Mixing Silk and cotton

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I needed to see that page like a hole in the head lol

I see nothing wrong with mixing silk and cotton, particularly nice when the main subject is done in silk and the bg in cotton. I have sometimes put cotton in when I just couldn't find the equivalent colour in silk if it was not a colour of major importance.

Most of all, if you like what you do, it's right. If not, well it can always be unpicked and you don't have to get too far along before you know whether you do like or not!

I almost *always* mix brands of silk to get all the colors I need. I try not to mix stranded silk with filiment silk as they have a different lustre. Same for mixing silk & cotton. For instance, if I am stitching a flower, I might do the center part (pistil & stamens I think are the correct terms) in cotton or filament but the petals will ALL be done in the same type of floss. I might combine 3 different brands of stranded silk to get the shading of the petals but the center can be stitched in something different. These parts are different textures in nature so using a different type of floss can actually work to your benefit. In the piece you are planning, you could easily use all sorts of different types & brands of floss. Personally, I would do ALL of the growing things in silks -- the "architectural" items (walls, flooring, plant conatiners, etc.) could be done in cottons. Just remember that different types of fibers reflect light differently and will look different once stitched. Imagine combining metallics and cotton. You wouldn't stitch the light parts of a decorated container (just a for instance) in cotton and the darker shaded parts in metallic. You **could** stitch all of the basic parts of the container in cottons and then any decorative designs that are ON the container could be done in metallics. CiaoMeow >^;;^<

No inherent problem, but if the threads vary significantly in thickness or sheen or whatever, then you might want to manage the effects of doing so.

Again, they are going to look different, so mixing them willy nilly may have undesirable effects. As long as you're aware of the differences, you can certainly choose to mix them in such a way as to achieve whatever effects you like.

Depends on the thread and how you use it. My guess would be that you wouldn't want the "mottling" in the background to be too contrast-y, so you'd have to choose a thread and technique that would result in the look you want.

Sorry, I suppose all that is so non-specific as to be not much help ;-) I just think it all boils down to the effect you want to achieve and whether a particular thread fits into that.

Best wishes, Ericka

Thanks to those who have replied so far, It will be a while before I get going on this one. At this stage I'm just mulling a few ideas and wanted some input. The suggestion of doing the growing things in silk, and the architectural elements in cotton appeals to me.

I might buy the edge/background color first and just stitch that for a while. I was thinking varigated because with the original work there are faded patterns along the edge which don't show up on the computer generated chart, and I was hoping to simulate the patterns and impression of age. Maybe I could do one strand of varigated and another of plain, hmm.

Meanwhile, after a week I'm only half way through the gridding. Dora

That would tone down the contrast. But part of it just has to do with the thread itself. How much contrast between the different colors? How much transition between them? How long are the sections of each color? Do you stitch the stitches one at a time, or one leg out and the other on the return? If you're using multiple strands you could strip the strands apart and put them back together with the colors not lined up. If it were me, I'd probably experiment with different ways of doing it to find what seemed to work best. Or, since I'm lazy and aren't usually fond of stitching backgrounds, I'd probably go with a hand-dyed fabric ;-) But that's just me--I'm not suggesting you ought to do that. I think you could certainly find a way to do that background that you'd be happy with. It would probably just take a bit of experimenting with the materials you plan to use to see what results in the effect that you imagine.

Best wishes, Ericka

Erika wrote: If it were me, I'd probably experiment with different ways of doing it to find what seemed to work best. Or, since I'm lazy and aren't usually fond of stitching backgrounds, I'd probably go with a hand-dyed fabric ;-)

You're right about sitting down and experimenting. I'm going to have to sit down with a spare piece of Aida and make swatches until I'm happy. Thanks for the suggestion.

Company tonight. Off I go to make the house look like I clean and the cats never sit on the table. Dora

Okay, I hate to sound totally ignorant here, but what does "gridding aida" mean? Jardin de Bagatelle looks like it will make a lovely cross stitched piece.

Gridding is stitching a grid of basting thread onto the fabric, which in this case is aida. When you look at printed charts, you will usually see a heavier line every 10 stitches. You are duplicating the placement of these lines onto your fabric to help you track where you are in the pattern.

If you look at the web pages showing the history of the Firehouse Angel that several in the grooup are stitching, you will see white threads stitched in a grid on the fabric. This is where the grid from the chart was copied onto the fabric.

HTH

Thanks for the explanation! I've never actually done this myself. Is this commonly done? I'm a self taught stitcher so I guess I'm out of the loop...

Some folks do it and some don't. It's just a matter of preference. For me, it depends on the complexity and size of the pattern. If I'm not likely to miscount, I won't take the time to grid. If it's sufficiently complicated that I might, then I'll take the time to grid, as it's much less frustrating to grid than to have to rip a bunch out because I miscounted ;-)

Best wishes, Ericka

Chris asked, Thanks for the explanation! I've never actually done this myself. Is this commonly done?

It depends on the project. In my case, the chart is 251x350 stitches with confetti stitches galore in 120 colors. I'll be working on this project for a long time, and will probably take a lot of 'vacations' . The grid will help me figure out where I am and helps with double checking colors. Very much a sanity preserver. I don't bother gridding when I am only using 30 or fewer colors, since it is more time than it is worth, although I have gridded a needlepoint project with only 20 or so colors. I find that between the color chart and the long stitches it is hard to keep track of where I am without using the grid.

Some people mark their charts to keep track of what they have completed, etc. People choose whatever method works for them. Dora

"bungadora" ( snipped-for-privacy@aol.com) writes: (snip)

I dont grid myself, but over the years have learned a couple of tips from rctners, which might be useful for those who are not familiar with this. ***NEVER*** use floss for gridding; it is easy to pierce with a needle, and so is difficult to remove; and it leaves fuzzies behind. Many things are suitable; at the extreme there is waxed quilting thread or monofilament. Some people use different colours, and then annotate their pattern accordingly. HTH.

I havebeen xst for ,,,,,let`s see ???? over 5o years i learned to grid with colored sewing thread , always did it and never ever, did i peirce it with a needle ....[ maybe it is too thin? ] mirjam

Gridding is the perfect way to use up all of those strange and ugly colors of sewing thread that many of us seem to have. That's what I use

-- especially if it's old, old thread and not good for sewing. I don't normally grid unless the design is really complex or has scattered or "unique" design elements (like MLI's EarthDancer) and then it's often a lifesaver. I did the grid work on the Firehouse Angel and, while it was a P.I.T.A. to do, I thought it necessary. There were so many people working on the design, it just seemed like a good idea and would help each new person be better able to keep the count accurate. CiaoMeow >^;;^<

Use different colored thread made by Poly and Ester for gridding. Buy 6 or 8 small spools of different colors and those spools will last you for many, many projects; will actually last years if you save it after you rip out the grip. LOL Thread made by Poly and Ester are very difficult to puncture and split with a needle - sharp or blunt.

Fred

W.I.P. - "Fiddler > (snip)

Poke around till you find some yucky colors in the clearance bin for a dime each.

You can often find sewing boxes in the dollar stores with lots of little spools of Polly and Esther`s threads. Useful for all sorts of things. Dawne