Stitching Tips
Hello!
My name is Bonnie Morrow and I am the owner of Bonnie's Cross Stitch Zone. Over the past few years, I have been publishing a monthly e-mail newsletter which contains a variety of information including stitching tips. I have received many request to re-send some of the tips that I have printed and many of you have just started subscribing to my newsletter and have missed some really great tips. With this in mind, I have decided to add a new web page that includes, what I feel is, the best of the tips that have been in the past newsletters.
My monthly e-mail newsletter also features information about my Bargains of the Month and about all the new patterns and supplies that have been added to the website. Besides tips, the "In the Zone" features cross stitch ideas, the latest news in the industry and sometimes even a joke (to do with cross stitch, of course). If you would like to subscribe, just send me your e-mail address with "Subscribe" in the subject line.
Anchoring floss using the "Loop Method"
"Loop Method" for Stitching with a Single Strand
Stitching over 1 Thread on Evenweave Fabric
MORE TIPS TO
COME!! Please check back again soon!
A cross stitch needle should be blunt, with a long narrow eye. It should slip easily between the threads of the fabric, but should not pierce the fabric. The perfect needle should be small enough not to widen the gap between the fabric threads as it passes through. It should glide through easily, requiring little effort from the stitcher. If your finger is getting sore from pushing the needle, or if you don't like to stitch without a thimble, your needle may be too big. For most cross stitch, size 24 or 26 tapestry needles work well. Some stitchers prefer using a slightly smaller needle for backstitching. There is one exception - when working with waste canvas you will need to use a sharp pointed crewel needle in order to pierce the layers of fabric and interfacing.
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Threading a
Needle (or maybe this should be called "Needling a Thread") I recently found a great
tip on threading a needle in the latest Janlynn catalogue. The tip comes from Pat
Carson of Designs by Gloria & Pat fame. Here is the gist of the article:
"To thread the needle, the standard means of using a needle threader
or to "lick and push" or pinching the thread over the needle then pushing
through the eye, are okay. Watch out for the lipstick on the thread! An
alternative is to "needle the thread". Lay the thread over the forefinger of
the non-sewing hand. Align the eye of the needle with the thread. Press the eye
of the needle down so that the thread is pushed up into the eye. Release one
end of the thread and pull the needle toward you. The thread will rise in a
loop through the eye. Pull the thread through.
Tip: If the thread does not
"pop" through the eye of the needle, turn it over. Did you know that the eye of
a needle has a deep side and a shallow side?"
I have been using this method since I learned of it and it does work well! It has taken a bit of practice to get two strands through but I am getting better at it. Most times I end up threading one strand through the eye at a time. You will find great information on stitching on linen and how to add beads on the Designs by Gloria & Pat website.
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Using Blending
Filament
There is nothing that can add more sparkle and pizzazz
to your cross stitch than blending filament. And possibly nothing more
frustrating to work with! But if you know the trick to working with filament,
you can enjoy stitching with it! If you don't already know this tip, you are
gonna love me for telling you!
The reason the filament tends to split and break is due to the needle sliding up and down on the blending filament as you stitch. To stop this sliding action, knot the filament onto your needle. You can do this by following this easy threading technique:
Try it next time you are stitching with blending filament. You will love the results!!
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Anchoring floss using the "Loop
Method"
This method for anchoring floss only works for even
numbers of strands. Do not use when stitching with overdyed or variegated
floss.
If you are using two strands of floss for cross stitching, start with one strand twice as long as you need. Fold it in half. Thread the needle so the two ends of the floss are near the needle and the "loop" is the end farthest from the needle. Pull the needle up through the fabric where you want to start your first stitch. Do not pull the floss completely through - let loop end dangling a little bit below the cloth. Pull the needle back through the fabric to complete the bottom "half stitch". With the needle back down to the underside, run it through the loop, and gently pull the loop tight. Continue stitching.
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"Loop Method" for
Stitching with a Single Strand
A variation of the loop method can
be used to anchor a thread for single thread stitching. This tip comes from
Mary in The Netherlands. Mary writes:
I’ve been cross stitching as long as I can remember but only
recently started to enjoy blackwork. As I like the fine work and quite a lot of
that is done with a single thread and I really did not want to use knots, some
time ago I worked out a way to anchor a single thread without using a knot. I
do not know if this method is already know to you (it probably is –
whenever I think of something “clever”, I always find somebody else
has done it “years ago”!) Anyway, here it is:
Take a single thread
and fold it double.
