Alannah Moody, much like other lockdown participants, picked up a new hobby during the pandemic: cross-stitching.

Unlike others, she decided to make a business out of it.

Moody began her business, Cross My Art, in May and is planning a product launch for this month.

“I’m starting out by doing cross-stitch designs, framed in embroidery hoops! I’m working on custom work at the moment, and setting up for my first collection to release in June, which is very exciting,” she said.

Moody creates custom, colorful designs in embroidery hoops made to be displayed as decoration. Ordering a custom hoop is made easy through the business page’s open DMs.

“Each month I’ll hopefully release a collection of limited-edition pieces around a particular theme. My first one is going to be [called] ‘PRIDE’ to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June, which I’m buzzing to share,” she said.

Moody doesn’t want to end the LGBT representation after June though.

“Obviously I’m gay myself, so pride will always be very important to me, and will continue to feature beyond just this collection,” she said.

Her business is more than a display of her art. Moody just finished her bachelor’s degree in English and will begin her master’s degree in a few months. For Moody, Cross My Art is a way to be financially stable too.

“[I love] how well it fits my life, and will continue to work alongside my university study. My mental health struggles mean that working a typical student job is difficult for me, especially in a pandemic, so being able to work for myself and prioritize self-care, while also sharing my artwork with others, makes it a perfect fit for me at the moment,” Moody shared.

Though she has just begun, Moody is excited about where her small business journey will take her.

“[My goals are] to get my business firmly up and running, and keep producing collections I’m proud of,” she said.

To support this LGBT-owned small business, visit the CrossMyArtUK Etsy shop or check out Moody’s Instagram page @crossmyartuk.