I'm really excited to share this interview with you. The modern stitching world would not be what it is today without the impact of Steotch. Steotch was one of the early pioneers of modern designs, snarky and pop culture samplers, as well as elevated portraits of wholesome personalities.
I can't talk about Steotch without their personal effect on me. Am I the biggest fangirl of Steotch? Maybe. The fine art of Steotch introduced me to modern cross stitching, they inspired me to pick up a craft I'd never really dabbled in, and explore it for many years. Steotch and the communities they built empowered me to create my own stitching communities, local and on the internet, Steotch has been integral to my way of creating and I am so honored that Em took the time to sit with me and deep dive into everything design, community, and memes. I truly believe that the modern cross stitch scene would not be so thoughtful, caring, community-minded, and snarky, if it weren't for Matt & Em, the ultimate cross stitching power couple. Their impact on the stitching community is the foundation of what we are today.
Now let's dig into STEOTCH (pronounced like Be-yotch!) Em & Matt are the people behind Steotch and focus on samplers and portraits with a modern flair + memes. Their attention to detail makes for fun and challenging stitching, and instant heirlooms.
A = Amanda E = Em (Click on the images to find these patterns. Some patterns are not currently available,
so links lead to their website)
A: Let's go back to the very beginning. When you were born. Did your parents know that you'd become a cross stitch icon?
E: Hahah, no, not at all! This was never in the cards! This is what happens when you're pulled out of the workforce for a while, and you have both creative urges and time on your hands. Steotch began accidentally, and was a tremendous delight and surprise.
A: Haha Kidding! Tell me about the beginning. How did you get into cross stitching, and into designing?
E: I learned needlework when I was quite young. My grandmother was a big seamstress and bought me needlework kits to do while she quilted. I was comfortable with a needle and thread, but it was never a big passion of mine. I made some cross stitch kits and started various stitching projects as I was growing up, but it was kind of just a light hobby. I had a lot of interests. It wasn't until I was home full time with a few young babies, looking for personal outlets, that I really took up cross stitch with any earnest. Matt and I were sitting around one night, thinking about how funny it would be to see a really earnest piece of art with a little Yoda or a Space Invader Alien in it. We thought about trying to find needlework pieces in thrift stores and adding our own elements to it, but then thought-- why not just design it all ourselves? Matt's mom was actually a bona-fide cross stitch designer, herself. She designed and stitched a lot in the 1980s, and he grew up in a house full of traditional cross stitch and needlework pieces. We were inspired by these motifs and the (then) modern rise of meme culture to kind of mash it up to make something that was, for the time, very new and totally hilarious. It was a great time to be starting a meme based art business on the Internet!
A: Wow! That's cool about Matt's family history in stitching! I always thought it cool that you're a Cross Stitch Power Couple!
E: There were not a lot of modern or subversive cross stitchers on the internet at the time, so our stuff got a lot of early eyeballs when EVERYONE was online, and meme culture was very popular and kind of still a unifying force in the internet. Memes brought us all together. Yeah, we always said that Matt was the idea guy and I was the artist behind it all. Though some of our favorite memories were when we would both hit on an inspirational idea or joke at the same time.
A: I found you originally when you shared a stitch with the Battlestar Galactica sigil on it. At the time, maybe 2011/2012ish?, you were already ahead of the times in the modern design scene. And then my mind was blown with your traditional samplers with snark and curse words. And you started throwing out portraits and to this day, no one is doing them like you!
E: We both understand the aesthetic and traditional motifs very well! Yes, the portraits are the thing that feel really special to what we do. That, and the community we have found, and that others have found, through the Steotchalong.
A: How would you describe your design aesthetic in 5 words?
(this is where I stumped Em - haha!)
E: ChatGPT says 5 words that describe our design aesthetic are: "Humorous, modern, geeky, irreverent, clever"-- but Matt says it's more like: "Timeless, fine traditional fiber turntcrafts." I think either one works!
A: You use a lot of half stitches, blends, and even stitches that you may have invented! This creates curves and color gradients that elevate the design. How did you figure out this sorcery?
E: I love using fractional stitches to create intricacy, and of course, I'm always working in blends, to expand the color palette and add texture and complexity to the images I stitch. Sometimes I feel bad that our patterns can be detailed, but I work hard to make them as easy to follow as possible. I think it's really delightful to find new possibilities with cross stitch, and then sharing it and seeing other people recreate them is just super rewarding.