Pull the two ends through the needle.
Find the
middle of the pattern.
Push the needle up through the fabric but keep a loop
at the back.
Remove one thread from the needle.
Push the remaining
thread down the fabric one (or two) holes from the “entry point”
(follow your chart).
Pull needle through the loop.
Take hold of both
ends of thread and carefully pull tight. Then you take one thread in one
direction and the other in the other direction.
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Backstitching
The
number of strands of floss used for backstitching largely depends on the count
of the fabric. Generally, you would use 2 strands for 8.5 count waste canvas, 1
or 2 strands on 11 count Aida, and 1 strand on 14-, 16-, and -18 count Aida or
28-, 32-, and 36-count linen. Though more strands can be added depending on the
effect you are looking for. When stitching, be careful not to split stitches or
fabric threads. Try using a smaller needle for backstitching. If you use a #24
needle for cross stitching, you might find it helpful to use a #26 or even a
#28 tapestry needle for the backstitching. If the holes are really crowded with
the floss from cross stitching, you may want to try using a sharp needle for
the backstitching. Often, black is the colour of floss used for backstitching.
But, sometimes you want a "softer" look for your backstitching. You could use
one of the following grays as an alternative: DMC #3021, 3787, 844, or
3799.
Almost everyone starts out using the standard backstitch. Up at 1, down at 2, up at 3, down at 4, etc
An alternative to this stitch is the "Double-running stitch". This is accomplished by making a regular running stitch as shown here:
Obviously, this will leave blank spaces in between each stitch. To fill these spaces in, you would make a return "journey" as shown here:
The advantage to this stitch is that it is reversible. The disadvantage is you cannot use it when stitching with variegated or over-dyed floss as it would give the colour a checkered effect. My favourite style of backstitch is called the "running backstitch". It combines both the previous two stitches and is shown here:
The advantages of this stitch are there are no second journeys and the amount of thread you use is lessened. In the real world of cross stitching, backstitch rarely follows a straight line for very long. Inevitably, your going to hit alot of corners and curves! This is where using a combination of the standard backstitch and the running backstitch really comes in handy - helping you to avoid stitches on the back of the fabric showing through to the front.
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Colonial Knot
This
is one of the best tips ever! I recently discovered a knot called the
Colonial knot that can be used instead of the French knot. It is much easier to
make than the French knot and comes out the same size every time!! I
have read that it is slightly bigger than the French knot but I couldn't see
any difference when I stitched them.
Basically, twist the needle counter clockwise around the thread. (This will make the thread lie clockwise around the needle.) Now wrap the thread around the point of the needle making a figure 8 with the thread. While holding the thread snugly around the needle, insert the tip of the needle a couple of threads away from where you originally came up, and go back down through the fabric. Make sure your fabric is taut when making this knot.
I would not be surprised if this didn't make sense to you. So here's a picture well worthy of a thousand words
:I love this knot!! I recently stitched a cottage scene that called for lots of French knots for flowers. It was a joy to do because the Colonial knot worked every time and looked beautiful!
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"Loner"
Stitches
Just how are you suppose to deal with those odd little
stitches that hang out all by themselves - not even close to any other
stitches? After all, the rules say: "do not jump more than four
stitches" and " NEVER use knots." Well, the old saying "rules are meant
to be broken" applies to many thing in life... including cross stitch! When
working on Aida, I tend to break the first rule however this does not work so
well with evenweave unless the floss colour is very close to the colour of the
fabric. A favourite trick of mine, when working with an even number of floss
stands, is:
Another method is:
The nice thing about this method is you can use it for uneven number of strands of floss. In other words, if you are using three strands for cross stitching, just stitch the first half three times and then stitch the second half three times. It is best to do these stitches last - preferably after washing if possible.
Another suggestion I got from a customer of mine named Donna. She wrote: "On a large piece, I stitch everything but the loners, then put a lightweight fabric such as muslin on the back. Matching the fabric to the linen, then carrying threads across the back doesn't show."
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Stitching
Upside-Down
At times, turning your cross stitch pattern and
project upside down can simplify your stitching and keep the backside of your
work neater. Let me show you the first situation:
To stitch this pattern right side-up, you would have to carry the thread over many squares from one row to the next. However, if you turn your work and the chart upside-down, the pattern looks like this:
A much easier group of stitches to work with! And your stitches will be laying in the proper direction. This does not work if you are only turning your work sideways! It only works when your turn your work a full one hundred and eighty degrees so the the top of the work is at the bottom and the bottom is at the top. Remember to turn both your pattern and your work upside down.
