Should I open a separate Etsy shop for cross stitch patterns vs. my art shop?

Hi! In most cases, I’d add the digital cross stitch/needlepoint patterns to your existing established art shop first (especially since the patterns are literally derived from your artwork), and use Etsy shop sections + clear listing photos/titles to keep buyers from getting confused. A separate pattern-only shop usually makes sense only if the patterns are going to become a big, distinct brand with a different audience—or if you truly want totally separate bookkeeping streams.

Here’s how I’d decide:

Keep patterns in your existing shop if:

• The patterns match your current brand/style (they’re “your art, in pattern form”).
• You want to leverage your shop’s existing sales history, reviews, and customer base.
• You’d rather keep marketing simple (one shop to promote, one place to build followers).
• You’re okay with a mixed catalog as long as it’s organized (physical + digital).

Open a separate pattern shop if:

• You want a very clean brand promise (“this shop is only cross stitch patterns”) and you expect pattern buyers to be a different crowd than jewelry/paintings.
• You plan to release patterns frequently and want the whole shop optimized around digital downloads (shop banner, FAQs, pricing, keywords, etc.).
• Bookkeeping/taxes will be noticeably easier if patterns are isolated (separate payouts, expenses, and reporting), especially if your cutter shop is already adding complexity.

A practical middle-ground that works well for a lot of sellers: list patterns in your current shop for 2–3 months as a “soft launch,” see if they sell and if buyers seem confused, then split later if needed. Moving/duplicating listings and branding later is doable—what’s harder is managing three Etsy shops long-term if you don’t have to.

If you keep them together, a few quick “anti-confusion” tweaks help a ton:

• Create a dedicated Shop Section like “Cross Stitch Patterns (Digital Download)”
• Put “DIGITAL PATTERN – No physical item” at the start of pattern titles and in the first line of the description
• Use a consistent first listing photo style for patterns (mockup + “Digital Download” text)
• Add a short note in your shop announcement/FAQ about what you sell (physical art + digital patterns)

Since you’re already planning a separate shop with your spouse for the 3D-printed cutters (different workflow and income split), I’d personally keep cutters separate and start patterns inside your established art shop—then only break patterns into their own shop if they grow into a big enough product line that it feels like its own brand.