A: Definitely! If you put the work into the stitches, the end result is better than regular ole X's. I always appreciated that about your patterns, when you incorporated an unusual stitch, you broke down how to do it in multiple ways and different color codings. 10/10 accessible and easier after your explanations.
E: Sorcery, haha. I spend a lot of time just thinking about how to innovate, how to get more out of things, and it feels natural to extend this to my work in cross stitch. I am thinking about design and color as I go about my day. Maybe it's weird. Am I the only one who looks at the grass and wonders what color DMC that grass is? I'm probably the only one, haha. I'm glad to know my patterns are accessible. Whew. I try!
A: Most people probably know you from Steotchalongs. SALs weren't as prevalent at the time when you started. Samuel L. Jackson was 2013, right? How did Steotchalong start? I remember every pattern drop had a meme, and I feel like that's when I learned true internet culture. When you think back on that time, what do you reflect on?
E: OH, that was such a really fun time, when we first started the Steotchalong. I wanted to do something really different, something that we hadn't seen done with cross stitch before (again with the innovation)... Yes, it was 2013, and more designers were coming into the space, and we felt the pressure to continue to differentiate ourselves and just try something collaborative on the internet. We first thought about trying to do some group project where everyone stitched pieces of something and we'd digitally compile them, but that felt clunky. So we wondered if it wouldn't be possible to bring people together in another way where we all stitch something at the same time, in installations, and to make it exciting by not telling them what we were stitching. We wanted to give people options for different endings so they could personalize it for themselves, and feel really gratified by that in the end. It was just perfect, so much fun, so surprising, and it really unified a lot of people in the Steotch community to have done something together like that. It really did feel like the beginning of something New in cross stitch.
A: It was! I remember, there was a forum on your website back then, too! What a sign of the times.
E: It was also a really beautiful time on the Internet! Yes, forums, that was so funny. Like a secret cross stitch speakeasy. You had to know where we were to find us. Facebook has certainly given us a bigger platform to bring people into the community, but it was a really wholesome time back in the forum days, and it felt really good to keep refreshing the website page looking for the latest comment.
A: We evolved from refreshing webpages for pattern drops (and breaking them, too, sorry not sorry), to livestreams!
A: Your Steotchalong patterns have always been pretty detailed. Inquiring minds want to know… how long does it typically take you to draft, design, and test stitch a Steotchalong pattern?
E: A single pattern? Oof, it really depends. The simpler patterns take in the tens of hours, but one of the portraits can take well over 100 hours, depending on the size. The software that we use to build our Steotchalong patterns really isn't written to support the kind of patterns we create (with stitches grayed out, lots of specific fractionals), so there are lots of work-arounds that take many more hours to finagle in the program, and we always put out supplemental guides to explain any elements of the pattern that don't convey well on the pattern grid itself, particularly backstitching faces. All in all, a Steotchalong pattern will be many hundreds of hours to pull together.
A: I can imagine! Every portrait has been so realistic. My favorite were all the googly eyes on the Golden Girls. It just added a bit of brevity to everyone learning new stitches.
E: The Golden Girls- yeah. I'm still reeling from that year! It was an intense one! Really fun to see all the different faces come together, though. I think we all laughed a ton with that one.
A: You introduced teams with Steotchalong 6. This was a gamechanger, I feel, because it started creating pocket communities of stitchers, localized and on the internet. As the pioneer of cross stitch community, how has this impacted you?
E: Teams were never anything we saw coming, or hoped to drive, but like Steotch itself, have been this happy and beautiful surprise. Each year since its inception, the Steotchalong has grown in some incremental way. We went from forums to Facebook to video feeds... and then we saw pictures of people actually GETTING TOGETHER with their Steotch WIPs, and we thought-- hey, now this is really different! (How many times have I felt that- the excitement of doing something new with cross stitch) It was a group of people in Minneapolis, who naturally, went on to become renown team Tater Tot Hot Stitch, 2 time world champions (right?). I was so energized by seeing people coming together around this project, that it only felt natural to want to encourage it, which just birthed the whole World Championships thing, where we encourage people to gather on in-person or virtual teams, to complete challenges together, encourage one another, and generally collaborate to put art into the world. It fundamentally changed how I saw Steotch, which once was just this independent solo art project of mine, into a business that was really driven by and for community. Cross-stitch is rewarding for its own virtue, but it was really beautiful to be able to build it into something that could bring people together. It felt really impactful in a way that imbued deep meaning into the event, seeing people build relationships, make (sometimes huge!) memories together, and in some ways and for some teams, really touch lives and change communities for the better. The teams are what keep me stitching.