Please note: The red and green stitches I have used in the following illustrations are to make the directions easier to understand. You would just use one colour of floss.
Turning your work upside-down is also helpful in the following situation:
In this situation, this is what I do:
If you look on the backside of your work, you will see all the stitches lie straight up and down as they are supposed to! This is very hard to understand just by reading these directions. But give it a try on a scrap piece of fabric, following the directions one step at a time, and you will see what I mean. It's a great trick!
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Making a Grid on your
Fabric
This tip is one of the best timesavers I have ever heard
of!! Make a grid on your fabric by "basting" a thread using a long stitch every
ten squares on Aida or every twenty threads on evenweave fabric that matches
the grid on your pattern. Use a different colour of floss than is used in your
project so the grid will show but don't use a dark colour. Dark coloured floss
leaves little fibers behind which show up when you remove the basting. I offset
the grid so the middle of my fabric matchs with the middle of the pattern.
It took a couple of hours one evening to do all the basting but what a difference it makes!! It is well worth the hours to make the grid as I saved that much time as I cross stitch! I am a very cautious stitcher and usually triple count everything! (Yes, sometimes I do drive myself crazy... in case you were wondering.) Having the grid has eliminated the need to do this as you can see at a glance if you are in the right place. I have uploaded a picture of my work in progress so you can see what the grid looks like. You can see it at Gridding your Fabric.
Of course, once you are finished the stitching, you remove the grid. Depending on the pattern, sometimes I remove the grid as I work and other times I keep it in until the back stitching is finished - especially if it has really tricky back stitching. Be careful not to pull the threads of your cross stitches or back stitches when removing the grid! If you have "split" the thread used for the grid and it is pulling the cross stitch thread, just clip the grid thread close to the work and pull it through the other side.
Since I started using a grid, I can't go back to stitching without one!
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Stitching over 1 Thread on
Evenweave Fabric
Awhile back, I received an email from Debbie
from Illinois. She mentioned that she works on fabric with a count of 25 or
higher and stitches over one thread. Some people refer to it as petit
point . She wrote:
"My work is so small that I cannot use even the
petite beads when called for. It makes changing the pattern to work interesting
sometimes. I love the look though as most people in my home think the work is a
painting until they get closer. Then you hear them exclaim, "Oh my, it is
needlework!"
I have not tried stitching an entire project over one thread so I asked
Debbie for more details. She graciously sent this information:
I use 2
strands of floss over a 25 count. With that count I use one strand for
backstitching. This method makes the fabric very stiff and you will need to
preplan so that you will not have difficulty in getting a hoop or whatever you
use on the piece. If I am crazy enough to use 28 count, then I go to one strand
and I use cotton sewing thread for the back stitch. I try both double and
single thread depending on how it looks. I have a piece that won a state
contest that is 32 count. Never again. That was done with a magnifying glass
and I could only work on it for short periods of time.
Debbie, you are an inspiration!! Thank you for sharing this information. I am definitely going to try doing a piece over one thread.
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Stitching with Overdyed
Floss
More and more designers are using "overdyed floss" in
their cross stitch designs. So I thought I would give a quick lesson on
overdyed floss for those who are not familiar with it. "Overdyed" refers to a
process of applying colour to a previously dyed floss. Unlike a variegated
floss where the colour goes from light to dark within a colour family (ie light
beige to dark brown) in even increments - usually machine dyed, overdyed floss
can be vari-coloured (ie brown to green). Overdyed floss is usually hand-dyed.
The "new" colour is applied to previously dyed floss at uneven intervals,
allowing the base colour to become part of the colour scheme.
Using an overdyed floss can give a wonderful shading effect without having to change the floss on your needle. In order to get this shading effect, you have to complete each stitch individually as you go. In other words, work both the bottom (/) and the top (\) of each stitch before moving to the next. If you work the entire row, making a row of bottom stitches (/) and then coming back with the top stitches (\), the colouring will look mottled.
Most importantly of all, ALWAYS rinse overdyed floss before stitching with it!! Hold the skein under running water until the water runs clear and then allow it to air dry. This might dull the colour of the floss so test a small section of floss first.
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Copyright © 2008 Bonnie's Cross Stitch Zone
Revised - March 3,
2008
URL: http://www.crossstitchzone.com/tips.htm