Etsian Interview- Stitch Please MD

Andrea- I started Stitch Please as a shop in August 2010, but I’ve been cross stitching video game sprites since the fall of 2009.The name came from my bad taste in pop culture puns. When I started stitching I was in the habit of saying “Bitch, Please!” in my best Samuel Jackson voice whenever someone bothered me while I was stitching. It soon evolved into “Stitch, Please!”, and the name stuck! The MD on the end of my Etsy name is from the state I live in, Maryland. I’m not a real doctor (or Time Lord…..).

 I started cross stitching as a way keep busy. I have a part time job at my local comic book store, and a lot of spare time otherwise. I picked cross stitch out of everything else as a way to remember my grandmother. She taught me how to cross stitch when I was younger, using traditional patterns. When I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a craft I stumbled onto the site Sprite Stitch. So I thought instead of learning something new, I’ll just adapt it into what I want to stitch!

Andrea working on a Pikachu Cross stitch!

Holly- I couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming theme of NES games in your shop! Why these old skool video games, and you know I have to ask.. why Pokemon? ( Did you catch em all?)

Andrea-I’m a huge fan of classic gaming, so a lot of what I stitch up is considered retro or classic. I’ve always loved the sprite art that game designers came up with despite the graphic limits of the hardware. When you remember that NES sprites have a three color limit some of the sprites they came up with can blow your mind!

 I started playing games with my mom on her NES as a kid, so a lot of what I stitch is thanks to her. I’ve played every 2D Mario game and love all of the Nintendo characters. I’m also a huge Pokemon fan, but I’ve only played the games with the original 151. Pokemon Snap is my favorite, but FireRed is my go to handheld game. The sprites are super cute so how could I not stitch them up? And yes, I have caught them all, or at least the first 150.

Holly- It always makes me happy when I see crafters accepting the challenge of a custom order. What are some odd custom orders you have received?

Andrea-I’ve made a lot of different stuff, but I have had a few odd requests. I had someone who wanted me to cross stitch Link from Legend of Zelda onto the blade of his sword. He didn’t understand that thread would fray and fall off. There are also people that have normal requests, but don’t understand the limits of the craft. Like asking for a wallpaper sized image, but made to fit into a tiny frame with only a few colors. They don’t want to lose any of the detail and they want it done by tomorrow. When one pixel is equal to one stitch, large and detailed pictures are always hard to translate. The oddest order that I’ve been able to stitch up is a coaster of Chrono from Chrono Trigger. I don’t know why anyone would want to put a drink on Chrono, but that’s what they wanted.

Andrea at Magfest with her Dr. Who cross stitch

Holly- Sometimes its hard to find a happy medium when you are trying to pick what you have in your shop, because most of the time, what you like is not what sells. Do you make what you like, or make what you know you will sell?

Andrea-I’d like to think I live up to my store motto of “Cross stitch for nerds and geeks”. I make stuff that I would buy so I guess that makes me a nerd and geek! 

Holly- How do you choose the characters and themes that you use? Do you have a trial and error process to figure out what to sell in your shop?

Andrea-I love picking my favorite characters and stitching them up. Almost everything in my shop is Nintendo so I do have a little favoritism. I do try to stitch up a few different characters as well though. I have a huge list of games to work through and I’m hoping to make some newer characters as well. I’m lucky enough to know some very talented sprite artists who can make 8-bit versions of current games. That way I can stitch up just about anything! I get a lot of feedback at the conventions I sell at, so I use that to ideas of what to make. The one thing I’ve learned is that the more annoying the character, the more people love it. Navi from Legend of Zelda, Claptrap from Borderlands, and Wheatly from Portal 2 are selling like crazy. I’m working on patterns for all three and should have them ready soon.

Holly-I see you consider your self a geek, whats your geeky obsession? Tell us your geekiest moment!

Andrea-I work at a comic book store, love anything Japanese, and I’ve been play games (tabletop and video) as long as I can remember. I even named my pet rabbit after my favorite comic book character! The proudest moment as a nerd is beating Super Mario Bros. 3. I had it as a kid, but I would always have to turn it off so someone else could use the TV. So when I bought my Wii, I downloaded it. I played it for a week straight, and finally beat it. I was so happy! My main geeky obsession is comic books. I’m saving up to buy the complete Sandman series by issue. I already have the soft and hard cover trade paperbacks and the Absolute editions, which I bought instead of paying for a class for college. Totally worth it to me!

Spoken by a true geek! Her shop is so fun and colorful and I suggest you go and check out this passionate crafter! Maybe she has something in there that you can’t live without. Or perhaps she can ale your itching for cross stitching and make you a pattern! Either way, here are her links… she has a bunch, so there’s no excuse to not CLICK!

You can find Andrea on Twitter, Etsy, Weebly, Facebook and Deviant Art

Keep on Geekin’

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