stitching complex shading

I do this sort of thing routinely. It sounds like you have let yourself be intimidated. Dont be; like any other form of counted cross stitch, you complete the project one stitch at a time. First you need to find a way that suits you, which enables you to find any particular colour very quickly, get the required amount of thread, put the rest back and do the stitching. What works for me, almost certainly wont work for you; I just have all my colours (90 of them) on a tray as a "rat's nest", but roughly in numeric order. Then search the pattern where you are stitching, and count how many of the next symbol you intend to stitch. Cut an appropiate length of floss, do a loop start, and do those next few stitches. The length of floss remaining I tie with a lark's head knot to the rest of the floss. Have a rule for yourself as to which is the next symbol to choose. And simply repeat this process. Other ideas I have tried, is to look at the bit of pattern I am stitching, and find a few colours that are next in line to stitch. This makes finding the right one somewhat easier. But as I remarked at the beginning, it sounds to me like you have a mental block, rather than a physical one. Dont be intimidated; just do one stitch at a time.

Good for you! Personally, I enlarge the charts, but when I'm marking, I only mark a section that I'm working. And keep on hand a complete chart to map the total progress. I also keep a copy of the symbol chart, enlarged to be legible - handy. For charts with lots of changing symbols that are hard to keep track of, I'll mark the symbol I'm going to work with a light highlighter, finding all the ones in the vicinity that I'm going to do. After they're stitched I then highlight over with a darker color (currently green is the "stitch now" color, and orange for the completed. I think you're on the right track.

I also tend to thread up a couple of needles, so that I'll work at least that stitching length. Since I don't carry thread very far, I do end up with some stops and starts, but if I'm a good little stitcher and make sure that the ends are neatly tucked and trimmed, that keeps the back from turning into a mess. I just don't like stopping to thread all the time. You could pick a couple of adjacent symbols, mark the first one, and stitch those, then highlight the next symbol you want to do, and so forth.

The Poseidon piece that Donna worked, and I'm doing is like that - lots of switching around in the middle. So, I pick a symbol, highlight it around the sevction I'm in, and work those. Basically, starting from the top and working down, although I did do most of the bordering areas. On your piece, based on most of those cottages, you can pick where to start. It's just sort of moving in sections, so it won't stitch as quickly as something with lots of the same color in a block. But, if you're careful with the ends, you should be just fine. I do try not to carry a dark thread in front of where a light will go. And also, personally, I leave whites til toward the end if I think the piece will be handled a lot, and it's not a piece I'm planning to wash (overdyes).

Personally, I'd probably start at the center and work out. Or you could start with the roofline (top left) work your way down and across.

The important thing, have fun. I'm sure you'll do a great job. And, if you need a magnifier - don't be proud. That's made some things go so much faster for me - even though my eyesight is pretty darn good.

Happy stitchin' ellice

Thanks to both Ellice & F. James. I s'pose it is a bit intimidating since I am a perfectionist to the nth degree. I do know that after all these years, even I cannot find my mistakes in samplers that gave me fits and reduced me to either screams or tears. So, all is well. Age does mellowing wonders. I am actually using Ellice's technique of the particular symbol I am working on - yes, it is the roof. Just hadn't thought about threading a couple of needles. Will try that. Since I have no contact with other stitchers around here, I wanted input from the experts. I see that my system is not so strange, and it IS working, if I just don't lay the thing down and wander away. All those grays - mercy!

I sometimes wear my half readers over my regular glasses, so I look a bit like a June bug. It works. I just have to keep telling myself this is fun.

Thanks again for the suggestions and pep talk. Deb

Hi Deborah!

I did a pattern with a lot of greys about three years ago, and I found it a challenge working with so many similar shades as well. What I finally did was to work a ten by ten section of the pattern at a time. I would look at that square, pick out the bobbins of thread I needed, and just work that bit. THen I marked it off with my highlighter when I was finished. I found I could always stitch long enough to finish those hundred stitches, and then I usually went on to something else. But it also meant I made pretty steady progress. Have fun with your project. It sounds like it will be beautiful!