A: I think this really breathed life into the community. People who had never stitched before jumped in, husbands were confused, and people just felt connected with others who shared the same interests. Austitch would not exist if you and Matt didn't start teams! And I believe there's so many other localized stitching groups now. You did that. You should be very proud of the community you've nurtured and instigated around the world!
E: I personally have loved getting to know so many amazing people through the Steotchalong, and seeing how they have gone on to foster their own communities through the medium of cross stitch- I'm inspired by so many teams that continue to meet regularly online or in person when the Steotchalong is in the off-season. Yes, Austitch is one of those really remarkable teams. They are meeting weekly, if not more, right? Socials and service projects and charity work? I'm just so touched to even know them, much less have had any role in their beginning. I love that Steotch could have been the spark that set their communities aglow, and to see how their friendships and connections have continued to grow and impact lives. In a world that doesn't always value art or work we can't commodify, I find so much meaning in seeing the relationships that the community has fostered, and the ways they all care for each other. It feels really important- these human connections- and I'm humbled by the people who continue to show up for us every Steotchalong, and for one another. Plus it's just fun. We all need that in life. Fun and connection.
A: How did you and Matt come up with all the challenges? Do any of the challenge submissions stick with you?
E: That's a good question! Matt and I have long kept a lot of running lists of things- sampler ideas, memes for jokes, contests, shirt design concepts. I'd like to say there's a real method to our brainstorming, but the best I can offer is that we go out walking when we want to generate ideas. It's how we've always found the most creative energy- out walking together.
A: Omg, that's so sweet, it's putting my pancreas into shock.
E: Yes, lots of challenge submissions have stuck with me. That's like asking me to pick a favorite child, though. I think the collaborative team projects have been the most moving contest entries for me. I love seeing the teams expressing themselves through something their hands have worked on together. There have been some deeply thoughtful and intricate projects over the years, and I really enjoy poring over all of the little details they put into them.
Yeah, it was a real help to have volunteer judges help score team submissions last year- I want to give everyone max points, and with every year, I have a harder and harder time telling people I adore that they didn't win. I am so excited and grateful for the energy and creativity and effort they pour into their projects, thank goodness someone else was willing to score them so I didn't have to put a value on anyone's work. I LOVE YOU ALL! What you all do is simply astounding!
A: Do you know how many countries have Steotchalongs been in? I know lots of people went to different countries and shared their WIPs with the group! It was so cool to see Steotchalongs in the wildest places.
E: Cool idea! We should tabulate it sometime. Yeah, it's super fun to see so much international team representation- an entire team in South Korea?!? So cool. I get excited to see returning teams from Great Britain, Australia, Israel, Canada, and I love how virtual teams give so many other international stitchers the ability to join together across time zones. I'm getting all of these warm feelings thinking about all of the people I've met through the Steotchalong, it makes me fired up for another one soon! Yeah, seeing people taking their WIPs around the world for the Raddest Location challenge has been a delight. The Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, the ocean floor, FREAKING ANTARCTICA (we hit the 7th continent, baby!), it's been just spectacular to see so many people bring Steotch along on their exciting lives. I also love just seeing people bringing us to concerts and to work in interesting places. It's just really special to be a part of people's everyday lives. I feel honored.
A: We need to find some cross stitching astronauts! A niche within a niche! And all the famous people! I know we're not supposed to glorify celebrities, but Weird Al... C'mon. Weird Al was tangentially involved! Do you know if any of the people you'd made portraits of have seen your work? I tried so hard to get Hugh Laurie's attention for the SteotchAlone, but alas, no response.
