cross stitch lovers: to grid or not to grid?

I never grid. To me it takes too much time from actual stitching. I am more a "relational" stitcher, that is I check to see that my stitches are where they belong - this stitch is 2 spaces to the left of this stitch and 1 spa ce above that stitch. I also find it helpful to enlarge my pattern, especi ally if it's a complicated one and to highlight the stitches that I have do ne. I love the Sampler you're doing. In fact I've debated about getting it , but my Stash is growing out of its containers as it is!

Pat in SJ

On Monday, February 20, 2017 at 1:59:55 PM UTC-6, snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net wro te:

re a "relational" stitcher, that is I check to see that my stitches are whe re they belong - this stitch is 2 spaces to the left of this stitch and 1 s pace above that stitch. I also find it helpful to enlarge my pattern, espe cially if it's a complicated one and to highlight the stitches that I have done. I love the Sampler you're doing. In fact I've debated about getting it, but my Stash is growing out of its containers as it is!

Thanks for the reply Pat! How do you blow up the charts? Do you scan it in the computer and use some kind of software to get it bigger? My scanner is so ridiculously complicated to use I don't know if I can manage it.

If only there was a way to enlarge the *linen* holes. I'm doing this piece on 32 count and even with magnifiers on it's tough. I've always been a rela tional stitcher as well, but sometimes I get into trouble when there's a lo t of stitches hanging out in open space (like in this piece).

The first time I sewed the snowflake I put in in relation to the word "spri ng," but I had that word two stitches off. So I ripped it out and resewed i t in relation to the words "its," but then had that word one stitch off. Th e third time I had the snowflake in the right spot, but screwed up the inne r design of it.

Anyone who can manage to grid 32 count linen should receive some kind of aw ard, and probably has bionic eyes.

PS Is your stash getting too big? That's never happened to me. ;)

fabric (I've never done it before). It was horrible gridding on linen and I thought I was going to go blind. No matter how careful I was I ended up on e hole off, and after five hours of this frustration I gave up.

n I try this piece again. I honestly wonder if gridding takes more time and effort than ripping out mistakes or starting over.

arning how to grid, but do you have any other suggestions to make it easier ?

I enlarge my patterns now. Try going to a copy place like Kinko's or some p lace that makes business cards. They will most likely have a printer that w ill be able to enlarge your pattern.

I also tried stitching on 32 count linen a couple of times over ten years a go, when my eyes were a lot younger. I decided that 28 count was fine enoug h for my stitching to look like a painting from 10 feet away. So that is mo stly the count I use everything, including my long time WIP, TW "The Castle ".

The sampler that you picked does look beautifully simple and quick. Don't s tress so much over your stitching. Someone once told me that when people lo ok at my artwork that the pattern will NOT be around for them to look at. T here fore they won't see any mistakes or changes that I've made to the patt ern. They just see the beautiful artwork that I have made with my own two h ands.

Stash grows out of the bins!!! Maybe that's why I'm always buying more bins!!! LOL

Dawn

Thanks for the suggestions, Dawn. I'm sure I'll be able to find some busine ss in town that will have a printer on which I can enlarge patterns. Maybe even Staples or someplace like that.

I normally go with 28ct too...after this ordeal I think I'm going to give u p 32ct in the future. It's not worth it if stitching is an exercise in frus tration. I love the look of projects done on high count fabrics, but my 43 year old eyes are in the throes of middle age changes, and I don't think it 's for me anymore.

You bring up something I've been working on for a long time; giving up perf ection in my stitching! I've been challenging myself for a few years to lea ve in some of my errors if they aren't too obvious (this usually entails pu tting the project down and looking at it with fresh eyes later). The spacin g of that snowflake mistake was too obvious to my tastes, but I have to adm it, I'm not sure anyone else would have pointed to it and screamed, "error! "

ness in town that will have a printer on which I can enlarge patterns. Mayb e even Staples or someplace like that.

up 32ct in the future. It's not worth it if stitching is an exercise in fr ustration. I love the look of projects done on high count fabrics, but my 4

3 year old eyes are in the throes of middle age changes, and I don't think it's for me anymore.

rfection in my stitching! I've been challenging myself for a few years to l eave in some of my errors if they aren't too obvious (this usually entails putting the project down and looking at it with fresh eyes later). The spac ing of that snowflake mistake was too obvious to my tastes, but I have to a dmit, I'm not sure anyone else would have pointed to it and screamed, "erro r!"

Just because you're off a stitch or two doesn't mean it's an error. This sampler looks to be quite large, with nice large letters. Maybe that s nowflake would look better if it had more room. Maybe you could totally mak e this piece your own. Enlarge it and frame it in little snowflakes!!! Relax, look at the picture and let your creativity flow...with the snow. LO L

Dawn

The only time I gridded my fabric was a "stained glass window" with How Great Thou Art. It really helped with the half and quarter stitches. It's the cover piece for my album on rctnp It was only

28 count. Can't imagine doing that on 32. I find at my almost Medicare age that I'm using my mother's Dazor magnifying lamp more and more.

So nice to see activity in rctn.

Nancy

Thanks Dawn...more creativity and less stress is always a great goal when it come to stitching. :)

Nancy, I saw your piece when I was scrolling through the photos...you did a great job on it!

I sit in my chair with my high intensity halogen lamp blasting light onto m y linen, and magnifying glasses *on top* of my regular glasses. (I would li ke to warn others not to put your magnifying glasses on top of your head wi th the hot lamp blaring down...I actually set my freaking hair on fire doin g that!) I'm so impressed that anyone over 40 can stitch at all. I never an ticipated eyesight being such a problem...oh the nativity of youth.

