A Stitch In Time: Where Craft Meets Furniture

Filed under: Fun Stuff, Crafts & Projects, Design, etc, News & Trends

Don't cross out cross stitch -- it's here to stay.

Back in April, we gushed over a pair of cross-stitched chairs by Johan Lindsten (below). This was just the beginning of a new trend that's slowly emerging: handmade-meets-modern or, in this case, cross stitch meets modern.



Cross stitch is a craft that's about 600 to 700 years old and uses an X-shaped stitch on cloth to create designs that can be made into artwork, pillows or accents on clothing or curtains. Now we're seeing this embroidered embellishment on chairs, tables and even bowls!


Many of these new pieces (unlike the chairs pictured above) feature less traditional embroidery themes. In fact, many of them don't feature realistic scenes at all. For example, U.K. designer Imogen Luddy was inspired by 16th-century Italian lace for her stainless steel cross-stitch table. It has no thread, just laser-cut cross-shaped holes where thread would have been. Even though it resembles antique lace, it doesn't feel traditional or handmade at all.

Stepping away from the piece, the table gives the illusion that there is a lacy cloth laid atop the surface, but upon closer inspection, it's made of hard steel. The juxtaposition between steel and lace is parallel to industrial and handmade.

Irish design studio Superfolk takes a cheeky approach to cross stitch by using it as a means of joining their stools together to form bench seating. In this case, the act of stitching is more functional than it is aesthetic. You can stitch together as many as you want, stretching the bench out to fit your family's needs. The idea of creating your own custom piece using materials supplied by designers is a theme that continues below.

Etsy seller Tiny Modernist flips this trend upside-down. Instead of cross stitching on furniture, crafty mom Cheryl McKinnon cross stitches images of furniture. She currently sells the original patterns of her modernist chairs and seating so that you can stitch them yourself.

Although you're following Cheryl's patterns, you still have the option to customize your creation. You can sew the pattern onto anything you like, whether it's colorful aida cloth, curtains, pillowcases or even an apron. You also have the option of changing up the chair colors if you so desire. Working from a pattern allows you to add a personal element to your piece, which makes it feel custom. Plus, when it's done you have the pride of saying "I made that."

The stitch-it-yourself theme continues with Italian company Industrael, which sells a series of cross-stitch DIY bowls designed by Guillaume Delvigne and Ionna Vautrin. The bowl is covered with holes like aida cloth, and with the bowl you also purchase the kit of your choice. Each kit comes with thread, a needle, a needle threader and instructions for your chosen pattern.

For more modern cross stitch, check out these inspiring designs.

 

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