OT----- Who has time to stitch?

There are two general types of stamped cross stitch that I've seen. One type has colored X's stamped all over the fabric--I suspect this is the type ritalowy2 desires. The other has a full-color picture stamped on the fabric and comes with an accompanying chart to show areas to embellish with stitching. A variant on this might have blank areas in the full-color picture which are to be filled in with stitching. It is on these that the printing must be square or you really have to play with partial stitches (which can be a challenge since the stamping goops up the fabric and makes it hard to put the needle through), changing number of strands used, and such to get it to look right. On the colored-X variety it is also possible to have a piece where the fabric went askew during the stamping process and it won't look right when pulled taut during finishing.

One decorative stamped piece I have claims to be "sailcloth" but I don't know what defines sailcloth. It is a looser weave than even cheap bed linens so I'm guessing it to be around 100-120 count. Stamped bed and table linens that I've seen tend to be poly/cotton blend. Different thread counts may be available on those. Of course you can always use cross-stitch software and print on transfer paper to make your own "stamped" pieces on whatever thread count you desire. I've also had kits which are on Aida or a common stitching count even weave.

I've tried all these variants on stamped cross stitch and decided I really prefer counted. If I want to change a design element on a counted piece, it is relatively simple. If I want to change a design element on a stamped piece it requires removing the stamping and may be impossible. I buy stamped items only if something really screams to me as a must-have; this is quite rare.

i bought the kit @ Walmart for $1.74US. the yarn i already had.

each length of yarn is 100 " long x4 pieces. you use 5 pcs yarn for ea row x 14 rows. its really quite fetching.....

also just bought a "knifty knitter" kit w/4 round knit wheels.

other than an enclosed "hat" pattern-a really ugly one-there are none others.

any idea where i might find some KK patterns on the web?????

i shd have sd." 4 pcs worsted + 1 pc eyelash yarn for each row".

Oh DORA i think Ribbon embroidery is great i read about it played a bit , but have no time to do it now ,,, but i wish you much joy with it . mirjam

Ok, I got working on the SRE today (after finishing the beret) and have put a dragonfly in my WIP/UFO album. It is flawed, but if it weren't it wouldn't be a gift, would it? Dora http:/

Lucillethank you for the explanation ,,, The way you describe it Sounds GREAT piece of work !!! remind yourself that if you don`t finnish it SOON , baby will outgrow your present !!!! this will hasten you to finnish ... mirjam :>:>:>

The best site I've found is

Because it's difficult to get the picture stamped on precisely the right threads. Often, there'll be only one stitch of a color, and lots of very close shades of color. It would be a nightmare to try to get that level of detail stamped perfectly on the fabric (especially since the fabric is not perfectly regular).

You just count. If the pattern says five stitches in color A, you do five stitches in color A. People have different preferences for where they start in a pattern, and whether they work color by color (do all color A, then all color B, etc.) or whether they work by areas (do the stitches in one block, then the stitches next to them, etc.). Most people seem to do some combination of the two. It's not difficult, though one does have to be precise to keep track of where one is in the pattern. You can lay down a grid on your fabric with sewing thread (or something similar and non-divisible) to help keep you oriented (you pull it out later).

Best wishes, Ericka

Hi Mirjam,

That big HALLO put a smile on my face :) I can't speak for others, but I know that I am restricted to discussions about the actual construction of needlework (and in my case cross stitch) because that is all that I am really familiar with. I have never designed a pattern, so I am not qualified to debate the creativeness of choosing certain colors. I do admire the art of needlework though, and I enjoy some of the neat things people have posted here (like the WWII "bayeaux tapestry"). If you'd like to start a thread about certain needlework pieces that you find particularly beautiful, I will do my best to have an intelligent discussion with you :)

As for the choosing of a certain pattern, well most of the things I stitch I stitch for myself because I have found others just don't really appreciate the time and effort it takes to make an item. I like to decorate my house with my cross stitch pieces so most of them appeal to my sense of style which is what I call eclectic/americana/country/primitive. My favorite designers are Bent Creek, Blackbird Designs, Birds of a Feather, Carriage House Samplings, The Goode Huswife, The Prarie Schooler, Twisted Threads, The Trilogy and Heart in Hand. I was very surprised to find after finishing lots of Bent Creek designs that they are actually from my home town of Powder Springs, Georgia. I wonder if taste is geographic?

I also find myself stitching a lot of small pieces because I like the instant gratification and because I live in an old house that has four mantlepieces to decorate! I like to change the decorations in my house for the seasons, so I find myself stitching a lot of seasonal designs, holiday designs and even monthly designs. I have lots of bare walls, but I also have lots of grand plans on the pieces that I plan to stitch and put up eventually.

The recent Praire Schooler alphabet series ("E is for embroidery") has inspired the future decoration of my bedroom. I plan to stitch "C is for Cow" for my side of the bed and "L is for Leaves" for hubby's side of the bed (my name is Chris and his name is Les) and "H is for Honey" for the middle (our last name is Howard). After I finish those I am going to stitch some accompanying C's, L's and H's to go with them (alphabets by Heart in Hand and Carriage House Samplings) to sort of form a little vignette. So far all I've gotten done is the "H is for Honey" but I'm well on my way!

Another thing I'm planning to do is put up a series of "darks" in my hallway. I really love the contrast of bright colors on dark fabric (like dark ink spot from R&R reproductions). Stitching on dark fabric doesn't really bother me (cheap Office Depot light for the win!). Carriage House Sampling has a lot of designs that look neat on light or dark fabric, so I'm thinking I will mostly be doing her stuff. So far I've only done "Matter's Choice" on the dark fabric, but my LNS (Abecedarius) just called yesterday and told me they managed to find an out of print copy of Mary Pleasant Curry so I plan to tackle that one next.

