http://www.cross-stitching.com The World of Cross Stitching 77
Time to Chat
In the spotlight
We chat to Rhona Norrie about how she became a cross stitch designer
Rhona Norrie
H
ow did you get into
designing cross stitch?
I couldn’t find a chart or kit
suitable for stitching for my son and
since my background was a greeting
card artist, I decided to design
something myself. My friend Tina
encouraged me to send the design off
for publication and, lo and behold, it
was accepted! I was so excited to see
it in print. That was 20 years ago and I
still get excited when I see my designs
in magazines.
Favourite subject to design?
My favourite subject is easy – cute
animals which probably comes from
my time painting cute and cuddly
animals for greeting cards.
Favourite commissions?
There have been so many lovely
commission ideas, but it would have
to be the Indian Elephant from WOXS
Issue 206 way back in 2013! I used
traditional henna motifs as the basis
for the background. It was interesting
to research the shapes and patterns
and then translate them to cross stitch.
Do you stitch for pleasure
or prefer designing?
I do love designing, but I stitch for
pleasure – I’m totally addicted to it!
Any stitching disasters?
The time I washed my finished
samurai warrior piece that had taken
me months (maybe even years!) to
finish and then the red dye from the
threads ran... I cried! Luckily, I knew
to keep the piece under cold running
water and eventually the red colour
disappeared. I still get nervous about
washing any large stitched piece.
What inspires you?
Inspiration can strike at any time. I
usually have a notebook in my bag so
that I can scribble out ideas that pop
into my head – I’ve even been known
to draw on napkins in restaurants so
that I don’t forget an idea.
How do you create your cross
stitch designs?
I used to draw everything out on
graph paper, but over the years I’ve
become more comfortable drawing
straight onto the computer. I often
draw out a rough thumbnail-type
sketch, just to make sure the idea
works, then jump right in and draw it
with the cross stitch programme.
Project you’re most proud of?
Despite the red dye disaster, the
samurai warrior is my favourite
project. It was a surprise gift for my
hubby. Originally, it was going to be a
wedding anniversary gift, but I didn’t
get it done in time. I’m the queen of
slow stitching and didn’t finish it in
time for Christmas either, so it ended
up being a birthday gift. It looks
wonderful framed and, best of all, my
hubby loved it. When people see it,
they often assume that it’s a painting
and are so surprised to learn that it’s
all done by threads!
What are your future plans?
Other than stitching and designing,
my hubby and I are hoping to drive
across the length of Canada. We’re
still in the daydreaming stage, but you
can bet there will be lots of Canadian-
themed designs after the trip!
Top pick s: Rhona’s proudest piece
is this stunning samurai (left) and her
fave commission was this elephantdesign from WOXS 206 (right)