The Death of the Cross Stitch Gatekeepers 12 Aug 3:48 AM (4 days ago)

Recently, a lot of my posts have been focused on the changing nature of cross stitch and how AI, in particular, has created some odd situations like Reddit groups adding in anti-AI rules, and AI stealing free patterns for profit.
But there are good things to come out of the changing history of cross stitch. And one of those things is firmly the death of cross stitch gatekeepers.

Before I even start, I should probably say that throughout cross stitch’s history, I don’t think there was ever a meaningful effort to gatekeep the hobby. Sure, there must have been some people who did (or still do), but the wider cross stitch world doesn’t.
But that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t gatekeeping. In fact, due to how the hobby permeated through the decades, gatekeepers were there, even if they were also the people spreading the hobby (confusing, right?).

We’ll skip most of the history of cross stitch and jump right into the 70s. This was a really important time for cross stitch in general, but was also a major democratisation of the hobby.
One of the most well-known stories of this time is of Rosey Grier; an American football player at the height of his career, launching a needlework book ‘for men’. This is a fascinating story, so we suggest you read that blog post, but the biggest thing to take from it is that embroidery was allowed to be a man’s hobby again (historically, it’s been a male hobby about the same time it’s been a female hobby).
This turning point started breaking down the gatekeeping around which hobbies were for men or women, and allowed everyone to just do what they wanted.

But with it also came the exact opposite.

rosey grier cross stitcher (source: amazon) — Rosey Grier cross stitcher (source: Amazon)

You see, it was great that anyone could stitch now, but the very product that allowed this also gatekept it: publications.

This could take the form of a book like Rosey Grier’s, or even cross stitch magazines.
These were there, but they will be filled with a special subset of professional designers, using professional software WAY out of the price point of home stitchers, pushing their styles, their techniques, and their ideals.

Many of the cross stitch myths we still discuss come from this period.

Does the back of your cross stitch matter?
You Can’t Mix Thread Brands Or Types
Cross Stitch is Only for Traditional Designs
And a whole post of others.

These designers, not maliciously, were gatekeeping the hobby with their own styles.

But times have changed. A lot.
I think that online cross stitch communities have changed cross stitch more than any other platform, but we also need to think about social media’s impact on the hobby.

PCStitch Cross Stitch Software (source: PCStitch.com)

Now, with low-cost (or even free) cross stitch programs, anyone can become a designer, selling cross stitch patterns on platforms like Etsy or TikTok.

That is a huge power shift.

And not to sugarcoat it, I was also a gatekeeper.
As one of the biggest cross stitch blogs, and as a publisher of many cross stitch books, my ideas, my styles, my thoughts are seen as important.
But now that doesn’t have to be the case.

Now you can ask AI how to tie a French knot, or publish your own books through things like Amazon’s KDP. I even published my recent cross stitch alphabet book through the same system.

So go out there, publish your own patterns, create your own cross stitch tools, start a Flosstube channel, and smash those cross stitch gatekeepers apart.

Happy stitching,
Lord Libidan

The post The Death of the Cross Stitch Gatekeepers appeared first on Lord Libidan.

Why the Internet’s Biggest Cross Stitch Group Started Asking for Receipts 5 Aug 3:03 AM (11 days ago)

Earlier this year, the largest cross stitch Reddit group started asking everyone to post close-up images of their stitches.
Changes in rules happen a lot, but the reason behind this one is actually one of the most interesting AI stories out there right now. You see, you have to show your close-up to avoid people claiming they’re cross stitched something that doesn’t exist!

Image Of A Completed Cross Stitch by Google Gemini's Nano Banana — AI can now produce some really good images of cross stitch (Image Of A Completed Cross Stitch by Google Gemini’s Nano Banana)

How Did We Get Here?

Whilst the social point on why they’re doing this is interesting enough, I want to look at the AI side of things.

We’ve spoken at length on how AI cross stitch patterns are flooding places like Etsy, and people are using AI within pattern making in general (which can be OK depending on how its used), but we’re not at a weird junction where AI is capable of creating an image that looks like its crossed stitched with such detail that people are readily convinced (well, most of the time).
Long gone are easy-to-spot AI images, and fake listings on sites looking like a nice cross stitch.

But honestly…why?
The likes? The dopamine of compliments? Maybe some form of low-effort clout?
I do wonder what the purpose is, but cross stitch isn’t the only form of hobby this is happening to.
I’ve seen knitting groups, beading art, and even sewing being faked through AI for the benefit of nothing more than… admiration of people?

I know high art hates AI, and groups like RPGers go out of their way to block AI content, so it’s kind of obvious that they’d start on hobbies like ours.
But it raises some serious questions about what we need to do about it, or even if it impacts us.

An AI's attempts at creating a cross stitch pattern of a pirate ship without any learning (Created using A series of pixel pirate ships created by AI (Created using Dall-E 2 OpenAI) — An AI’s attempts at creating a cross stitch pattern of a pirate ship without any learning (Created using A series of pixel pirate ships created by AI (Created using Dall-E 2 OpenAI)

What Does This Mean For You?

For most of us, this seems like a funny curio, caught by some great mods. But it’s actually much more than that.

We’ve regularly mentioned that when buying a quality cross stitch pattern you need to see a stitched example of the work. Well, now we honestly have to take into account that it might be an AI-completed piece! You can’t just buy a pattern without some serious detective work.

And, without dropping into the cross stitch and copyright argument, AI has also gotten to the point where AI can replicate a cross stitch pattern from a photo of a completed cross stitch. It even happened with me recently with my stolen epic Pokemon pattern.

So, far from being a funny story, this starts to be a serious concern.
Brick-and-mortar stores like Joann’s have shut, and we’re left with only more choices online to buy patterns. Partly due to how online communities changed cross stitch, but also moving with the times.

Should You Be Worried?

It’s a slightly sad trust problem for a community built on people believing each other’s “I made this” to now start questioning everyone, but times move on, and maybe we need more and more moderated spaces for cross stitch to thrive.

But for now at least, stay alert to AI fakes, make sure you always buy from a trusted seller, and thank those Reddit mods!