I tend to keep about 5 or 6 pieces going in my cross stitch rotation (a concept I learned from this usenet group). Having the variety really does keep everything fresh for me and makes me excited to stitch a little every day. Having the smalls in my rotation gives me the illusion that I am actually getting things done :)

I'm sure this is more than any of you ever really wanted to know about the why and wherewithal I stitch, but maybe it will spur a little bit of discussion as Mirjam suggested. As soon as we get our camera back from the repair shop, I will take some pictures and show you folks what I was blabbing about above.

Chris Howard

PS

If there are any designers in this group, just like Mirjam I'd love to hear about your creative process.

Chris, Quite the contrary of what you say in the last paragraph here, I thoroughly enjoyed your entire post. Very refreshing from the one line banter that floods this news group.

My walls are full of XS and all my immediate family and friends have at least one piece of my work on their walls. This year, for the first time I donated a piece (called "A Bird For All Season's) to my church. It sold easily at the Advent Fair for $45 un-framed. Whether or not the price was good, the feeling was wonderful.

Keep posting Keep Stitching Happy Holidays Mag

Here's a one worder for you - tough!

Heppy holidays to you too!

Are you one of those people who go to a sewing/craft club and NEVER talk about anything else? A lot of us would find that horribly dull.

We have a very lively local craft club and have a visiting speaker on very varied crafts on alternate months. The rest of the year we take it in turns to host a "work" evening at our homes, which are much enjoyed - not that a lot of "work" is done. All the same, we still manage to pick up useful tips and information from each other. Much as happens here.

Pat P

I dont think this really comes under the heading of "designing", but I get my patterns sort of as follows. I should note that, as a male, I find the patterns on sale to be not to my taste, in general. I search the Web for pictures, and occasionally find one that looks like it might make a "good" pattern; dont ask me what "good" means, as I dont know until I see the picture. I capture the picture, and use Pattern Maker to turn it into a pattern at one pixel per stitch, and 90 colors (the maximum my Pattern Maker allows me). If it looks like I might like to stitch the pattern, I save it. When I am close to looking for a new project, I go over what I have, and see if anything inspires me. To date, this system has produced a string of patterns I like to stitch. HTH.

What I do is very similar, and for the same reasons - not often finding just what I want in the shops, as I love to do designs of old houses and local scenery from my own photos, but they need a LOT of adjustment to remove "orphan" stitches, and cut it down to a pallette of around 30 colours if possible - no-one else but me would want to stitch them otherwise! I sell quite a few through local needlecraft shops, craft fairs and some on the internet. I can`t be bothered to "push" it any more than that at my age, and often just don`t feel like being comitted to anything more.

I sometimes create designs from my own paintings or just from my head - I`ve nearly completed a sampler using some of the verses from "Tennyson`s Brook", and another of Fuchsias and am now planning one of British wild birds - the small ones that come to the bird table. I`ve done a collection of pub signs, and am planning another of Village signs.

I imagine that you do a lot of tidying up too, Jim? That`s certainly where the hard work comes in - actually making them stitchable! That`s certainly easier from a painting than from a photo.

My main problem is actually finishing the stitching of the design - I have two beautiful old houses about five sixths completed - but am just itching to start a new one! That`s what comes of having no-one to chase me up.

Now *I* think my designs are pretty straightforward, although I confess to using a lot of colour changes in tiled roofs and trees. I have had someone who is working on one of my designs come up to me in the street and say "Pat Porter - I`m going to KILL you once I`ve finished this roof!".

Pat P

Actually I dont do any "tidying up". I make the patterns for myself; if anyone else wants them they are more than welcome, but then they have the problem of whether to make any changes. What I have discovered is that some confetti stitches are an essential part of the pattern, and a lot is lost if they are not stitched the way the computer indicates. There are others where it is probably irrelevant precisely which color is actually used. However, I cannot tell which is which until *after* I have finished stitching. So my maxim is to try and do the pattern *exactly* the way the computer printed it out. The one concession I make to this rule, is that if I make a mistake where it obviously does not matter, I dont bother to correct it. I am still amazed at what a few confetti stitches can provide in the way of detail. I would love to know more about this aspect, but I have been completely unable to work out *before* the stitching is finished, which confetti stitches are the important ones.

Do you print up your charts in symbols or color blocks? My version of Pattern Maker will print the chart in blocks of color. I should think that type of chart would make it easier to determine which confetti stitches *are* important to the finished look of a design. Those confetti stitches CAn make or break a design. I once had someone ask me why the eyes of an animal chart had just one white stitch in the pupil. I told the person to actually LOOK at my eyes. She saw that wee bit of reflected light and understood. Now, that isn't really a confetti stitch but it helps describe why some confetti stitches are so necessary to a really beautiful piece as opposed to one that just looks very nice. CiaoMeow >^;;^<

I must admit that for stitching a design out for myself I use FAR more confetti stitches, but since they do create problems for a lot of stitchers, I try to reduce them a lot before printing them for sale. Not everyone WANTS to have to buy 100 skeins of thread (that would be nearly £60 alone) which they might well need to do if they didn`t keep a full stock like many of us do, apart from the nuisance factor!

Pat P

I can print mine either in colour blocks, coloured symbols, black and white and/or red and white symbols, or colourblocks AND black symbols. I normally use black and white as it`s clearer, I can photocopy them (cheaper than printing and I find that the printed colour blocks aren`t usually very true to the particular colours.

DPrinted in black/white symbols makes it easier to mark the stitches off as you go, too.

Pat P