I always work on the same project since it takes me years and I have 3 I work on. Now Woodland Enchantress. Which I started last year. It seems every New Years I buy a new project.
Which way do you stitch? I start left to right then I follow a thread color and go up down and all around. So no my backs are disastrous but I don't really care. I knew some one once who stitched one row at a time and never followed a color. What is the best way for you? Donna D
Usually left to right from the top. Once in a while, I will start in the middle but that's mostly when I'm too lazy or too scatterbrained to count.
Most of the time I use a thread color as well and go as far as I can with at least one (usually too long) strand. Then it's a crap shoot. Sometimes I change color, sometimes use a new color. It mostly depends on whether it's a block of color or a a scattering, or the time of day or the dark of night or if a bird flys by and distracts me. In other words, I don't really think I'm very consistent. lol
As far as the back goes, when I do needlepoint the back is often clean and neat. With cross stitch it changes depending on the pattern. For a band sampler it's pretty good, for a picture again, I'm not consistent.
Lucille
It depends. On "How Great Thou Art" after I gridded it I did the border first, filling in sections. Others, I move from the middle out. It depends on how complex it is, how many color changes there are and well, how I feel about doing it that day.
Nancy
When doing needlepoint I like to do a part of the patterned bit, then I force myself to do some background, then reward myself with a bit more pattern. Otherwise if left with too much background only, it's in danger of being a UFO.
That was particularly true of a chair cover I did for my aunt, it had just a small flower pattern on the seat and even smaller pattern on the part that ran up the back, it was a labour of love, all done in diagonal tent.
Same here. I actually make it a rule to do that.
My first choice for stitch, whenever possible, is to use basketweave stitch and something interesting for background.
Lucille
Basketweave/diagonal tent, same stitch. I always found that it made the best looking background, the most even, and of course, with double the wool, the most durable for chair seats.
The Elizabeth Bradley patterns were done in a cross stitch, although needlepoint, they took double the wool too. I did a pillow for my younger daughter and even though two energetic grandsons were reared, that pillow looks just as good today, even with being tossed and thrown, washed and otherwise abused.
Donna D. wrote: > Which way do you stitch? I start left to right then I follow a thread color
I usually choose a block of color near the middle - not necessarily dead-center - and start there and work outward, doing one color until I'm tired of it or the section is finished, whichever comes first. Rows left and right and up and down, each row in relation to the next. (i.e., if there's one stitch below an unfinished area, I'll do that stitch in the previous row's pass.) Then pick an adjacent color and do the same. And my backs aren't disastrous with this method!
However, for spot samplers or band samplers, I work left to right, top to bottom.
sue
I usually start with whatever is the main focus in the design and start with a color that's used a lot in that area, so I have a base, of sorts, to work from. So, on a picture with a house and lots of trees or other stuff around it, I would probably start on the roof. Then I work outwards from there, in no particular direction. With my Nativity pieces, I usually start somewhere on the clothing around the neckline, again with a major color.
Joan
Surprise - we work pretty similarly. With some canvas work, well, a lot of it lately, seems I'll be doing outlines/borders/divider lines then filling stitches. Though, I'll often get the basic necessary lines in, and then start doing some interesting stitching, rotating back to the boring laying in the outlines as need be. I also leave beading til the very end, and will prioritize some stitches. Things that are going to be loose, have long runs of thread, more susceptible to getting snagged (an issue generally with some of the Jean Hilton type stitches) I will leave towards the end. So often even if sections are indicated as A,B,C,....G - I may not stitch them in that order, or not fully in that order. Also, with canvas work, I'll work the stitching sections so that my hand isn't resting on previously done work
- either going from top left to right to lower left, lower right, or upon occasion (as with Twister) rotating the piece.
Spot samplers I generally do as you, Sue. I like to have good counting reference points, and may plan my stitching that way. And I'm picky about not carrying threads, so will not carry very far (more than a few stitches) on linen, I'd rather not have things show thru. I will run a thread under the stitching on the back if I'm going to carry - more likely to happen with canvas, but upon occasion with work on linen - but not with basketweave.
Interesting how we all have our methods and madness.
Ellice
What I'm working on? Remodelling my kitchen. The washer/dryer closet expansion is done (it was too shallow - I can now close the doors on it!), the new cabinets are in, and I'm waiting on the counter top. It'll be at least two more weeks 'til that is in, and after a weekend of washing dishes in the bathroom sink, I went looking for a dishpan. Do you know you can't find these anymore? I wound up getting a plastic storage box of about the right size.
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