Astute readers may well have noticed the new ongoing project over to the right of the page. Coming off the high of a much anticipated cross stitch (that I will post as soon as I get it mounted and framed) I was eager to keep on riding that feeling and deigned to put my energy toward an extensive continuous project — a first for me if you don’t count those Final Fantasy characters from a while back (I don’t).

Over the past few weeks I’ve been immersing myself in Dragon Quest VIII to much enjoyment. The enemies in that game have been one of my favorite aspects. As the entire series seems founded on a steady bedrock of nostalgia, it was no wonder that I remembered my history with the series (which is largely only the first Dragon Warrior game as it’s the only one I’ve finished to completion).

So, I turned my craftiness to it. I threw together a Slime in an afternoon on some of the 11-count fabric that had been sitting around since the big cross stitch xmas. Then, with three more sections of that fabric to go, I thought I might as well use them up too. Then I felt guilty for playing favorites. How could I immortalize only four of these critters? I decided to go for broke and do them all. There are only 40 in the first game. That’s not so many, right? They don’t take too long to finish; as of the time of this post I have seven down and an eighth nearing completion only waiting on photos and posts.

I’ve created a special page to allow you dear readers to browse all of the completed monsters in a single viewing. As they are posted you’ll be able to find them here. As this effort progresses I also intend to flesh out the description, adding background information and other tidbits. Perhaps I might also craft a dedicated feed for these posts if I feel it worthwhile.

It was my wife who reawakened my love of cross stitch. Yes, I, a dude, used to cross stitch as a child. I never made anything terribly detailed nor interesting but I used to do it back in my elementary school days. So, when Staci announced her plan to make her xmas gifts this year through needlework I jumped at the chance. She ordered the Subversive Cross Stitch book and the Sublime Stitching Stitch-It Kit as well as a few patterns for each. We never got around to any of the Sublime Stitching due to limited time, but hope to start that in 2007.

As soon as I saw the blocky patterns in the Subversive Cross Stitch book there was only one thing I could think of: pixels. I grew up in front of the Nintendo Entertainment System and I’ve never lost my love of two-dimensional sprite based games. Over the years I’d toyed with a number of classic gaming projects in LEGO, in print, and in stencil. Cross stitch would be a perfect home for NES and other classic game sprites.

If you’re reading this you’ve likely seen the creations I posted thus far. You might have thought you’d like to make some yourself. Today I’d like to help you do that. Here’s how to go about making a NES cross stitch.

Find your sprite

Turning classic game sprites into cross stitch is terribly easy: the pattern is essentially already made for you. Every pixel becomes a stitch. Provided your aim is to recreate a popular game (and occasionally even if it isn’t) this is very easily done. Video Game Sprites has a tirelessly organized and complete collection of sprites for several NES and SNES games. If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, check her links or Google Image Search. One caveat about GIF files: many of them are dithered all to hell. A similar warning applies for JPG files, though not for dithering concerns. The lossy compression of JPG can lead to some awfully ugly blurred edges. Just be certain you can identify the primary color and find the crisp edges of your sprite and you should do fine.

Determine your colors

Of course, you’ll need some thread (usually called floss). But before you go shopping you’ll need to figure out what colors you need to buy. Cross stitch thread comes in a retarded number of colors, all designated by a three or four digit numerical code. Had you purchased a kit or pattern at a store you would have these numbers given to you. Since you’re striking (relatively) new ground here, you’ll need to figure that out on your own.

You have a few options in this regard. First, you could just try and “eyeball it” and take a printout of your desired creation to your local craft supply store and pick the thread that best matches it. That’s exactly what I did for my moblin design. Second, you could figure out the RGB or Hex values of your image and compare them to this chart, though this is rather unwieldy and difficult to browse. Third, you could use the counted cross stitch creator at Dark Lilac which allows you to create a chart along with color values. When stitching a game sprite be sure to enter “0” in the field that says “Number of isolated stitches grouped together that will be removed.” Fourth, you could find a computer program that generates charts. I have not tested any of these and cannot speak for them.

Personally I used the Dark Lilac creator or just trust my own eyes. Both work reasonably well for me. Be aware, that no computer application can predict with 100% accuracy how your design will look in thread. Use your best judgment but don’t worry too hard. This is supposed to be fun.

Here are the colors used for Mario in this example (all colors DMC):

• 732 – Olive Green
• 946 – Medium Burnt Orange
• 977 – Light Golden Brown

Lay out your design (optional)

Depending on how large a project you are working on you may be able to skip this step. If you’ve used an application to find your colors you’ve already done this. When working with small individual sprites I tend to eschew this step and work directly from the screen. Using Preview, I blow the image up as large as can fit on screen and count the stitches using the selection tool. If you’re working with a larger design you may find it helpful to lay it out on paper.

