Stitchin’ Up A Storm: Around The Frame

While Hurricane Milton was creating havoc a few weeks ago, I was preparing a bundle of Halloween counted cross stitch patterns to sell including one entitled “Frank’s Family Portrait” of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein standing in front of their castle in an “American Gothic” pose with Frank holding a devil’s trident instead of a pitchfork. A packet of The Bride’s locket and earrings were not attached to the 12-year-old design. Since the designer’s contact information was on the back, I gave Cheryl Granda a call.

Her husband Allan answered, and I told him my dilemma. Allan informed me Cheryl was busy cleaning up the yard after Hurricane Milton blew through Valrico, Florida the night before. He related to me what it was like to listen to howling winds for five hours and the most notable event was their exuberant dog Dexter who slept through it all!

A few hours later Cheryl Granda, owner and designer of Glendon Place “Cross Stitch Designs for the Heirloom Stitcher” called back. Cheryl informed me that even though my pattern was designed 12 years ago, she still had it in stock but unfortunately, she only has enough charm packs for the number of patterns she had left to sell.

Cheryl shared with me how her grandmother was proficient in many needle arts and taught her well. Later in life, counted cross stitching became her passion and after 25 years in the financial service industry, she concluded if she didn’t follow her passion now, she never would. Cheryl quit her job and began designing and publishing her designs in 2005 and never looked back. To date she has published over 200 patterns, many of them holiday and seasonal themes. She also offers embellishment packs, thread packs and fabric to complete the design, giving customers the convenience of purchasing everything they need to stitch the design, or only those components they might be missing.

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Cheryl shared with me her inspiration and process for her designs:

• Like most artists and designers, I take my inspiration from a variety of difference places; I may have seen something on the internet, read or seen something in a magazine, book or newspaper, or something as raw and beautiful as a customer saying to me “wow, that would make a great design.” I design for a variety of different seasons or subject matters. Although I must admit, Halloween is my favorite. I have so much fun with it. In any event, whatever I choose to design I just “have to be in the mood.” The creative juices flow best when I am really into something and have had a vision of the finished piece before I start. That’s probably why I don’t design the same types of designs all the time. I like the variety.
• I almost always begin by sitting down with a blank sheet of gridded paper. I draw out the major components of what is in my head. Sometimes it is the entire design and sometimes it is just pieces that I will bring together when I enter those lines into a computer program and can move the images around.
• Once I have the basic design or images on paper, I go through the time-consuming process of outlining the pieces based on the gridded paper. I fondly call that pixellating the design.
• Now the fun begins. I enter all those pixelated lines into a computer program called PatternMaker and start assigning colors and their associated symbols.
• The time it takes to create a design depends on its complexity. For example, Horn of Plenty took me 2-3 weeks to design, while some have only taken a couple of days.
• Unlike many designers, I stitch all my own models. Primarily, it allows me to change colors and symbols and make changes to the original design while I stitch it.
• Secondly, no one understands the importance of deadlines more than the designer herself. I will do what it takes to get something done by a projected timeline.
• Lastly, nothing gives me more pleasure and satisfaction than seeing my own designs come to life! It is the best part of the entire process. I would hate to give that up.
• Once a design is stitched, sent to the framer, framed, and sent to the photographer, I also lay the design out in a booklet format that will become the final chart to be purchased by the customer.
• Finally, all my booklets are printed in my own office on a very expensive digital printer. That allows me to never discontinue a design no matter how old it is. Suffice it to say, as long as I live and breathe, a Glendon Place design will never be out of print!

In this season of Thanksgiving, Cheryl is grateful for all the independent needlework shops who sell her patterns in their shops and online. Our very own Stitch N’ Frame has them in stock. Their support will enable Cheryl to keep designing her heirloom designs for years to come! Now that her Hurricane clean-up is complete, she’s back to work stitchin’ up next year’s Halloween design!

Lois Levihn is the owner of Born Again Quilts. If you have a quilt or other textile you’d like to share, contact her at bornagainquilts@frontier.com or 260-515-9446.