About: PatternsPatch!
Hello and Welcome! I’m John Wigham, and together with my colleagues Janis Applegate and Scarlet Smith, are the people behind this website. I first stumbled across Cross Stitch some 15 years ago when my mother-in-law came to live with us.
That first time I saw her stitching, I thought she was sewing but then looking closer realized it was something very different … she was creating a picture, which, when you stood back a little, looked remarkably lifelike!
Coincidentally, I’d recently read an article by Internet Marketer John Reese, who predicted that cross stitch was largely unrepresented online and was likely to explode into life sometime soon. Happily, he was absolutely right. Cross stitch has become outstandingly popular and we believe will continue to be so.
By this point, curiosity had definitely got the better of me and before I knew it I was “having a go” – not very well, I must add. In fact my stitching efforts over the years have rarely been above moderate; a degree of numbness in the fingers of my right hand the probable reason, courtesy of a farm accident in my childhood (well, that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it;~). My interest in cross stitch has remained strong throughout, despite my lack of skill.
At that time (2004), I was building and flipping (selling) websites so it seemed natural to build a cross stitch website. Mother-in-law was all for it so we worked together slowly building a site.
We thought we’d specialize in cross stitch patterns and chose the name patternsgalore but found there was already a knitting website with that name. So after much debate, my wife came up with the idea of patternspatch, which we successfully registered; and so our cross stitch site was born. Here’s our first ever website header:

Our Team

John – Editor & writer
Coming from a background of farming and technology, John discovered cross stitch quite late in life and finds cross stitchers to be the loveliest of people; being, in the main, gentle, calm, and laid back.

Janis – Lead writer
As a child, Janis learned all the needlework crafts at the feet of her grandma and is the author of the best seller “Cross Stitch Made Easy”. She loves researching cross stitch topics and problems.

Scarlet – Writer & editor
Scarlet is our friendly ‘Brit’ and has been an avid cross stitcher all her life. A busy Mom with two young children, she loves teaching others about our beguiling craft; especially beginners.
How We Create Content
All the content you will find on this site has been planned by our team and edited by me to ensure we meet the highest quality standards. We do tend to use freelance writers to help us put articles together – it’s how I ‘found’ Janis and Scarlet – but nothing is released online without a green light from me, the lead editor. This is to ensure all information we publish is accurate and you can trust it when making your cross stitch purchase decisions.
As much as possible we try to get our hands on the items mentioned in this blog to get real-life experience with them but it is not always possible so we also rely on extensive online feedback from real customers of these items.
We also spend a lot of time in online cross stitch forums and local stores and talk to their staff to get to know all the items that come out and which ones may be of interest to you.
All in all, I want this site to be a place you can trust and that is not rigged by brand sponsorship so you can use our information to make the best decisions for yourself when it comes to choosing your cross stitch supplies and products.
Our Mission On This Site Is To Help You Cross Stitch With More Fun, Enjoyment, And Sheer Pleasure!
What's In It For You?
So why should you read PatternsPatch? I would say the main reason you would want to check us out is because you want to develop your interest in cross stitch. Thereby enabling you to have more fun and enhance your stitching experiences in a way that suits you!
If you resonate with the following statements, you will enjoy the content you find on this site:
- You want a cosy, relaxing feeling when you settle down to your stitching after a busy or stressful day.
- You want to be confident that you will get your stitching right first time – every time. Nobody enjoys frogging, do they?
- You want cross stitch stash advice based on customer experience and not commercial sales pages.
- You would love to know the tips, tricks and techniques the professionals use when they stitch and display those fabulous masterpieces.
- If you are on board with this, I look forward to having you read our articles, books, reports and reviews.
John Wigham
Founder and Contributor at Patterns Patch