Cross Stitching question

Hi Jenn,

What do you need to know? Anything specific??

One good tip for keeping your stitches nice and 'fat' is to not pull them too tightly. You'll get a good feeling for the right tension as you go along. Also, let your needle and floss dangle every so often so it can 'untwist.' That keeps the stitches laying flatter and fuller.

Never carry dark floss over an unstitched area of fabric. It will show through once it's finished and/or framed.

Always, always cross each stitch in the SAME direction. That's the golden rule of Cross Stitch.

And remember, it's supposed to be fun. So remember to have a good time with it, and try not to get too caught up in the 'rules' on your first few projects.

Have fun!

K

Also, use a hoop. The stiches come out nice and even.


And sort your colors before you start. It is a pain but really important!

If you use a hoop, which I don't, make sure you remove it when you are done for the night, since it will casue a crease, that will be hard to iron out.

Also try to be very neat. When done eith a color make sure to run it under a few stitches. The back should be as neat as the front. It is hard, but it makes it easier if you make a mistake, and especially with framing.

Also cut the sting into smaller pieces, so that it is not as much to get tangled, or to knot.

Good Luck.

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The back should be as neat as the front

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Absolutely! The first one I ever did years go was such a mess on the back, I was knotting the thread instead of running it under the other stitches. Now I never make a single knot and it looks nice on the back too.

Great advice so far. Another thing, as tempting as it is at times, work in a very contained area. Sometimes you have extra thread still on the needle and you need that same color a 1/2 inch away, it's still better to cut it and restart in the new area. That's another mistake I made early on.

My crowing glory so far is a big one I did for my son. I am working on one for my friend's baby right now but am searching for the perfect one for our new baby.

I hope you enjoy it. I love doing them.

ETA: Once youre done, it can be pricey but I would get it professionally framed, they stretch it and get it perfect. SOme of the craft places have framing specials.

I LOVE X-stitching...been doing it since I was a small single stitch

SO easy & fun. This i can do with ease,,,,I am bad at the other types of embroidery and knots, etc.

I have a magnifying glass that goes around my neck and helps me see better when I do X-stitches. That helps me a lot.

Also, take your time and try not to get overwhelmed. Some of them look a lot easier on the package front and when you get them out of the package there are a ton of colors staring at you.