantee that Cloudsfactory has a pattern for it! I also couldn't resist purchasing this super-hero alphabet for the aspiring little Hulk on my list...

80's & 90's sitcoms more of your nerd-out thing? Tiny Modernist has some cute Golden Girls and Designing Women patterns. I love Tiny Modernist. She isn't just all nerdy patterns... you should really check out all the adorable patterns at her shop! 

Pixels In Stitches is a shop I just recently stumbled across while searching for a The Big Bang Theory pattern...

She also had a pattern of my favorite nerdy obsession: The Walking Dead. She also has a great selection of 80's and 90's cult classic movie samplers: Heathers, The Breakfast Club, and Empire Records to name a few. 

Didn't see anything here that caught your eye? Head on over to Etsy, and search out your nerdy treasure. You'd be surprised... they have cross-stitch patterns for almost ANYTHING nowadays!

As for me, I had better get back to stitching. I really wanted to finish this Harry Potter project by the end of the month. Although, I think that aspiration is a bit lofty. If you want to follow along, or participate in this nerdy cross-stitching adventure, use #nerdystitcher on Instagram (I'm charmedgirl). Can't wait to see you there!

This ain't your granny's cross-stitch

Paper-crafters have used embroidery floss for years. Whenever I hand-stitched on scrapbooking layouts, I always reached for my rainbow-filled box of DMC. It makes my heart happy just to look at it.

If you're a paper-crafter (or any other kind of crafter), I'm sure you've made your way down the needlework aisle of your favorite craft store once or twice throughout the years. Displays of patterns and cross-stitching kits abound: teddy bears, lighthouses, Precious Moments, baby gifts, scenic views. And, don't get me wrong, these are great patterns. But, they really just aren't my thing. Ya' know?

A couple of years ago, I was playing around on Instagram and somehow stumbled upon The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. Wait. You mean to tell me that there are all of these wonderfully cute, and creative cross-stitching patterns floating around out there on the internet?!? I soon purchased their Woodland Sampler, which was a monthly block pattern that was delivered to your inbox once a month just waiting to be stitched up into a final adorable culmination at the end of the year. And, thus began my cross-stitching obsession.

The Frosted Pumpkin remains one of my favorite companies to purchase patterns from. Their holiday patterns are THE BEST! Here's one of last year's patterns, Christmas on Gingerbread Lane, that I am working on right now. It looks amazing on some Stardust Aida Fabric. Everyone knows how much I love glitter, and the little silver fibers woven into this fabric add the perfect sparkly touch to your holiday projects (it is available in gold as well). Sadly, the sparkle of this fiber is never done justice by photos.

This year's Christmas Celebration Sampler is super-cute too! I just started in on that one as well, but I don't really have enough done to warrant a photo just yet.

Looking for something even more unconventional? Check out Grannie Panties. She describes her patterns as "Subversive and pop-culture themed cross stitch patterns to decorate your life and confuse your family and friends!" Nailed it. After visiting us this summer, and watching me cross-stitch... my brother-in-law requested her "Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangster" pattern as a Christmas gift. (Who doesn't love them some Office Space... and Geto Boys)? As you wish, Kaleb!

One of my absolute favorite pattern designers is Emma Congdon. Her beautiful typography based patterns are so fun, and colorful. Although I have yet to purchase any of her patterns from her Etsy store, Stitchrovia, there's the occasional pattern of hers offered up through my cross-stitching magazine of choice: CrossStitcher. It's a British publication, and their hard copy editions take a while to arrive in the US. With my need for instant gratification, I prefer to sub to their digital edition. It goes right to my iPad the day the magazine is released in the UK. Plus, I prefer to follow patterns via my iPad while I'm stitching anyway. So, it just works for me.

Anyhoo... I joined this year's Crafty Christmas Swap via Instagram. (Miss the good old fashioned snail mail craft swaps... they're alive and well on Instagram!) So, I needed something to make for my partner. Cross-stitching or paper-crafting? Such a tough decision. But, once I stumbled upon Emma's "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" pattern in CrossStitcher's December 2013 issue (digital subs are a great option for purchasing back issues of mags)... the decision made itself!

I'm really happy with how it turned out, and I hope my swap partner likes it! It was actually pretty quick to stitch up as well!

Another great resource for cross-stitch patterns? FREE! And, who doesn't love free? This takes a little more diligent searching on your part. But, CrossStitcher Magazine to the rescue again! The have a fabulous freebie section on their blog! Sometimes, you're looking for something more specific, though. This year, I tried to make as many handmade Christmas gifts as I could. And, my 8 year old step-daughter is a HUGE Rainbow Dash fan. So, after a bit of Googling... I found a free pattern.

Hope she likes it! And, here's a tip... Perler bead patterns (as long as they are linear patterns, as opposed to the patterns where the pegs are offset from one another) are interchangeable with cross-stitch patterns! We love us some Perler beads around here, so it's fun to switch the two crafts up! Think Perler beads are cheesy? Not so fast! Check out my Perler Bead Templates board on Pinterest for some super-cool outside the box ideas of what you can do with them!

Well, that's it for today. I hope that my post has inspired you to journey into cross-stitching. I promise... it's addictive! It's also super-relaxing. Nothing beats a rainy Sunday with a mug full of cocoa, curled up on the couch with some favorite movies, and your current cross-stitch project!