We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Elle, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I learned how to do what I do through my mother-in-law introducing me to cross-stitch and suggesting I give it a try. So I did! My first project was a little Christmas-themed goose kit, and from then I asked myself, why don’t people make more modern versions of this? And it turns out, they did. I found a whole community of incredibly talented designers creating everything from cheeky little critter patterns to the dark and gothic. A whole world I couldn’t have imagined!

My background was in illustration and photography, so a little different from cross-stitch designer…! When I found cross-stitch, something flipped. I started thinking of myself as an acoustic pixel artist!

To speed up learning, I definitely think finding community sooner is a huge bonus. The cross-stitch world online is so generous and vibrant, and I wish I’d thrown myself into it earlier. Being surrounded by people who are trying new things, sharing their work, and cheering each other on accelerates everything. You learn so much just by watching what others are doing, and it gives me the desire to get better.

Skills that were really essential for me were understanding color. I feel lucky that years of being an artist and photographer had already got me so used to seeing and working with color that it felt like second nature when applying that to designing! Beyond that, just the willingness to keep practicing and trust the process. I’ve only ever seen myself improve the more I work at it, and that’s genuinely fulfilling.

Obstacles that stood in my way were self-doubt and imposter syndrome, absolutely. There were plenty of moments of wondering whether my work was good enough. But I kept pushing and telling myself that I can do this, it will happen, I just have to keep trying. And I kept surprising myself. That’s still true today!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi, I’m Elle — a cross-stitch designer and author who goes by StitchSprout online! I create modern cross-stitch patterns that live somewhere between cozy and sometimes a little spooky. I love exploring weird and unusual ideas and turning them into patterns that anyone can stitch.

My background was in illustration and photography, so when I discovered the modern cross-stitch world, something just clicked. I was amazed by how vast and creative it had become! A whole community of designers pushing the craft in exciting new directions. That energy inspired me to bring my illustration background into it and start designing my own patterns. I never looked back!

I started selling my digital cross-stitch patterns on Etsy, which has been a really wonderful journey — it’s grown into something I’m genuinely proud of. I’m now in the process of moving onto my own website, which feels like an exciting next chapter for the brand. Digital patterns mean you can download and start stitching almost immediately!

My biggest milestone so far is my debut book, Cozy Cottage Cross-Stitch: 25 Charming Patterns to Make You Feel Perfectly at Home, publishing September 1, 2026 through Page Street Publishing. It’s been a dream project and I’m so proud of what it became.

My work has also been featured in magazines such as Just Cross Stitch many times, which is really exciting! Seeing my designs reach new audiences will never not be exciting.
What sets me apart? Honestly, I think it’s my desire to be a little weird. I’m not afraid to try something new or push myself to make something unexpected.

I have the most wonderful, enthusiastic fans on Instagram and I love dreaming up designs that leave them in awe! I just want my designs to feel like something you’ve never quite seen before and would hopefully remember!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I never set out with a grand strategy for building an audience. I just showed up one day, shared what I loved, and tried to be a genuine, helpful presence in the community. Over time that grew into a really wonderful Instagram following and an amazing Patreon community that I’m so proud of.

My Instagram following isn’t enormous at 23k, but honestly? I wouldn’t trade them for the world. They are ride or die, enthusiastic, and genuinely lovely people. I’d rather have a smaller community that is truly engaged and passionate than a huge number that doesn’t really connect with what I do. Patreon has been a beautiful extension of that. It feels more personal and intimate.

My advice for anyone starting out would be to focus on connecting rather than performing. Share your work, yes, but also share you! You are the most important thing about your online presence. People want to connect with you! Help people, answer questions, make friends.
The community side of this craft is so rich and generous — lean into that and the audience will follow naturally. Don’t chase numbers, chase genuine connection. The rest takes care of itself!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Seeing other people stitch my work. That is still such an wild concept to me and it genuinely shocks me every time I see it, in the best way possible. It feels like such an honor to design something, especially in cross-stitch, because it takes so long to stitch up. Someone loved your design so much that they chose to spend their time and energy bringing it to life with their own hands. That is pure magic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stitchsprout.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stitchsprout
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CoMPUvtqa/
• Other: https://www.patreon.com/stitchsprout