Designs for Your Surly Side

My copy of Subversive Cross stitch #@%&!! has arrived! It's terrific, if you like Julie Jackson's work. About a third of the designs are from the kits--if you like those, you'll love this book! All of the patterns pictured in the first row on the website--"Go Fuck Yourself" through "Beeyatch"--are in the book, but wait, there's more! The book jacket says there are 20 new designs, but I'm not counting, I believe it. There's a whole section of "workplace expressions." My favorite is a little teddy bear that asks, "Please kill me." But I probably will only do "Is that all there is?" because I would like to advance my career. Other sections include "Everyday Sentiments," "Gifts that Keep Giving," and "Special Occasions." Each has a standout design: I have to do "Boo Fucking Hoo" for my friend Michael who practically single-handedly revived the expression. "Bitchin' Kitchen" (actually charted as "Bitch in Kitchen") for my super-culinary-skilled cousin. And "Baby's suck"--won't that just rock on a sippy cup? Of course, you need the right gift recipient for that one...okay, for all of them. This is a book for stitchers of a certain temperament.

The Dude thinks that I shouldn't have bought this book because I could just chart these things myself. This is true. But I feel like we have to support that which we appreciate. The cross-stitch industry needs Julie Jackson. Without our support, she goes leaving us to stitch twee little bunny designs and irony is dead.