About Subversive Cross Stitch

There are MANY copycats, but you've found the original!

How are we different? Not only was I the first to think about putting the "F" in cross stitch 20 years ago--our kits are TOP QUALITY: we always use silver-grade fabric from DMC/Charles Craft--we have it shipped across the country to a diecutter so it has our signature zig-zag anti-fray edges, our embroidery floss is genuine DMC, good quality needles (we give you TWO in each kit in case you lose one), bamboo hoops that have been polished smooth and full color patterns with time-tested instructions. We aim for fast shipping, fun packages to open and really top-notch service. This is our whole lives! Our background is in customer service, advertising and communications.

I put my heart and soul into the kits I create, the newsletters I send and the guest contributors I choose. We pride ourselves on our customer service and aim to surprise and delight you with over-the-top solutions.

We are a two-person company (my husband Chris is the Shipping Magnate). We feel extraordinarily lucky to have been in the right place at the right time and to have such amazing customers who keep us going. We love what we do and I think it shows. 

How did we start? Subversive Cross Stitch began in the spring of 2003 as a form of anger management therapy when I was dealing with a bully of a boss. At my wit’s end and in dire need of some art therapy, I stopped by a craft store on the way home from work one day and picked up an ornate sampler—I hadn’t done any cross stitch since I was a kid. Once I finished the intricate border of pink flowers, I decided to stitch the word “Fuck” right in the center. It felt so great, and the idea was born!

Since I got such a kick out of it, I stitched a few more pieces and started sharing the idea with friends. That Thanksgiving weekend we went viral. So I quickly decided to offer this crafty form of therapy to others through kits. 

 

In 2023, one of our pillow kits was chosen as "our pick" by the New York Times Wirecutter as one of the best fiber craft kits for adults! That was exciting!

I've created several books, reprinted in a variety of languages You can see them on my Amazon author page or support us by buying direct--it's the only place I sign books:

Super Subversive Cross Stitch: 50 Fresh As Fuck Designs (Sasquatch).

Subversive Cross Stitch: 50 F*cking Clever Designs for Your Sassy Side (powerHouse). 

Subversive Cross Stitch: 33 Designs for Your Surly Side (Chronicle).

Subversive Cross Stitch Coloring and Activity Book: 40 Ways to Stop Freaking Out (Weldon Owen)

Glamourpuss: The Enchanting World of Kitty Wigs not cross stitch related, but a big hit reprinted in Japanese and Korean!

Also, Rizzoli has published an annual calendar of my work for 2023-2025 so far!

I'm currently collaborating with Fred (my favorite brand!) on several Subversive products. 

My kits, books, greeting cards and calendars have been in Urban Outfitters, Fab.com, Target’s Red Hot Shop and several major online stores as well as independent retailers around the world. blue Q, developed magnet sets, coasters, matches and gum featuring my designs. I also collaborated with Noted on a line of Subversive Cross Stitch kits in German, French and British English in 2010. These kits were sold in the UK and throughout Europe at museum shops. I created three designs that Urban Outfitters turned into needlepoint pillows in 2013. There are also a series of downloadable PDF patterns I created for The DIY Network, available on their site. There are probably more things I'm forgetting...it's exciting! I'm also the creator of Kitty Wigs, which produced wigs for cats and the book listed above. 

"There is a kingdom called Ironyland, and Julie Jackson is their queen."   —VenusZine

“This book reminds me that I'm not alone in being crafty and sweary all at the same time. Pass the gin.”  —Jenny Lawson, New York Times–bestselling author, thebloggess.com

"Julie is the true OG of the subversive cross-stitch movement. Modern cross-stitch design would not be what it is today without her. She is a positive and supportive force in the cross-stitch community, providing mentorship to other designers and welcoming new stitchers into the hobby. I am so excited about her new book!"   —Stephanie Rohr, author of Feminist Cross-Stitch

"Perfect for cool parents and hipsters alike."    —The Advocate, online 

"We will never not love the hilarity of Julie Jackson's cross stitch genius, and her latest book is full of brand-new gems."   —BUST magazine

"Subversive Cross Stitch author Julie Jackson offers 50 wickedly funny designs in this rip-roaring cross stitch pattern guide. . . [Her] fun-filled approach goes a long way to ridding the craft of its fusty image. Those new to cross-stitch will find this to be a kick-ass place to start."   —Publishers Weekly

"What makes Subversive Cross Stitch so amusing is that Jackson doesn’t shun the traditional bunnies, birds, hearts and flowers our grandmothers used to stitch. And nestled amid a garland of pink lilies, the word ‘fuck’ has never looked more polite and genteel."   —BUST magazine

"Move the [expletive] over, Martha Stewart—here comes charmingly disgruntled Julie Jackson and her hard-core handicrafts. Featuring mottos such as ‘Get Lost!’ and ‘Kiss My Grits’, her Subversive Cross Stitch hangings are a reminder of the punk rock that raised us so our parents didn’t have to."  —The Washington Post

"Needlepoint just got a shot in the arm...The American Needlepoint Guild would SO not approve."   
—ReadyMade magazine

"As Jackson’s projects demonstrate, it’s not so much the artistic medium that matters; it’s the messed-up things that you do with it."   —Nylon magazine

"Getting your hands on a hobby can be relaxing, but finding one that will make you and your guests laugh (or recoil in horror) is even more therapeutic."   —Quick DFW

"On the international cross-stitch scene you can't go past Julie Jackson of Subversive Cross Stitch, one of the first to lead cross-stitch astray. She's designed a plethora of patterns, published [a] book and has something of a cult following."   —Stuff NZ