There are few crafts I think can’t be enhanced by introducing a laser cutter, and cross-stitching is not one of them. Having already experimented with Pegboard Cross Stitch Art as an unconventional cross-stitching medium, I wanted to go further and cross-stitch on a wood-textured surface.

Creating my own panels to stitch on afforded me other creative opportunities. I could place perforations only where they were needed and leave the rest of the surface smooth and solid. I also wanted to see whether I could laser-etch the yarn colour symbols directly onto the panel, eliminating the need for a separate pattern. After some tests, I found just the right combination of yarn weight and symbol size so that the symbols become invisible when the stitches are complete.