Cross-Stitch Portrait Creation
A course by Emily Peacock, Needlework Designer
Learn how to draw, chart, and stitch your own handcrafted portrait from scratch
Creating handmade decorations is a wonderful way of relaxing and expressing your ideas in an original format. Needlework designer Emily Peacock believes cross-stitching to be a haven for creativity, color, and relaxation. Her approach to teaching and creating needlework is to not follow rules, but rather show you how to come up with ideas and find your own creative path. Emily has played an important role in the resurgence of craft in the UK, and in this course, she shows you how to create modern and original cross-stitch portraits.
Discover the versatility of cross-stitch needlework with Emily’s step-by-step method to creating a colorful portrait. See how to draw your portrait, chart it, choose the right colors, and bring it to life with cross stitches. Learn three different ways of displaying your needlework creations: in a frame, for a pillow, or a piece of jewelry. Are you ready to reveal your cross-stitching abilities?
What will you learn in this online course?
18 lessons & 17 downloads
What's included in this course?
Get to know Emily and learn how she began her journey into the world of cross-stitching. She shares some of her sources of inspiration in illustration and design, before telling you about what you’ll learn in the course.
In the second unit, see the different types of materials that can be used for your project. Once you have decided on what materials to use for your project, Emily shows you how to form a basic cross-stitch.
Emily shows you her techniques for finding a good subject for a project and how to identify facial features that work well in a cross-stitch design. Learn how to draw simplified lines and shapes to divide your portrait into stitching sections, then determine the scale of your final project and map out your stitches.
Next, it’s time to choose the colors for your portrait seeing how to experiment with your color use to create a truly unique piece. Indicate where each color goes in your chart and see how to prepare your material to start stitching your design!
Finally, discover three different ways to present your portrait: in a frame, a pillowcase, or a piece of jewelry, ready to display or to give as a memorable gift!
- 99% positive reviews (129)
- 3,296 students
- 18 lessons (2h 45m)
- 17 additional resources (6 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Spanish (Latam), French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Create a unique and colorful cross-stitch needlework portrait that you can turn into a framed picture, pillow, or piece of jewelry.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for those who enjoy manual crafts and want to learn the cross-stitch needlework technique to create a unique gift or decorative piece.
Requirements and materials
No prior needlework knowledge is needed to take the course, just a sense of curiosity!
As for materials, you will need a basic sewing kit with needles, sewing thread, scissors, and a tape measure, a basic drawing kit (pens, crayons, pencils, an eraser), drawing paper, graph paper, tracing paper, threads, fabric of your choice, and a frame, backing fabric, or cushion pad, depending on how you wish to complete the project. A sewing machine would also be useful, but is not essential to take the course.
Reviews
Emily Peacock
A course by Emily Peacock
Best known for her bright colors, typography, and quirky designs, Emily is a needlework designer from the UK who thinks of herself as a graphic designer that works in wool.She began her professional career as a graphic designer in London, working in typography, design, and illustration. Emily rediscovered her love of needlework upon moving to calmer surroundings in France. Returning to the UK four years later inspired her to work on needlework designs full time, thanks to growing popularity in her cross-stitching kits and features of her work in magazines.
Today, Emily works on private commissions, artist collaborations, and large projects for global companies. She also designs and makes cross stitch and needlepoint kits and teaches needlework at The V&A London, The Royal School of Needlework, and on cruise ships around the world. In 2018, she was awarded Designer of the Year at the first National Needlecraft Awards.
Content
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U1
Getting to Know Me!
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Introduction
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Influences
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What Will We Do in This Course?
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U2
Getting Started
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Materials and Supplies
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Threads
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Fabrics
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Mastering a Cross Stitch
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U3
Starting Your Final Project
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Finding a Subject for Your Final Project
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Finding the Line
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The Scale of Your Final Project
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Creating a Chart
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U4
Colour and Stitch
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Choosing Colours
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Preparing Your Fabric
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Starting to Stitch
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Removing and Blocking
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U5
Finishing Ideas for Your Project
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Preparing a Canvas for Framing
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Making a Pillow
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Making Jewelry with Smaller Pieces
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FP
Final project
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Cross-Stitch Portrait Creation
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for beginners. No prior experience in embroidery or needlework is required, making it accessible to anyone interested in learning creative textile techniques from scratch.
You'll need basic embroidery supplies: fabric (like canvas or linen), tapestry needles, embroidery scissors, threads or wool, a marker pad, and an embroidery hoop or frame. The course covers material selection and alternatives as well.
You'll learn how to design and stitch graphic tapestry art, incorporate folk motifs, use geometric shapes, build color palettes, and finish projects. The course also covers turning drawings into embroidery charts and making embroidered jewelry.
Yes, the course teaches how to select embroidery colors, test for colorfastness, mix thread types, and build harmonious color palettes suited to your design goals.
The course guides you through tracing, simplifying, and mapping your drawing onto graph paper, then translating it into a workable stitch chart for embroidery or cross-stitch.
Yes, you'll learn finishing techniques, blocking to straighten fabric, mounting for framing, and options for presenting or repurposing your completed textile art.
Yes, the course includes step-by-step instructions for assembling small embroidered pieces into jewelry, covering both structural reinforcement and secure fastening methods.
OTIMO!
Very inspiring art with great tips, I love it!
Très bon cours super clair qui donne envie d'explorer la technique du point de croix.
This course was wonderful! I loved the teacher. She was so easy to follow and had great tips!! Highly recommend.
very interesting and visually captivating with clear instructions. i particularly like the transfer of chosen face to graph paper and admired the way to grid the pattern for stitching. am only 1/2 way too!