Any graph paper will do. You can find specialized cross stitch paper at your local craft store that is scaled to the same size as the fabric. Depending on the size your graph paper you may find yourself with a rather large pattern. I had to use 7 sheets of graph paper to lay out my moblin. Take a look (DS lite to show scale):

Our design for this tutorial is very simple, measuring only 34 stitches (pixels) by 32 stitches (pixels). So simple, I didn’t see the need to make a chart. What I did was open it in Preview and use Zoom to Fit to make it large enough to follow. It saved me some paper and some ink.

Go shopping

Once you’ve figured out your design (or designs) and have your color list prepared you’re ready to go shopping. You’ll find all the thread in sorted bins generally somewhere in the back of the store. Unless you’re a cross stitch veteran you’ll need to pick up a few more items while you’re there. Here’s what you’ll need:

• fabric — Available in a variety of colors, though shades of white are the most common. I’ve found that larger stores such as the Michael’s chain have the best selection. Cross stitch fabric has a grid-like pattern of holes at regular intervals and is marked with a stitch count that refers to the number of squares per inch. The smaller the number, the larger the square. I usually use 14 count fabric.
• needles — These come in packs of 6 or so. They come in various gauges depending on the type of needlework. You’ll want 22 or 24 gauge.
• embroidery hoop — Buy one that will fit as much of your design at once. They’re cheap. Buy two.
• embroidery scissors — Very small and very sharp scissors. You’ll need them to make a clean cut in your floss and to trim off the excess when you’re done.
• pinking shears (optional) — These aren’t cheap. What they do is cut a zig-zag pattern which reduces fraying. Unfortunately, that’s all they do. You don’t necessarily need them, but when working with a larger design that takes several days to complete you might find that the edges start to get messy. A more economical solution is to buy a rotary cutter and pinking blade. I found a set on sale at a fabric supply store and it’s terribly handy for cutting all sorts of things.

That’s really all you need and most of it is quite inexpensive. Floss is about 30 to 40 cents a skein. The hoops and needles will set you back about $1.50 to $2.00. Fabric is usually about $4. Embroidery scissors can be had for about $6. The only expensive item on the list is the pinking shears, and you can get by without them. ‘

You’ll also need:

• an iron — Unless you really like the looks of circular creases left by your hoop you’ll want to iron the design out at the end.
• gentle laundry detergent, like Woolite — It’s also a good idea to wash your creation once you’re done.

While you’re shopping, you might also want to consider the final destination for your project. Pick up some framing materials if you’re so inclined. You can also find coasters designed to hold small cross stitch or other such products.

Cut your fabric

Okay, so you’ve brought everything home and you’re ready to get started. First thing you’ll need to do is cut off a hunk of fabric. You’ll need to know just how big a piece your design requires. Most NES sprites are about 16 pixels by 16 pixels or 16 pixels by 32 pixels. If you’ve picked up 14 count fabric that means your final design will be a little over an inch width and between 1 and 2 inches high. . . roughly. To figure it out exactly multiply your pixel count by your thread count.

But wait! Don’t cut just yet! Consider a few more things. If you’re going to frame your masterwork you need to consider that most frames are in certain sizes. Think about how much empty space you want around your creation. Do you want it to take up most of the frame? Do you want it to stand alone in an empty field of solid color? Do you have an entire scene prepared? Once you’ve figured out these stylistic questions and have a size you’ll also want to add an inch or two to each side for mounting. It’s always better to cut on the generous side. You can trim the excess off at the end.

Commence the stitching!

This might actually be the simplest step. Take your fabric and fold it twice along each side so you have a crease in the center. Don’t worry, you’ll iron it out at the end. These creases will help you find the center of the fabric. It’s a good idea to start there so you know your project will fit properly.

Find the approximate center of your pattern. It’s not critical that it’s the exact center because you cut spare fabric (You did leave a 1-2 inch border on the edge, didn’t you?). Now grab that color thread. If you look closely you’ll see that your floss is made of six individual strands . You’re going to want two of those strands for cross stitch (other needlework uses more or less). Cut a length around a foot and a half and separate it into three sets of two strands each. Got it? Okay.

Starting near the center of your fabric bring your thread through from the back. Put your thread through the front again so it makes a slash ( / ). To finish the stitch bring the thread through from the back at the other bottom corner across the first to make a backslash ( \ ). When you’re done you should have an X shaped stitch from which we get the name cross stitch. It doesn’t really matter which corner you start with, but it is very important that you keep it consistent. Always start at the same corner and always end at the same corner. If you don’t, you’ll regret it when you cross stitch looks like ass.

