QR Code Cross Stitch

I like to cross stitch. I really like to cross stitch. True, this hobby has lain dormant from time to time, but if you choose your projects well, you can nurture an interest such as mine for years. However, there is serious burn-out potential if you are overly ambitious in your pattern-choosing - beware! :P

A lovely nineteenth century sampler

Warning aside, another danger of crafting is clutter. Not the oh-I-went-a-little-crazy-at-the-Michaels-clearance-bins clutter, more like piles of finished projects that have no home. I usually craft with a purpose to avoid this, and one of the best purposes is gift-giving! The only problem is that cross stitch often has an aura of old-fashioned staleness lingering about it, and for good reason (see at left). At best, most probably don’t see cross stitch as terribly trendy (again, see at left), but I have recently discovered how ridiculously digital-friendly cross stitch can be, thanks to pixelation.

Pixelated Images

Pixelation is a classic feature of early video games, especially, making classic icons from games such as Mario (see right) easily translatable to cross stitch.

 Another digital icon that lends itself well to cross stitch is the QR code. For those of us who don’t have smartphones (and some who do), QR codes or Quick Response codes are those little square barcodes that adorn products, magazine ads, everything nowadays. In short, they simply act as hyperlinks for smartphones to read - you take a picture of one, and bam! it takes you to a certain website. What’s cool is that you can personalize this feature, which is what I did for a few friends this past Christmas, using their Facebook profiles as the source sites for the codes. It was a fun way to incorporate some of my favorite aspects of gift-giving: personalization, hand-madeness, and shared interests (all of us have taken DH classes together). To see my creative process (and how to make your own cross stitch QR codes), just scroll down through the instructions below! 

Step 1: Choose a website - my friend Nigel's Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/nigel.lepianka?fref=ts (in the case of FB, you can either use the stand-alone link or the ref=ts one).

 

Step 2: Generate the QR code, which is pretty easy. I use the site http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ - paste your website in the blank and click “Generate Free.”

  

**Update: Kaywa has changed their website interface - they now designate their options as 'Dynamic' and 'Static' instead of 'Safe' and 'Free.' The default setting is (of course) Dynamic, which requires creating an account on the site. To generate a QR code for free, click the little slider to select the Static option, then click the gray button.

Step 3: Save/Enlarge QR code - right-click to save the image as a file. I like importing the image into Microsoft Word for enlarging, labeling, and printing.

 

Step 4: Choose a dark/vibrant thread color - I researched this a little - it’s not really recommended that you invert colors (i.e. dark background and lighter thread) and you need to make sure the color is dark enough that there is a contrast. I’ve used black, a bright cerulean blue, a vibrant red, and a deep blue - all scanned fine. It’s hard to test the limits, though, without potentially wasting a lot of time and effort. 

Only $1.99 at Michaels!

 Step 5: Stitch! The pixels form their own pattern - each pixel translates to an X, resulting in a finished piece that measures about 3"x 3" - Michaels has these cute square magnetic frames for $1.99, which work perfectly for this project. I used the inset to cut out a piece of black cardstock for backing, then trimmed down the fabric and attached it to the cardstock (I used double-stick tape!). When you are done, you have an awesome, personalized, tech-friendly homemade gift that isn't antiquated at all - if anything, it's biggest danger is obsolescence! ;)

It really scans!                                                                                   Shot of the Back