Makoto’s Cross-Stitch Super Collection by Makoto Oozu is, as it says on the cover, very cool! and not lame! Originally two books published in Japan (Hop, Stitch, Jump! and My Stitch Book), this is an awesome compendium of tiny, geeky patterns and projects to stitch. It’s got robots, dinosaurs, monsters, aliens, insects, sea creatures, travel, and electronics to choose from.
I love the way the book is organized. Part 1 shows you all of the designs stitched in full color. Part 2 is full of an interesting variety of projects with everything from shirts to pillows to an amazing pegboard wall panel (who needs Aida?). Part 3 goes over cross-stitch materials and tools, basic stitches, and detailed instructions for all of the projects.
As much as I would love to make the pegboard wall panel, I don’t have room for that in my house (seriously, I need to make room for this!), so I went small and stitched on a Moleskine notebook cover.
To get the holes in the right place, I was going to draw lines with a pencil, but the book had great advice–photocopy the pattern from the book and use that as a guide for punching the holes. I opted to use my Japanese screw punch with the smallest tip instead of a book awl and decided to go with the purple pterodactyl. I punched the holes and started stitching.
Since the design is so small, I was able to use threads from my loose stash and stitched with two strands. I think that the next time I stitch on a notebook, I’ll use more strands, but I’m still very happy with how my dinosaur came out.
These designs are so quick to stitch up–I think the pterodactyl took me 15 minutes–these notebooks would make great last-minute gifts.
Rad news! I’ve got one copy of Makoto’s Cross-Stitch Super Collection to give away. Leave a comment telling me your favorite dinosaur and why by Friday, June 24th at midnight ET and I’ll pick a winner at random. Respond to another reader’s comment and get an extra entry (limit one, please). [Edit – midnight ET. I can only stay up so late :)]
ooh ooh i think that stegosauruses are RAD…they have those rad spikey tails, and look like they have a mohawk…plus, they were herbivores…if we ever perfect cloning technology, i want a mini one for a pet. i would name him fluffy :)
Triceratops have probably been my favorite all the way back since Land Before Time. Cera was obnoxious, but she was a girl, so I liked her.
Seeing Cliff at the Museum of Science in Boston pretty much sealed the deal for me. They are a beautiful example of adapting to an environment.
Velociraptor! Why? Simple: “Clever girl…”
Triceratops. It is my son’s favorite and I love the way he mispronounces it. He says Tri-C-teratops with such enthusiasm.
pterodactyl! My 10 month old daughter sounds like one when she squeals with glee. My oldest daughter is completely in to all dinosaurs. I think I need to start stitching up some dinos for her.
I have to go with a Brontosaurus, although it may just be my shortness complex coming into play.
Ooh, tough one. Ichthyosaur counts, right? The underwater dinosaurs don’t get nearly enough mention in books and movies and such.
Ankylosaurus. I wanted one as a kid, mostly to ride on.
I like the dinosaurs that have crest things on their heads that scientists think were used to make noise. I think it would be cool to hear the sounds made by these types of dinosaurs. I can’t remember the name, sorry.
Ooooh, I like apatosaurus because it’s fun to say. I’d like a pygmy one for a pet.
The humble stegosaurus. Because at my best friend’s birthday party in third grade, I got him a model kit of a stegosaurus, and he loved it so much he started working on it in the middle of his party (much to his parent’s dismay).
Stegosaurus! I always liked the big spikey plates…
My favourite dinosaur is the parasaurolophus. I love it because there was an awesome parasaurolophus in a Dinotopia book :) Runner-ups are muttaburrasaurus because it has an awesome name and it’s a local, and stegosaurus because it’s cool.
Diplodocus! One of my favorite electronic/trip-hop bands is called Diplo. W00t!
The duck-billed dinosaur…. because if I was sent back in time, they probably wouldn’t eat me. Or even look that threatening.
Velociraptor, of course! It amazes me how few of my friends know that a “Raptor” and “Velociraptor” are the same animal so I have decided to set out on a quest and enlighten them.
If I had to choose a favorite dinosaur, I’d probably go with the pterodactyl, but I’m much more passionate about robots and outerspace! Loving the flying saucer on the cover! Thanks for such an awesome giveaway!
I LOVE T-Rex’s, they are so vicious, but they have such short little arms!
Stegosaurus! I liked them a lot as a kid and even got the stegosaurus transformer (Snarl!)
I love the apatosaurus!
@Debra – puppy sized dinosaurs as pets would be fantastic!! Only the herbivore ones though, I’d hate to wake up at night with my miniature t-rex nomming on my leg!
I’m a sucker for the raptors ever since Jurassic Park as a kid.
Eoraptor!
The tiniest and one of the oldest known dinosaurs. Sitting at about the size of a large cat, I could deal with one of these guys running around with my chickens. <3
Brontosaurus – because it’s a mistake! I think it shows that we haven’t learned everything about this world. Even when scientists think they’ve defined something, later it turns out to be wrong.
Pterodactyl- My son squawks just like one; it’s super cute
It has to be the triceratops. Every time I see the belly-aching triceratops from Jurassic Park I’ve wanted to be a paleonto-veterinary.
(Thank you! :D the giveaway is fantastic, and some of those designs in hama beads would be also very cool ^_^)
Well, looks like I’m not original at all, but my favourite is the Stegasaurus too! I have a plushie Stegasaurus that I saved up to buy from the museum when I was little – the dinosaurs were my favourite exhibition. I named her Montreal, although to this day I’m not sure why …
Fruitadens haagarorum. Because it is the tiniest dinosaur, and tiny things are cute! It was roughly the size of a squirrel!
I would probably have to go with the triceratops.
It’s all about the stegosaurus, in my mind. They had those awesome fin things across their backs, and they just looked freakin’ cool. :)
Brachiosaurus has been my favorite ever since I was a little kid, my mom actually still has a paper-mache one that I made when i was 4 (I’m 30). Also becuase there is a main belt asteroid named after it.
The brontosaurus of course… who doesn’t love a long neck? ;)