Sunday, January 20, 2013

Cross Stitch Tips

A nice variety of cross stitch classes are offered at the following link: http://www.ecraftclasses.com/craftclasses.php?catid=113&pcatid=0. I am currently working on a cross stitch project and thought I would list a few tips that I find to be very helpful.

1. Punch holes in a piece of paper or cardboard. Separate your floss colors and place the individual colors in the holes to keep them separated. Labeling the holes by color will also be helpful if you are using colors that are close in appearance.

2. Cut strands about 18" long. This is about the length from the tip of your fingers to your elbow.

3. Separate your floss one strand at a time. Pull the strands slowly apart so they will not knot.

4. Pull floss slowly through the material as you cross stitch. This will reduce knotting as you stitch.

5. As you stitch, the floss will twist from time to time which can cause knotting. Let the floss hang loosely when this happens. The weight of the needle will "pull" out the twist.

6. Do not store your piece in a hoop as this will cause the piece to take the form of the hoop.

7. Cut your material quite a bit larger than the area you need to stitch. By cutting to size, you will not have enough material for the hoop to hold as you work out towards the edges. After you're finished with your project, you can cut it to size.

8. Always begin your projects in the center of the canvas.

9. Never knot your floss to hold. Leave about a 1" tail and stitch over it each time you start a new strand of floss. To finish a strand, pull the needle under a row of stitches for about 1".

10. Half stitch a row of the design in your work space then cross stitch over the first set of half stitches to work your way back to the beginning of the row. This makes the stitching go faster and the back looks prettier.

11. Work in good light so you can clearly see your canvas and chart without straining.

Have a nice day!
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