E: Yeah, I'm less enamored with the Most Famousest Person contest as the years go by (I mean, we're all worthy and valuable, just for being ourselves), but Weird Al remains my favorite celebrity to have brushed up against. He is an endlessly charming and joy-inducing guy. I honestly don't know if many of our portrait subjects have seen our work. I would certainly love for people to know I looked at their face for more than 100 hours and lovingly recreated them in thread!.. but I can't say that I'm very motivated by the attention they might give me in return. <shrug> In earlier Internet days, it was easier and really exhilarating to "go viral" with a particular design we did, but these days, I just stitch for myself, or for what the Steotchalong community would enjoy.
A: Your subjects are typically wholesome or good people / characters, and I think they'd be flattered to know you started at every crease on their face for 100s of hours. Now let's see if we can get Dolly to see your latest design! She's the most wholesome out of all of us!
E: IKR? She's my worthiest subject ever!
A: I was really excited to see you make a comeback with your Dolly Parton pattern.
Is it a comeback?? Can you tell us any future plans for Steotch?
E: Yeah, I'm excited to back with needle in hand again. It's definitely a comeback. I had to take some time away from stitching for family stuff, and I'm going to be working on a portfolio of portraits for now, until we're ready to throw another Steotchalong. I'm not trying to do memes with these, or even make them particularly funny (though I encourage people to put their own finishes or personalizations on any design!), just to stitch people that inspire me or make me feel good (to look at for 100 hours, hah!). It's a chance for me to continue to make art that challenges me as a cross stitcher, while I plan, in the background, how to get the Steotchalong gang back together again.
A: What's next for Steotch? Can you give us any hints?
E: Yes, there will definitely be another Steotchalong, I just don't know exactly when. It'll take the right inspo for a Steotchalong theme and design that feels good for the moment, with all of the other factors to consider (endings, contests, video sketches, volunteer supports, oh, the list goes on). It also takes a tremendous amount of time, preparation, and coordination and each chapter of life has its own constraints. I don't want to force a Steotchalong without enough time to reflectively put together an event that works well for as many people as possible, including me, Matt and our family. I miss everyone, and I really enjoy uniquely chaotic season which is the Steotchalong, so we're trying to work through the logistics of planning the next one. I wish I had a day you could go and circle on your calendar, but for now I'm just keeping my fingers busy stitching standalone portraits and thinking Steotchalong thoughts.
A: And I've been so rude, I should have asked earlier. How is Bobbie? (Amanda's note: Bobbie is Steotch's Skeletal friend that is featured prominently on merch and livestream videos)
E: Hah! Bobbie's great. Hanging out in the basement gym with me. Still rocking the purple wig. Bobbie misses the spotlight and all the attention.A: I'm so happy she was introduced to us. We can't wait to hang with her again!
A: Do you have any advice for aspiring designers?
E: I would say: Do it! Do the thing! Keep doing it, even if you don't feel like you're any good at it. Over time, you'll find your own style and your own niche. Everyone starts from a place of not really knowing how to do it or feeling like they're doing it badly or just doing an imitation of someone else. Keep working through that until you find yourself, your own special thing, your own artistic vision. The world needs more art, so do it!
A: People want to support you. What's your preferred way for people to engage and support you?E: During the Steotchalong, the donations really help. We've always tried to make the event as accessible (from many angles) as possible, so we don't charge people anything to participate, and we try to keep prices on our shirts and other merch as reasonable as we can justify. My goal is to bring people into community, but it means that Steotch has never been a very big money maker for us. The donations go a long way towards supporting our work. We occasionally re-release past Steotchalong patterns for sale for short periods, and we always have other patterns for sale in our Etsy store. We're also planning more ornament releases at the holidays this year, so people can look out for that, particularly if they want their meme fixes. Folks can keep posted on future pattern releases or event announcements on Facebook and Instagram, and maybe even another Tik Tok music video someday.
Thank you so much to Em for entertaining my silly questions for so long. There's no way that we could fully encompass everything that Steotch has done for the community in just one interview. While digging into past Steotchalongs (and Steotchalone), I was overwhelmed with a sense of community, of belonging, and nostalgia for memes of yore. I loved seeing everyone's challenge submissions, local charity work, and the collaborative projects that took so much planning, time, and execution. I hope someday to be on a team that wins the Wrastlin' Belt trophy.
Have you ever stitched any Steotch patterns? Ever participated in a Steotchalong? Tell us your experience!
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