2026 | Cross-stitch pattern mockup

This functional cross-stitch pattern is the result of a 1-day challenge prompt to design an advertisement for a product, with the requirement that water be present in the image. I chose to create a pretend advertisement for Island Gin, a sustainable gin company distilled on Aotea Great Barrier Island. Aotea is very special to my family, and although I have no personal connection to Island Gin, I like their kina-inspired bottles and sustainable ethos a lot, so I felt it was compatible with my handmade style. I used multiple reference images and some rough sketches to create a layout I was happy with. The most difficult parts were rendering the translucent, textured bottle design in pixelated stitch, and the letters, which seemed like they would be much easier to execute than they were. The ultimate test will be making a stitch model, when time allows.