We’re back with another exciting Designer Spotlight! This month, Vic caught up with the wonderfully talented Cheryl McKinnon of Tiny Modernist – let see what they had a chat about! ⤵️🪡

Hi, Cheryl! Tell us a little bit about yourself – your background, general day to day life, hobbies (other than crafting). This can be as vague or in detail as you like, we understand that some things you may want to keep private!

My path to designing cross stitch charts was a winding one, but I’ve always been a designer. I started as an artist, and then moved across Canada to study Fashion Design in Vancouver, BC. After that, I worked in the fashion industry as a technical pattern designer for a short time.

My earliest cross stitch patterns were done in Adobe Illustrator, which was labour-intensive to say the least. I had to first draw the grids, then fill in each square and add each symbol manually – and it wasn’t until 2012 that I finally purchased MacStitch cross stitch software, and I’ve been using it ever since.

That’s dedication to the craft, right there! Your business, Tiny Modernist, has become wonderfully celebrated in the cross-stitch community; what inspired you to turn your hobby into a business?

It was a business from the beginning – I stitched as a teenager, then put it away for several years while studying at college and university. When I was pregnant with my first daughter in 2007, I took up stitching again, and couldn’t find any bright, modern designs on the market. So in early 2008, I decided to make a few patterns myself, and settled on some mid-century modern chair designs. I loved how they turned out – a unique blend of the traditional craft of cross stitch with a modern feel.

You’re known for releasing whimsical and wonderfully fun stitch-a-longs; what inspired you to get into this form of designing and releasing?

The first stitch-a-long I ever hosted on my website was a small Halloween SAL in 2017. At the time, I thought the idea of a stitch-a-long was a great way to build a sense of community and inclusion for stitchers – to feel like you were part of an active event, no matter where you are located in the world. You can join in at any time, and share your progress with other stitchers!

It’s become such a large part of my marketing calendar, and I now offer about four to five stitch-a-longs per year. And there’s a vibrant Tiny Modernist stitch-a-long group on Facebook that offers stitchers a great forum to share their WIPs, ask questions, and interact with other stitchers.

It really is a wonderful way to creatively connect with other stitchers, not to mention very interesting to see where their own iteration may take them! What are three essentials you need in order to have a successful day pattern designing?

I need four things: A cup of tea, my laptop, my sketchbook and a quiet space – which usually includes out two sweet little kitties, Binoo and Rango, and out giant black Labernese dog named Bailey.

How cute – Furry pals always make great company! If you had to choose, what’s your favourite/pattern kit you’ve designed so far?

My favourite is usually the most recent design, as it tends to reflect where I am in the moment. But if I had to choose some of my all-time faves, here are a few: The Tea Goddess, Haunted Cuckoo Clock, Dream Big, The Tarot For Stitchers and Alice In Wonderland Tree.

Some seriously beautiful designs, there! If there’s a day where you’re facing a creative block, what are some of your go-tos to get your creative juices flowing again?

If I’m feeling uninspired or tired, I’ll take my dog for a walk in the forest. We live in the country, so it’s quiet and peaceful around here – we rarely run into anyone, so I get to enjoy the peaceful forest sounds and get my energy flowing with a good walk! Bailey enjoys it, too!

Sounds wonderful to take that time to enjoy nature with your pooch! Do you have specific inspirations behind of your projects?

I think my best designs happen when I’m being true to myself. They reflect my personality and point of view: I love bright, beautiful colours and retro and modern design – and I always try to find the fun and positive side of things in life, so this comes out in my designs. My goal is to design fun pieces that stitchers enjoy working on, and will be proud to display in their homes for years to come!

With stitching your Holly Jolly Santa pattern last year, I can certainly confirm that it’ll be a joy to hang that piece back up again in December! Over the years, you’ve covered many topics and seasons in stitch format! Is there a specific theme or season that’s your favourite to design?

I really enjoy designing for Fall and Halloween, but really, it’s fun to design anything!

What does a typical day in look like for you at HQ?

I’m definitely a morning to mid-day designer. I feel very full of energy and inspiration in the morning, and I can easily spend a full 5-6 hours of sketching and charting designs. In the evenings, I prefer to relax and do some stitching.

Depending on the day, I’ll work on a variety of things: magazine design commissions, sketching or developing new designs, preparing design files for the printers, doing photo shoots, choosing fabrics and floss for new designs, meetings with my stitchers to pick up models or drop off supplies, finishing or framing models, or filming tutorials!

A very busy bee! Your site kindly offers many helpful tutorials; was this something that was paramount to you when setting up Tiny Modernist? And what’s that been like for you to know that you’ve helped crafters when they may be starting something new and have turned to your site for advice?

Adding tutorials has happened over time, as I create something new and stitchers need to know how to finish it! There is only so much wall space in our houses, so it’s nice to have other ways of finishing – pillows, biscournus, stand-ups finishes, ornaments etc. and I just show people the simplest way I know how to finish somethings, because often it’s much easier and accessible than people might think.

I think I can speak for us all of us stitchers when I say we’re grateful for these, Cheryl! You’re across multiple platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and even Patreon; what’s that been like as a designer to be surrounded by such a wide and varied community in the crafting space?

I think the recent renaissance of cross stitch is directly related to having these platforms available. Stitchers can feel like they are part of the community in so many places now, getting inspiration from designers and FlossTubers, learning about new fabrics and flosses, new techniques and meeting other stitchers. As a designer, it’s a wonderful feeling being able to connect with people directly to answer questions, receive suggestions and interact with them!

And finally, do you have any tips for readers developing a passion for crafting?

I have two pieces of advice for stitchers. Firstly, stitching is a beautiful form of self-expression, where the stitcher gets to decide how to create their artwork. You can choose to follow the chart, of course, but don’t be afraid to “personalize” charts by changing colours or fabrics from the original model to better suit your own taste. I have some seen some really wonderful colour conversions of my charts by stitchers.

The second piece of advice is on the subject of mistakes and frogging them! My philosophy is this: if the mistake noticeably affects the finished design, or if it’s just a few stitches in the wrong place, then it’s probably worth taking out. Otherwise, if you can work around the mistake, call it a “happy accident” and just keep on stitching.

Some great advice to leave on there, Cheryl! Thank you so much for chatting with us! 💗

For more information on all things Tiny Modernist, simply click HERE to view their website.