i haven't done any cross stitch/linen work in years. over vacation, i finished the cross stitching on my son's shepherd's bush stocking (hey, he's 10!). and rediscovered how much i really like it. sooo...came home and dived into my stash. here's the thing...iam having such the tough time working on linen, and i don't care for aida. i think i need to invest in larger (like 19 count?) linen and just "upsize" whatever i want to work on.
would anyone have ideas? thank you!
betsey
I was chatting with my LNS owner about this a few months ago. She said a lo= t of her customers have the same problem. A lot of folk have started to use= 25ct fabric, such as Lugana, and stitch over 2. I long ago gave up on 32ct= up, and have been using 28 ct. For just silly fun things, I have also used= 25ct Lugana.
Just my 2 cents worth! Gillian, currently in NH for the summer.
lot of her customers have the same problem. A lot of folk have started to u= se 25ct fabric, such as Lugana, and stitch over 2. I long ago gave up on 32= ct up, and have been using 28 ct. For just silly fun things, I have also us= ed 25ct Lugana.
Gillian...
i am not sure i can even handle 25 ct! oh my!
betsey
of her customers have the same problem. A lot of folk have started to use 25ct fabric, such as Lugana, and stitch over 2. I long ago gave up on 32ct up, and have been using 28 ct. For just silly fun things, I have also used 25ct Lugana.
I have found Mageyes a great help. There are probably other magnifying glasses which help too. With those and a really good light you can do almost any count of fabric - unless you have real eye problems.
Joyce in RSA. (who was 80 in March.)
WooHoo!
Get yourself to Wally World (or your discount store-of-choice) and buy some reading glasses. They come in a variety of strengths. Might be handy if you took some of your stitching with you so you can try and see which strength is best.
I'd be lost if not for my 3 pair!
I have a friend who is nearing 80, and she wears mag-eyes or reading glasses to work on 28 ct
Another friend who is turning 63 on Friday wears reading glasses on top of her regular glasses (needed to read the chart), but lower down on her nose.
Betsey, when my eyes first started failing me, I went to get them tested and had a Great Whinge to the optometrist about not being able to see my needlework. He suggested I get a pair of prescription magnifying glasses with exactly the focal length I need to stitch. At the time, there was a two-for-the-price-of-one offer on glasses, so my new magnifying specs didn't cost that much at all. When I need a new pair, I'll be happy to pay whatever they cost, because it made all the difference in being able to do the fine work I like.
This was a great benefit to me because my left eye has different problems to the right one - I need different lenses for each eye, and el cheapo reading specs don't work for me. Also, I got my mag-specs with tiny half-moon frames so I could easily look at my charts and friends over the top of them. (My DH reckons it gives me great pleasure to look daggers at him over the top of my glasses - and he's right: it does! ;D)
The only drawback I've noticed is that prolonged use can cause a bit of eye strain and you have to consciously re-focus on other things before you attempt to stand up. There's this kind of Alice-in-Wonderland-miniature-world feeling... Hard to explain, but I know what I mean.
Anyway, HTH.
I have bad astigmatism, so drugstore reading glasses wouldn't help me unless worn in conjunction with my regular glasses. I don't want to wear two pairs of glasses at a time.
The bifocals I got from my local optometrist were very expensive and the prescription wouldn't do for close up work. I solved my problem by ordering prescription close-up glasses online. I kept the astigmatism part of the prescription the same, but modified the close up part of my bifocal prescription to be much closer up.
My glasses cost $25 including shipping and paying for the fancier lenses required for more extreme prescriptions.
Betsy (I also have a 10 yo son)
thank you everyone for the advice! will visit walmart today and see what they have. i have thought about getting the magnifier attachment for my ott floor lamp, but keep thinking it might be a pain to use.
betsey
ps-betsy-is your son's name Nate????
No, I guess we aren't that parallel, though I take it we are both older moms. I keep mistaking young grandparents for parents at the park.
--Betsy
e! =A0will visit walmart today and see
i'm 47....and yes, i do have friends my age with grandchildren...
Wow, me too! I didn't expect that we would have an exact match there.
My youngest is 4 and I do feel old among the preschool parents. On the other hand, I know a woman who is a year older than I am and has a 2 month old.
--Betsy
will visit walmart today and see
53 - with a teenage daughter... knew a woman at work our age with a GREAT grand daughter - family history of having a baby around age 15. C
it must be the name
e advice! =A0will visit walmart today and see
oh wow. i could not imagine being a parent at age 15.
the advice! =A0will visit walmart today and see
i do understand both sides of the coin. I will say however, i know i would not have been mature enought at 15. and with having an 18 year old daughter now...would not want that for her either. for those who do it, and do it successfully--i admire them greatly.
My round-the-neck magnifier is my salvation. Strong light helps a lot too. Be sure you are wearing the best glasses for the work.
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