I have always had a hard time when I am cross-stitching when my hoop won't keep the material tight. I put a heavy rubber band around the bottom hoop and now I have nice and tight fabric.
By Patricia from La Pine, OR
I have finished a stamped cross stitch quilt, but when washed the stamped pattern under the stitches is not dissolving. Any tips please?
Thank you.
I have had that happen also and what I have had to do was carefully remove some of the stitches and restitch over the places where it shows to make the marks to cover the color. There are some dyes (especially if this was an older pre-printed pattern) that just don't wash out. That very issue is why--when I was able to stitch--I moved from pre-print patterns to counted stitches. It was harder, but none of those pesky marks!!
Hope it works for you to fix. Post back how it goes!
According to this website it is common and the worst thing you can do is to expose the quilt to direct sun. The best way is to make sure your stitches cover the markings in the first place. www.novascotiaquilts.com/
I am stitching a project on white aida material. For most of the design I am using dark blue. However there is a section that is white floss and it is not showing up.
Any suggestions on how to make the white section show up?Outstanding white on white designs are difficult to achieve and it usually takes more thread than the usual stitch.
I use a magnified Ott light for doing cross stitch, but I still have so much trouble seeing my stitches when I stitch white on white. Is there a trick to help see my work easier?
You can put a piece of black material behind the canvas. This will provide contrast between the white canvas and the white thread.
Frog Cross Stitch
By Pat Giles
By Donella
By Hope
By Nancy
By Mary Lou
Post your ideas below.
I have been cross stitching for about 30 years on and off. I had a stroke 4 years ago and had to learn to cross stitch with my non domimant hand. I bought a sit on frame at a craft show that has been my salvation. I was used to not using a hoop as I worked after having creases that I couldn't get out. But after the stroke I couldn't hold the material as I worked. I make presents every year for people now. There are several magazines to choose from that you can get from the bookstores. Some are more difficult than others. But once you get the fever for cross stitch there is no going back. DMC has a website with patterns and tips.
Hi,
I just learned cross stitching. I already stitched few small patterns, but what really bothers me is that, all of the back of my cross stitch work is messy. Is there a way I can make it neater? Especially when stitching a border pattern which requires moving further from an area to another (2-4 blocks away)?
I removed misplaced cross stitches. There will be no cross stitches in this area now. The material is stretched. You can tell that there were stitches that have been removed. Is there any way to make the material taut again?
Thanks.
I have done many cross stitch projects in the past, but I have never done a blanket before. I have just found out I am going to be a grandmother so I decided to do a baby blanket. It is quite a large project and I am running into some problems. I am concerned because as I work on it some of the stitches are starting to look kind of fussy and worn. I admit I am a bit of a perfectionist and I am also worried about it needing to be washed repeatedly. I assume that it probably should be for show rather than use. I am concerned that the stitching will come undone when washed. Also it is a kit and the blanket is quilted so I am wondering if I could sew fabric to the back once it is finished so the thread work doesn't show.
Also I am used to using hoops with smaller projects and I am not sure what frame to try. I looked for a scroll frame, but couldn't find one to fit. I bought a snap frame, but I have to keep moving it around because it doesn't fit either and is awkward because of the left over material hanging off. I have never had a problem sorting out the colors of thread, but this time they are not labeled and I am having a heck of a time figuring it out! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Might be much easier (!) to consider turning the blanket into a wall hanging or try another project entirely?
I have made a tiny snip on my fabric in a place on the cross stitch pattern where there are no stitches to cover it up. Help!
By Darlene from Red Lion, PA
I am working on this cross stitch pattern and I need to change the colors in the hand to that of an African-American Baby. I could really use your help.
Go for 2-4 shades lighter than the color you are using for skintone.
Count how many different shades there currently are in the cross stitch, and what colors they are. then, choose the appropriate color-tone that you want to use, and match the different shades to the ones that are listed on the chart. Exp: If there are four different shades: white, light tan, med tan, and dark tan; you might want to use med tan(or dark), light brown( or med), med brown(or dark), and dark brown(or black), depending on the shading that is used. Also, if you want a really unique look, try using one strand of a color with another, to get a very realistic shading effect. it looks amazing.