Scribble Town (ST): Hi Elisa! I can’t wait to show everybody your artwork that is based on videogames!  But first can you please let us know a bit about yourself.

Elisa Di Fiore (EDF): My name is Elisa and I’m originally from Italy. I moved to the US in 2006, then recently moved back to Europe. I live in Finland now, but I’m always visiting new places. I can do this because I work from home –I work in videogame localization, translating games from English into Italian.

ST: When did you start getting into the game industry and how has that made an impact on your knits?

EDF: I’ve always liked videogames, but being a child in Italy I was supposed to play with dolls. My grandma wanted me to be a “proper” young lady, so she tought me to cross-stitch when I was about ten years old. I loved it, but I eventually grew tired of stitching endless flowers and kittens, which were the only patterns I could find at the time. A few years ago, when I was already working in the videogame industry, I had the brilliant idea of cross-stitching Super Mario characters from the old 8-bit games. After all, pixels look a lot like stitches, right? Well, the result was amazing and I haven’t stopped since.

ST:  I bet you were always really talented when it comes to working with your hands!  Is there a certain place you like to be in when you are creating?

EDF: Home is the best place, of course, especially when it’s snowing outside and I can cozy up with a cup of tea and Doctor Who on TV. But I also enjoy meeting up with fellow knitters at one of the quaint cafés here in Helsinki –there’s an entire community of Americans knitting all over the city!

ST: What other forms of art do you practice?  What are your favorite tools you use to create?

EDF: I started knitting a couple of years ago and I’m enjoying it immensely here in Finland, where I can actually wear what I make. Before, when I lived in California, it was too warm to wear any wool! I also like sewing, quilting and perler beading, but really the best thing for me is just using my needle and embroidery floss anywhere I am. They’re practical and don’t take up any space.

ST: It does make a difference when you can use the art you make! That’s one motivation to create.  Are there any others?

EDF: I’m an active member of an online community called SpriteStitch.com. There’s a blog with inspiring craft ideas and a forum where we share patterns, tips and accomplishments. We also collaborate every year to put together a videogame-themed quilt that gets auctioned to fund Child’s Play, a charity that helps kids in hospitals all over the world.

I’ve included a simple cross-stitch pattern I designed some time ago, based on the cat Jiji from the animated movie Kiki’s Delivery Service. It should be easy enough to try for any wannabe cross-stitcher!

ST: Thanks Elisa!  From games to knits you really know how to make things come alive.  Already you have given so many pieces of inspiration- from bookmarks to bibs, anything is possible! For more information on Elisa’s Jiji cross-stitch pattern please go to

Scribble Town (ST): From afar and up close, Erin Schmidt’s cross stitching is magnificent!  Erin is drawing with needle and thread!  Erin lives in Hudson, OH, which is outside of Akron/Cleveland.   Her family moved here from the St. Louis suburbs back in 2011.  Not only is she a cross stitching extraordinaire, she is also an attorney.  Erin, what is your favorite thing to create?

Erin Schmidt (ES): I think my favorite thing to create is a little bit of magic and the emotions that surround the work.  It is capturing something beautiful and preserving it for time.  Sometimes it is the picture as a whole that catches my interest, and sometimes it is just a color.  But often it is the emotional response.  Not only does this come from the finished project, but also all the work that goes into it.

ST: I like how you create magic  What other forms of art do you practice?

ES: Besides cross stitching, I also do crocheting and some photography.

ST: Both are very expressive mediums in very different ways.  Is there something you want to say with your art?

ES:It depends on the form.  My cross stitch evokes a lot of emotion for me.  It can be used to memorialize events in your life, which I have done.  But I tend to lean towards patterns that invoke a more elegant or magical age.  Which is why  you will see lots of ball gowns, faeries, and a lot of detailed use of specialty threads and beads.  I love the artwork of Nene Thomas and I have several of her prints in my house and have started gathering others in the form of cross stitch patterns.

When it comes to crochet, it is all about home and comfort.  These are much more for everyday usage, and a daily reminder of the person who made it for them.

Photography, like cross stitching, I like to capture a simplistic beauty.  I live near a National Park so I do a lot of scenery and wildlife pictures.

All of these activities I find rather relaxing, even when I mess them up or become frustrated with them.

ST: It’s great when we can relax even when we mess up.  Thanks for reminding us about that!  Where do you get your inspiration from and who inspires you?

ES:Part of my inspiration is just a need to relax and allow myself to drift off to another place.    With Cross Stitch, we get the luxury of being able to do just about any drawing, painting, or picture that catches your eye to recreate into multi textural work.  The best part of the art I like to do is that anyone can do them, even younger kids.   Cross stitch patterns come in many sizes, from projects with very few stitches to the ones I do with 60,000-100,000 stitches.  I started cross stitching at age 7 with simple Christmas ornaments that I gave to relatives.

ST: Thank you Erin for sharing you artwork with us.  We all need to relax and let ourselves get swooped up by the activities we enjoy.  You have found your magic!  To start your own magic you can go to Scribble Shop Blog and see the Box Stitch activity Erin has created for you:
http://www.scribbleshop.com/content/box-stitching-erin-schmidt