Interview With Grace Isobel, Author of Cross Stitch Cabinet of Curiosities!
We welcome you to the magical world of needle and thread with Cross Stitch Cabinet of Curiosities, a collection of over 500 weird and wonderful patterns!
To give you all a peek behind the scenes of this spellbinding book, we asked author Grace Isobel (known on social media as @_innocentbones) all about the creative process; read on to be let in on the secret...
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m a cross stitch designer, dog lover and new mum, based in the North East of England. I’ve always had a curious interest in the weird, the wonderful and the gothic, which often seems to find its way into my work. Cross stitch is where I feel most creative—it’s a way to slow down, switch off, and let my imagination run wild.
Tell us a bit about Cross Stitch Cabinet of Curiosities?
The book is split into seven chapters, each one exploring a different part of the ‘cabinet’. There are over 500 patterns, ranging from teeny tiny designs to larger fuller pieces. The idea was to create a resource for stitchers to dive into and enjoy, no matter what level of experience they have.
The smaller designs can be stitched alone, stitched alongside other designs from the book to create a bigger project, or even turned into accessories or embellishments. I wanted the whole book to feel like a treasure chest of patterns that you can get lost amongst.
The book recreates the old-world charm of curiosity cabinets – what inspired you to develop this concept?
I’ve always been fascinated by antique objects and curiosities, and the stories they tell, so that definitely inspired me. My favourite part of the cross stitch design process has always been the small details that help tell a story or create depth in a pattern, so the idea of working solely on small ‘trinket’ style designs was really exciting to me.
What were your main inspirations when designing the projects in this book?
I actually took a lot of inspiration from classic paintings and traditional artwork. I spent a lot of time flipping through old art books and looking at the small details in the paintings, and looking at which small trinket like objects painters chose to include in their works.
We’re very lucky to have some wonderful art galleries in the North East, so I enjoyed plenty of visits to get the creativity flowing.
Do you have a personal favourite among the themes and projects in this book?
The ‘Anatomy & Botany’ chapter is definitely one of my favourites, with the little skeleton hand being a design I can see myself stitching over and over again. The whole chapter came together so quickly and just felt so ‘right’.
What is something special about your book that readers can’t find anywhere else?
I think the fact that it’s just a treasure trove of hundreds of designs makes it really special, and I hope readers and stitchers think so too.
What was your route into cross stitch?
I come from a really creative family, and learned cross stitch and knitting as a child. I picked cross stitch back up in a big way in my early twenties as a way to calm my mind and keep my hands busy during a difficult time.
Then I started designing when I couldn’t find any patterns that really caught my eye - I was looking for projects that didn’t seem to exist at the time, so I designed them myself!
How did you develop your signature enchanting cross stitch style?
It developed slowly over time I think, I feel like my design style has grown with me over the years.
I’ve always loved traditional folk cross stitch styles as well as darker, more gothic traditional styles - so I think a combination of those two aesthetics has always been an influence.
What advice would you give to your beginner self?
Trust yourself more, I think I held back a lot with my earlier design work as I wasn’t sure there was anyone else who would want to stitch the designs I had living in my mind.
In actual fact it turns out that the more authentic I am with my creative work, the more connected I feel to other stitchers, and the more inspired I become.
In one word, how would you describe Cross Stitch Cabinet of Curiosities?
Charming.
Cross Stitch Cabinet of Curiosities is out now! Dive into this mystical handbook for both beginners and seasoned stichers to explore ideas for using your makes in multiple ways, including jewellery, letterpress trays, and gifts with easy-to-follow full-colour and symbol charts - buy the book today at the link here!