If you’re filling in a larger block of color it’s usually most convenient to do a row of half-stitches ( / / / / / ) and then come back over them working backwards ( \ \ \ \ \ ). This way you can drop right down a row and not have a tangled mess in the back.

That’s basically all there is to the stitch. When you’re starting a new color you should hold the end of the thread down with several successive stitches so it doesn’t pull right out. When you’re finishing a color you want to wiggle your needle through a couple of previous stitches, pull it through, and trim the excess off with your scissors. Don’t tie knots!

Confused? Try watching the animated instructions at Subversive Cross Stitch. They’re just about the best I’ve found. You can find similar guides aplenty if you just search the Internets.

Clean up after yourself

One quick word for pet owners: don’t leave your needle and thread lying about. It’s all too likely you’ll end up with a perforated intestine or other gastrointestinal disaster if you do. Furthermore, should your cat get a hold of a piece of floss and swallow it do not pull it out of his mouth. It may not look like much, but that little piece of string can lacerate his poor kitty esophagus. Be a responsible pet owning crafter. Thanks.

Finishing up

Continue stitching in that manner, switching colors as needed, until you’ve completed your pixellated craft. It’s a good idea to give it a quick washing in gentle detergent and cold water. Let it dry, and then put the iron to it. Everything will look much cleaner if you do.

If you’re going to frame your handiwork you might want to look into self adhesive boards. Most craft stores have them. They’re just thick cardboard with a self-stick backing. You could use double stick tape and regular cardboard if you rather. Or find some creative new way to display your love of classic gaming.

Did that help? If you make something awesome, please share it with me in the comments or by email. Feel free to direct any questions or complaints there as well.

(01/03/2007) Added new step-by-step photos of the entire process.

(06/03/2009) Minor reformatting to fit with recent site redesign.

Ahh, Dragon Warrior! What peculiarly fond memories I have of you. Like most of the NES generation I lovingly slaved through the original quest. I fought countless Slimes and Drakees, saved a princess, and agonized over the question of “club and clothes or bamboo stick and leather armor?” The Dragon Quest / Dragon Warrior games are renowned for their steadfast refusal to adapt to the changing whims of the times.

Not too long ago I got onto a classic console RPG tear after I found Final Fantasy I&II: Dawn of Souls cheap and played through the first installment — I hadn’t so done so in something like 14 years. I picked up a used copy of Dragon Warrior VII after the unusually helpful clerk at a local game store demonstrated how the disks were almost pristine. The second disk hadn’t ever been played it seemed. It was almost like buying a brand new copy of a 5 year old game.

So, I took it home and started playing it a little bit at a time. Then, when Staci left for Florida, it became a lot of bit at a time. And, godamnit, I can understand exactly why the previous owner had never touched the second disk. The game is relentless in its commitment to making you loathe continuing. It almost dares you to keep playing. Finishing Dragon Warrior VII is a feat that should not be unheralded. Completely finishing it, well that is just about insane.

If you’ve played any of the series you know exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t get any of the breaks from the later installments of the Final Fantasy series. Early on in the game you will have to kill multiple enemies just to get enough money to stay at the inn. Buying new equipment is a time-consuming grind. And the talking! Dear lord the amount of text in this game is staggering!

The gist of Dragon Warrior VII is that long, long ago there used to be entire continents but through the devilry of the Demon Lord these were split apart and lost. By finding stone shards and forming maps you can go to these lost islands, correct whatever terror the Demon Lord had brought, and they’ll pop back into regular existence. At some point I wager I’ll probably have all of them back. I haven’t been able to make it that far yet. So the basic play style goes like this: find a few shards, plug them into a ruin, travel back in time, visit a few towns, brave a few dungeons, go back to the “real world” and see what good you’ve done. There you’ll find some more shards, maybe a fight a few people, and continue the cycle over and over again. Much to the game’s credit, this allows for an episodic feel that rewards the player repeatedly after a (relatively) short play session. It’s a double-edged copper sword though, because it really starts to get repetitive and the overarching plot only becomes apparent in little bursts.

Oh, and it’s slow. Real damned slow. How slow? When I first started the game I played for over two and a half hours before fighting my first battle. Better than two and a half hours running between two towns and a ruin doing nothing but talking to people and collecting items. The real world is a peaceful one, and with a few exceptions there are absolutely no monsters in it. No random battles is a nice break once in a while but that’s pushing the limits of sanity.

Yet, I can’t stop. I keep coming back to it. “Just a few more battles and I can level up in Mariner,” I’ll say, or, “Let’s just see what kind of island these shards make,” or, “Just a few minutes longer.” Much like a drug, it hurts you but you just can’t stop without your fix.