Blog news/me news - My new x-stitch project - 31.05.2025

For those who have been following me for a while and have read my Weekend Vibezz articles, you might remember that at the end of January, I took on quite a big challenge — I decided to create my very own cross-stitch piece.

I’ve always wanted to make something unique, and since this hobby has been a big part of my life for years — something I truly enjoy in my free time — it felt like the right moment. Until now, I had only ever stitched designs made by others, like so many cross-stitchers around the world. But with this project, I decided to take a completely new path.

Since I can’t really draw, and I can’t afford to hire an artist at the moment, using an AI image generator seemed like the best option. I know many people think that generating images with AI is “unfair” or purely derivative of other works, but in my view, it blends learned (copied) techniques with the user’s own ideas — two elements coming together to create something new. That doesn’t mean AI can replace artists — not at all. Human creativity, the soul expressed through the human mind, is endlessly deep and powerful, and AI will never come close to replicating that.

I often browse online stores to see the latest cross-stitch kits or look through PDF charts made by other creators on Etsy, but I never really found anything that spoke to me — especially in this galactic style - I found none. That’s why I wanted to create something truly unique, something that reflects what I love.

The image generation process was pretty rough at first. It took the program quite a while to understand what I really wanted. After about 20 attempts — when I was close to giving up — this image finally appeared. Love at first sight. I was completely captivated by it, in every way. I knew immediately: this is the one I want to stitch. The play of light and shadow on a galactic feline warrior — it had everything.

I did a lot of research on how to turn the image into a chart I could stitch from, and which program could reproduce the original image as faithfully as possible. I ended up using Flosscross, which is free (huge thanks for that!). The setup was easy. At first, I thought the image was too dark, so I lightened it in the program. I also initially aimed for a medium-sized chart, but the result looked too pixelated. So I cranked it up to the maximum — 300x300. Later I realized that would result in a 49x49 cm image — something I’d never attempted before. Oh well, let’s do it! My motto when it comes to my hobby is "if I can sew this, I can sew anything."

I printed the PDF chart, cut the fabric to size, picked the colors, and started stitching. What motivated me was the excitement of trying something new, and curiosity about what it will be like — my very first independent project. When I got to the pink thread, though, I hesitated… Seriously? My lion warrior is going to be pink? Time to rework the plan.

I put the image back into the program, kept the original dark tones, exported a new PDF, picked new colors, and since my printer was almost out of ink, I worked off my computer for a while. Eventually, I realized I much prefer using paper charts — looking at the screen every day isn’t for me. I know many people use mobile apps, but I’m not a fan. We bought new ink, printed the 28-page chart again, and I continued with the updated colors.

Meanwhile, I joined a few cross-stitch Facebook groups, and while scrolling through images and comments, I picked up all kinds of tips and new terms — like “confetti stitch,” which means a ton of different colors scattered everywhere. This design definitely falls into that category, and there were moments it nearly drove me to tears. When I wasn’t stitching, I was watching YouTube videos about cross-stitch tips and techniques, and generating new galactic feline images for future projects. Some of the best images were created with Leonardo AI — and I already have quite a few I’d love to stitch someday, if the stars align.

I started this project on January 24 and finished it on May 30 — more than four months of work, stitching nearly every day for 1 to 10 hours. Winter turned into spring, and then early summer by the time I completed this massive piece. It was a real journey. I learned so much — it took willpower, patience, love for the craft, and a whole lot of dedication. But I never once wanted to give up — this was my creation.

Toward the end, something shifted — I briefly lost the “passion” and the “peace” during a recent solar storm. But it came back quickly, especially after I started working on a stamped cross-stitch piece for fun. It gave me the boost I needed to finally finish the Lion Warrior.

By the way, if you’re thinking of getting into cross-stitching, I highly recommend starting with stamped cross-stitch kits. I’ll share more about that once I finish my current one.

So here it is — the final piece! Unfortunately, the camera doesn’t quite capture the colors — I think it looks much better in person. Personally, I’m totally satisfied with the result… although I’m not sure I’ll ever make a piece this big again, haha..or who knows I can be so crazy again. The finished size is 47x49 cm, with 90,000 stitches and 54 colors. The estimated value is €900, and I plan to sell it for between €300–500. I still need to steam it and frame it. This will be a one-of-a-kind piece… but I hope I´m able to create a whole series of Galactic Felines...because I have the raw material for the picture (no, I won't make it public yet), I just need time (I have at the moment) - and money for yarn (may the Universe will help if I need to bring alive these projects :))

I’ve uploaded the picture to my photo page and shared it in the cross-stitch page as well.

There will be a photo post about the final form of the image here

 https://beyondtheveil2017.blogspot.com/p/news-about-blogme.html.

What do you think? :)

Thank you for reading my blog post and looking at my pictures :)

Have a nice day :)