Does anyone here stitch on Aida? I've only used linen for many years, but I wonder now with the eyesight problem if it'd be worth it to take another l ook at Aida. I've seen some really pretty Aida's online but have never both ered actually buying some and trying it out.

What's your verdict on Aida: cheap and ugly, or a decent fabric for our sti tching?

I have gridded linen (28 & 32 ct), though, a number of times. That video, to me, seems a bit cumbersome way to do it. Find the center of your fabric vertically and horizontally by folding it in half and start there, gridding outwards in blocks of ten. Check your pattern, too, to see if your center lines are on a dark line or somewhere in the center of a block...it might be easier to follow if you put your grid lines so they match the dark lines of your pattern (ask me how I came up with that trick! LOL).

If you want to see an example, check out our Firehouse angel project, an rctn group effort after 9/11:

I did not grid that, but it shows a good example of what my gridded fabric looks like.

The design dictates to me whether or not to grid. If it's pretty full, then I don't. If it's got a lot of open spaces (like yours), I would. For me, it's definitely worth the time to grid, rather than having to pull stitches out (multiple times) later.

One thing with linen, is if you hold the needle right up to the fabric, you can see it shining through so you can tell if you're going straight or not. As you've found, good lighting is a necessity.

HTH and good luck! As ever, if you have any more questions, we're happy to try answering them.

Your local public library may also have a photocopier that enlarges (says the librarian in the group :) ).

I'm nearly 63 and still stitching, currently on 18 ct aida. I definitely don't have bionic eyes! LOLOL!

BWAHAHAHAHA! Love it!

I've always loved that design!

As I was going through your pics, I saw the SAL we did in 2009. I did 4 different colors and they sat in my stitching cabinet for years. I finally put them together as a kleenex box cover (they were the perfect size) and they're now in my bathroom! I had to stitch one more for the top.

It suuuuure is!

Aida has its uses. I use it for patterns that don't use a lot of partial stitches, for whimsical designs and for those where you don't see the background fabric at all. I mean, what purpose does it serve to use that nice fabric and then cover it all up? :)

And there *is* cheap aida and quality aida.

Joan, thanks for suggesting the alternative way to grid...I think working f rom the center out (verse trying to do the outside edge first) might be an easier way to go.

Also, I want to ask you about Aida...I want to try some and see how it work s out. To be honest I haven't used it since I was 10 years old and I'm pret ty sure my home ec class gave me the cheapest possible fabric. How does one know cheap Aida from quality Aida? I have to order everything online so I don't have an option to see the fabric. Is there a price range or brand you can recommend?

One more question Joan...What count aida would be the equivalent to 28ct linen?

Thank you to everyone for your helpful comments!

Oh my gosh, I just did a search on 123stitch.com, and they have Aida in gorgeous hand dyed and opalescent colors. I had no idea you could get Aida in anything other than white or cream. This opens up new possibilities!

orgeous hand dyed and opalescent colors. I had no idea you could get Aida i n anything other than white or cream. This opens up new possibilities!

I use it for certain patterns, it just depends how detailed the pattern is. Years ago, I found some yellow, green and pink aida at a store. My boys wer e little at the time and into Pokemon. I managed to find some patterns of P ikachu, Jigglypuff, and Bulbasaur. The patterns looked like coloring book d rawings so I used the colored aida fabric so that I just needed to stitch t he outline of the character in black. The boys loved them.

You could try stitching something small, like a bookmark. I stitched a book mark for my youngest son, can't remember what count the fabric was, and whe n I was finished I had it laminated. He still has the bookmark to this day.

123stitch.com is a wonderful website and it seemed like everything that I w anted to buy was on sale...including the Raven Queen. I plan to frame the p attern because it's too beautiful to put away in one of my stash bins.

Dawn

Dawn, I looked up Raven Queen to see what you'll be stitching...it's quite the piece! Here's a brief look on youtube of some who finished it, if anyon e is curious:

As I was digging through my stash fabrics tonight I came across a tiny piec e of Aida called "Blue Blizzard Opalescent" by Wichelt. I have no idea why I have a piece of aida in my stash as I haven't sewn on it since grade scho ol...I don't know if it was sent to be by mistake years ago or if a shop in cluded it as a sample, or where the heck it came from. It was a *gorgeous* pale blue with a multicolored opalescent sparkle running through it...defin itely high quality. They had it on 123stitch so I ordered it for my "No Win ter Lasts Forever" project (see here if you forgot what it looks like: htt p:// itch-Pattern/12-1083 ).

Being that this pattern is more whimsical and not detailed at all, I think Aida will look great. I'll be able to grid it easier and my eyes will be so happy for the rest. You can get an idea of what the fabric looks like in t he below link, but it doesn't show the beautiful sparkle.

abric-10x18/3706-5169Y Thanks to everyone for commenting, and helping me find good solutions and n ew possibilities!

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From the Strawberry Sampler I just received an adorable pin cushion project . Then I looked at the linen...holy crap, it's 40ct. I've never even worked on 40ct before. Guess I'll go blind after all! See it here:

Hmmm.... I know my SAL and several other version are in my finished but unfinished (you know what I mean) pile. Your idea of a Kleenex box cover is a good one. I've got one my mom did many years ago and now all the Kleenex boxes are too big for it. Perhaps that would work. Need to unearth them.

Nancy

That would be 14. The count refers to how many threads per inch and typically you stitch over 2 threads on linen...28 divided by 2=14. 32 ct. would be equal to 16 ct. Some designs (Heaven & Earth's *beautiful* designs, in particular) are stitched over 1 thread, which is why they can get such intricate details. The face on my Fairy Grandmother (by Lavender & Lace) is done over one and really brings it to life!

Happy to!!!