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Hands Occupied

Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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A peek inside Improper Cross-Stitch by Haley Pierson-Cox

October 11, 2018 Leave a Comment

A copy of this book was provided for review by St. Martin’s Press.

Improper Cross-Stitch by Haley Pierson-Cox is an irreverent, fun & contemporary take on an all-time classic craft. Filled with 35+ fun patterns and an accessible guide to cross-stitch, this book will have you stitching and grinning all day long!
Around here these days, I try to stick pretty closely to knitting, crochet and yarn crafts (latch hook, macrame, etc.). But when your girl writes an absolutely hi-lar-i-ous craft book about cross-stitch, you make an exception. Improper Cross-Stitch by Haley Pierson-Cox is an irreverent, fun & contemporary take on an all-time classic craft. It will have you in stitches, as they say, even if you’re new to cross-stitch.

The book comes with over 35 cross-stitch patterns, featuring everything from naughty gnomes flashing their butts to a flowery take on the F-word. Additionally, the book includes a seriously useful and informative guide to how to sew cross-stitch. I definitely learned a few new tricks from Improper Cross-Stitch, particularly for prepping my cross stitch fabric and polishing finished pieces.

Improper Cross-Stitch by Haley Pierson-Cox is an irreverent, fun & contemporary take on an all-time classic craft. Filled with 35+ fun patterns and an accessible guide to cross-stitch, this book will have you stitching and grinning all day long!
If the name Haley Pierson-Cox sounds familiar, it might be that you follow along with the podcast she, Mollie Johanson and I co-host together, Very Serious Crafts. Or maybe you know her from her days running the blog The Zen of Making, now Red-Handled Scissors. Or maybe you, like myself, were a die-hard fan of CRAFT Magazine (RIP!), the blog for which Haley was an Editor/Contributor. The woman is a beast and has a sharp sense of humor. I’m so privileged to get to work with her almost every day on Very Serious Crafts, and she’s a wonderful mentor and friend. I’m very proud of Haley for publishing her first book, which promises to be one of MANY epic, contemporary contributions to the crafts publishing universe.

Don’t forget to get your hands on your very own copy of Improper Cross-Stitch by Haley Pierson-Cox at all major book retailers. (It’s never too early to start compiling your holiday wish list!)

Improper Cross-Stitch by Haley Pierson-Cox is an irreverent, fun & contemporary take on an all-time classic craft. Filled with 35+ fun patterns and an accessible guide to cross-stitch, this book will have you stitching and grinning all day long!

A copy of this book was provided for review by St. Martin’s Press.

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Giveaways, Reviews & Sponsored Tagged With: book review, haley pierson-cox, improper cross stitch, red handled scissors

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

Yarn craft designer & author. Into intarsia knits, latch hook, color & vintage-modern style.
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If you look closely, you’ll see I’m casually k If you look closely, you’ll see I’m casually knitting from one sweater into another here, no big deal. (What can I say, I lost a game of yarn chicken. 😂) I almost didn’t post this because I was worried someone might have some nonsense to say about my ability to knit. Then I remembered I can’t care about that. Silly me, I almost forgot myself! 
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Speaking of which, dang it’s good to have my mental health back consistently after the past couple of years. The anxious parts of my personality are just chilling, rather than constantly screaming that my work isn’t good enough to share. The confident parts of me that matter have me creating (and starting to share my creations & process with strangers and friends) again! 
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Anybody else feel like they are beginning to return to themselves, so to speak, this spring?
I’m feeling better, & all my [big, bad bug] proj I’m feeling better, & all my [big, bad bug] project needs is a couple of short sleeves! I’ll be finishing this sweater *just* before it gets too warm to wear, but isn’t that always how it goes? 🫠🧶 
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Just divided the sleeves on this quick sweater, wh Just divided the sleeves on this quick sweater, which has unsurprisingly turned into a love letter to primary colors. ❤️💛💙 The heart stripe is a wee tweak I incorporated, and I don’t regret it! 
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I am unfortunately home bound for the near future I am unfortunately home bound for the near future thanks to the big, bad bug. So far I’ve knit half a sweater, consumed about a gallon of ginger tea, & plowed through 3 seasons of Pit Bulls and Parolees. 
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June doesn’t understand why I’m suddenly so boring, but she seems to like watching animal planet. 🤷🏼‍♀️
A bit of Saturday swatching. 🧶 I am working in A bit of Saturday swatching. 🧶 I am working in greyscale today to practice designing “without color”. Kinda cool, kinda weird. We’ll see if it yields anything interesting! 😆
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