Louisa

Sorry, Louisa. I think I hit reply to author, rather than just reply. Yes, I will give that technique a try as a way of containing the stitching area. In that way, it might be easier to keep track, rather than my current method of traveling down the length of the roof chasing a particular symbol and sometimes getting lost if I look away too long!

deb

Is the biggest problem keeping track of where you are on the chart, or where you are on the piece? I can usually keep the chart straight, but sometimes it's easy to lose your orientation on the piece, especially if you put it down for a bit. If that's the challenge, I usually break down and grid so that I have an unambiguous point of reference.

Best wishes, Ericka

Where I am on the piece. I am doing better now that I have more done, but then comes the sky, the grass, the bushes...

The thrifty, efficient side of me wants to do all of a certain color and then go on to the next color. That is impossible as it causes me to jump all over (only the roof has grays, fortunately) and that jumping is disorienting. I am doing Louisa's grid method now, incorporating Ellice's method of coloring the "to do" area with a pen. Then when I am all done with that part of the grid, I recolor with a darker shade of ink to indicate I've stitched those cells. It seems tedious, but is better than being lost in the gray tones as I was originally. When I was lost so much, I was forced to do much needless counting on the piece, then counting & comparing on the pattern.

I have also learned I cannot watch TV while doing this pattern. No multi-tasking on this one! :o)

Thanks for your suggestions, Ericka.

Deb

That's why I like band samplers ;-)

Best wishes, Ericka

Try this when putting the material away. Do not fasten the last thread. Let it stay on the top of the work until you pick it up again. It will mark where you last worked. Then you can bury it and start again the next day or whenever. Clarice in AZ/MN

Sounds like you've got it down. I really find the coloring thing helps - I was getting lost on the pattern as symbols are so close to each other. Good idea about the gridding. Reference points are key.

Just listen....It'll come.

It is a good idea. Glad Ericka mentioned it.

Ellice

That is a fantastic idea! Thanks!

Uh Huh. I have a couple hundred samplers hanging on my walls and realize, in spite of moaning and groaning when I was doing them, that they were pretty easy. Still, I need to stretch my mind, as they say, now that I have retired! :o)

Uh Huh. I have a couple hundred samplers hanging on my walls and realize, in spite of moaning and groaning when I was doing them, that they were pretty easy. Still, I need to stretch my mind, as they say, now that I have retired! :o)

Another idea that may help is gridding the fabric (making sure you match your gridlines to the darker lines on the pattern...ask me why I know! LOL!). I found that to be especially helpful with complex designs or those with wide open areas and moreso with linen than aida.

Good luck!

Joan

That's a good idea & I'd actually considered it initially. I guess that proves one should always go with the first thought. Once the piece is finished (18 ct aida) there will be no un-stitched areas. I saw one suggestion to use silk floss (About.com). Or pen/pencil. I suppose there is a special kind that won't smudge, but not sure I can draw straight on such small count. Would you suggest the silk floss? I guess I need to experiment on a scrap of fabric. There is a set of these cottages and I had considered doing them all - until last week. .

Grid with something thin, bright, and unlikely to be pierced by your needle. I often just use old, garish colors of sewing thread. Some people use bright colors of monofilament. I wouldn't use silk floss because it's too easy to pierce.

Best wishes, Ericka

I suspect the silk floss is for those individuals who want their WIP's to be an aesthetically pleasing production. I use old sewing thead too. Some years ago I picked up some really cheap polyester thread on brightly colored spools and use that. It's all pulled out as you work along anyway.

Some people work row by row on complex projects. They only stitch on the working row, and 'park' their thread in the next stitch of that color and leaving the remainder of the thread on the surface of the fabric until it's picked up again. They may or may not unthread the needle. The reason for working in this way is to avoid boxing stitches in, so that all stitches are completely uniform. I have one project which I decided to work this way to see if if made any difference. It's a tedious way of working - I only have one row done and already have a rat's nest developing.

Hmm. I should pull that project out of the pile.

Dora

I've worked a number of pieces that are stitched solid and I use a number of techniques mentioned here. 1 - I work in 10 x 10 blocks, sometimes blocking off the edges with sticky notes. 2 - I use a highlighter to mark off the stitches that I've done.

I hope this helps!

Alison

Thanks for all these ideas - to everyone above. Not sure of the etiquette here. But thanks to you all, so I am just replying on the last post from Alison. I have some old cheap, thin thread - not any color in the pattern which is saying something. I am going to get to it now with renewed enthusiasm! Deb