Anyone Into Cross Stitching?

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  • jintyb
    jintyb Posts: 1,758
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    Hi all - I just found this thread and i'm delighted it's here. I'm into cross stitching and only just started not long ago. I've completed a couple of little ones, but really itching to do a big one...i've got a medium sized one just now of a sampler for my mum and dad's silver anniversary only just started it again after doing just the bears bum lol. but never mind.

    i'll be having a look through to see what tips and savings i can find from this thread but i hope you all don't mind me joining - be nice to be apart of something i can do lol


    emmy xxx

    Hi there, welcome! Like you ,I only found this thread recently, but its great for sharing ideas and tips etc. I started stitching many years ago but gave it up when life got in the way! Ive just started back after about six years, and Im really enjoying it!
    You're doing the right thing - start small and build your confidence, then progress onto your bigger projects. Im sure your Mum and Dad will be thrilled with your sampler, its a lovely thing to give them, very personal.
    Happy stitching :D

    Janet x


    you will always be rich enough to be generous.
  • sandraroffey
    sandraroffey Posts: 1,358 Forumite
    useless at cross stitch, but love to see it. my youngest daughter used to do it a lot and was very good but gave it all up when the twins came along!! she sent away a picture to a place, who made it all into a cross stitch pattern. it was the cover off of a video of the musical 'cats'. she was a dancer at the time and was really into it. it was an amazing thing. and pattern makers, made it so easy for her. it wasnt printed onto the fabric, it was paper instructions and the result was amazing although she never got around to finishing it. only a few inches to go!! such a shame.
  • chillin_nutta
    chillin_nutta Posts: 473 Forumite
    Argh the worst nightmare possible. This sampler I started a while back and sorted the threads out but didn't look at them again. Then i noticed that i'd put the grey in where the pink was and the pink where the purple should be - it was only when i'd done about an hours cross stitching i realised and had to unpick 2 different colours. :( my own fault but bloomin' heck the unpicking was a nightmare.


    anyways what I was going to ask.. does everyone do back stitching by square or do they cheat (like i did in my practice piece) and just do a long line of it instead of going into each square? i have to admit i do go into each square now, (the ones that it indicates on the chart) but i'm not entirely sure if i'm doing it right :/ lol.


    any advice would be great - before i start on the backstitch of this sampler and ruin it...

    emmy xx
    2008 Wins: 2 x VIP tickets to Ministry Of Sound, Umbrella, Tea Towel, £50 Tesco Gift Card, Amplifier (worth over £1,100 alone).


    "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You" (Dr Seuss)
  • shelly
    shelly Posts: 6,394
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    anyways what I was going to ask.. does everyone do back stitching by square or do they cheat (like i did in my practice piece) and just do a long line of it instead of going into each square? i have to admit i do go into each square now, (the ones that it indicates on the chart) but i'm not entirely sure if i'm doing it right :/ lol.


    any advice would be great - before i start on the backstitch of this sampler and ruin it...


    For me it depends what I am doing at the time. Sometimes I will adapt the size/length of the stitches to suit how I want the piece to end up looking.

    For example a while ago I finished a small cottage and there was a fence in the garden. The chart wanted me to backstitch the slats of the fence by going in every hole for about 1cm. I decided it would look more 'fence slat like' if I done one long stitch per slat....so I did. The effect was really good because the fence seemed to stand out from the finished picture.
    On the same project though I had to outline in backstitch the window frames. I did follow the chart for those because they were quite small and doing one long stitch looked odd so I went in each hole it told me to.

    For the outline of characters I usually don't take a lot of notice of the chart. I was outlining Tigger on a bookmark and by following the chart I was ending up with spaces of white between the orange stitches of his body and the black outline stitch. I unpicked the little I had done and just followed the stitches that were part of his body and it looked much better.

    Also talking about adapting stitches, I will also adapt colours to suit me. I have quite a large Disney kit to do, its Winnie, Tigger and Piglet and the background colours of the kit are quite dark. Dark blue on blue that's only a shade or 2 lighter than the dark. When I have got as far as the outer background I will see what I think and change the dark blue for something I think works better.

    Also for stitches like french knots. I don't mind doing them but you can use seed beads or sequins if you think it would look nicer.

    So my advice is play around with the stitches if you don't like what the kit is telling you to do :D
  • Mountain_Ash
    Mountain_Ash Posts: 80 Forumite
    Hi

    I've been lurking on this thread for a while and have found it very inspiring. I got back into cross stitch at New Year and have had a couple of pieces on the go since then.

    I have just finished one - it was a cover kit from a magazine, but I've done it as a birthday card for my step aunt. I'm really pleased with myself cos the back is dead neat! I only learned about using loop knots from the magazine, but its made such a difference. I'm sorry that the picture is so big, but I haven't got the hang of this photobucket thing yet - any advice gratefully received.

    Hope you like it.
    Ro

    Bdaycard-May2009.jpg
    When the going gets tough, the tough eat chocolate!

    Cross Stitch Cafe Monthly Challenge Member No. 15
  • sharon59
    sharon59 Posts: 1,051 Forumite
    that looks beautiful and your aunt should be thrilled with it.My stitching became a lot neater on the back once l discovered the loop knot!At a show many yrs ago when ll first started stitching l did a work shop with Jane Greenoff and she drummed into us that the sign of a good stitcher is one whose stitching looks as good at the back as the front-l still aspire to this but not there yet!!!!
    carry on enjoying your stitching!
    :j this money saving is such fun:T
  • harley1
    harley1 Posts: 1,350 Forumite
    Wow Ro, that card is stunning. I have it here somewhere and now I have seen how good it looks I think I will do it for my mums birthday, she loves poppies.

    I went to the Stitch show last weekend at Shepton Mallet down in the South West. Had a fab time and spent an absolute fortune. Most of it on things for the baby's room but I don't want to start stitching any of it until baby is here, safe and sound. Bit superstitious like that. In fact shouldn't really have bought it just yet but the next show is in September when baby is due and I didn't want to wait until next April.... and I got a bit carried away with the excitement of it all.

    Anyway, really will get back to stitching the cow later, my friend will be back from her holiday soon and her son is now 6 months old so I really have been slacking!!!

    Have a great day ladies, enjoy your stitching

    Harley x
    Cross Stitch Challenge member 11 - May challenge well under way

    Very proud mummy to Gorgeous baby girl - 29/09/09 :j

    Thanks to all who directed me to Quidco - £289.30 since Nov 09 :beer:
  • jintyb
    jintyb Posts: 1,758
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    Well done, that card looks great! Really pretty!
    I try my best to keep the back of my work neat - sometimes I actually manage it!


    you will always be rich enough to be generous.
  • shelly
    shelly Posts: 6,394
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    Oh my!! Have just been rooting through some boxes and found a baby sampler kit....you know the sort, Baby X arrived on X day weighing X. I bought it when my cousin was expecting her first but didn't even get it started......he's 14 now :o
    I guess I could do it for the latest arrival she has but the other three would complain they wanted it with their names on :rotfl:
  • jintyb
    jintyb Posts: 1,758
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    shelly wrote: »
    Oh my!! Have just been rooting through some boxes and found a baby sampler kit....you know the sort, Baby X arrived on X day weighing X. I bought it when my cousin was expecting her first but didn't even get it started......he's 14 now :o
    I guess I could do it for the latest arrival she has but the other three would complain they wanted it with their names on :rotfl:
    That's hilarious ,but all too common I fear!
    My Mum handed in a huge bag of free kits ( the ones you get with the mags) that she had stashed away. Some of them are about 20 years old I think! They'll keep me going for months!


    you will always be rich enough to be generous.
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