cross_stitch: beginner!

angelena. (

illacquired) wrote in

cross_stitch,
@ 2008-05-02 11:28:00

beginner!
hello! i recently went to the craft store and bought a whole bunch of little projects to occupy myself with, and i started looking at one today. i have

from here http://www.goldingcraft.com/nmicxs17.htm

and i was wondering if anyone could help me start it out? i find that the instructions are a bit vague. it says to start at the center, and i found the center. but it them says "From the enter of your graph, count up the number of squares to the top and then to the first symbol on the left. do the same on your fabric. Begin your stiching at that point" i dont know why, but thatseems confusing to me. any help would be greatly appreciated!!

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	tenthz 2008-05-02 04:44 pm UTC (link)
	They want you to count up and left from the center to start stitching on the fox's left ear. Make more sense? :-) I usually just start in the middle and work my way out, but you can do it whatever way you want! (Reply to this)(Thread)

	illacquired 2008-05-02 05:11 pm UTC (link)
	i see, so when i stitch, do i tie a knot at the back so the thread won't pull out, or do i have to be extra careful? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

joannahurley
2008-05-02 05:29 pm UTC (link)

You don't want a knot on the back because most of the time, it'll make a little bump when you try to finish the project (unless you're going to back it with something soft, like pillow stuffing). There's two ways to start that first stitch:

Waste knot: Make a knot in the end, and put the needle through from the TOP of the fabric, a bit away from where you're going to start stitching. Stitch a few stitches, then cut off the knot. The stitches will hold it in place.

Lark's head knot: (This may not work well with a kit, if the floss is pre-cut). If you're using two threads, cut a single double-length thread of floss instead of two short lengths. Fold it in half and thread your needle with the "open" half. Bring the needle up on the first stitch, hanging onto the loop in the back. When you bring it back down on the second half, run the needle through the loop and keep stitching. It'll make a flat knot that will hold the thread.

Also, you can just hold the end of the floss in the back, and carefully stitch over it for the first few stitches. That will hold it, too (and is usually what I do).

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	illacquired 2008-05-02 05:34 pm UTC (link)
	i had a needlepoint project a while back in which i held the floss back and stitched over it a few times. so i may do that or the waste knot. also, when stitching, should i stitch all of the same color in one try, or concentrate on one area, doing one color at a time say on the left ear? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

joannahurley
2008-05-02 06:22 pm UTC (link)

Really, whichever you prefer. I tend to start with whatever color that first stitch is, and go till I run out of thread or have to jump too far to get to the next. Then I do the next color on the top line. So eventually I'll have all of the top most line filled in, and a chunk of the second line and it'll trail off. Then I go to the second line, look for an empty spot, start stitching, repeat. I'm not sure it's the most efficient way, but I get bored with the same color, and stitching is supposed to be fun for me. :)

(Reply to this)(Parent)

	tesslouise 2008-05-03 12:56 am UTC (link)
	Also, you can just hold the end of the floss in the back, and carefully stitch over it for the first few stitches. That will hold it, too (and is usually what I do). This is what I do, too. (Reply to this)(Parent)

crwilley
2008-05-02 04:52 pm UTC (link)

Let's see if I can explain it a little better...

The center of your chart should be marked. From this center point, count how many squares you need to go up to get to the first row of the chart and make a note of it. Then count along that row how many squares you need to go to the left from the center line to get to the leftmost filled-in symbol on that row of the chart. Make a note of that, too.

Then fold your fabric in half both ways, so that the folds meet at the center of the fabric. Stick a straightpin or a spare needle in the nearest hole - that point on the fabric matches up with the center point of the chart. There are visible squares woven into the fabric - from that center point, count up the number of squares it took to get to the first row (it may help to stick your needle in each hole to do this), and then count to the left the number of squares you needed to get to the leftmost symbol.

(I wouldn't use these precise instructions for stitching anything much larger than this, for what it's worth - normally I see what symbol is at the center point, and then find the top left of the "blob" of that symbol, so I don't have to count quite as far.)

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	illacquired 2008-05-02 05:14 pm UTC (link)
	okay, i marked the center and counted out towards the leftmost spot and got 14 spaces, then the top and got 15. i got the center, so then do i count over 14 and 15 spaces over according to the fabric so it's scaled to the fabric size? sorry if i sound really stupid, but i just want to double check before starting! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

joannahurley
2008-05-02 05:35 pm UTC (link)

Yup. The grid of the chart should match the grid of the fabric.

I also, would only count for a really small project like this. The instructions should have the finished size somewhere on them, and I usually just measure from the center point to the top left corner. So if the finished design is 5 inches x 5 inches, I measure 2.5" to the left and up from the center and start there. I usually double check that I've got the right spot, by measuring again, 5" out from my start point. Being me, I do this repeatedly until I convince myself I've got the right spot. :)

A lot of folks just start stitching in the center. That might be easier, but make sure your stitches go the same way all the time (so, you have the one like \ going under the one like / all the time). You can do them however you want, as long as you're consistent.

Also, if you haven't realized, the center of the chart is usually marked by arrows, and the heavier lines on the chart mark every 10 stitches (hey, I didn't realize it the first time!). :)

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	illacquired 2008-05-02 05:40 pm UTC (link)
	the cover photo on the project is actual size, so i see how small it's going to be. i already marked the center, leftmost stitch and topmost stitch with pins, so i could probably go from there, right? and yeah, i noticed the arrows, i just wanted to check like 4,000 times that i had the actual center and not like one space over, hah! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

joannahurley
2008-05-02 06:25 pm UTC (link)

Eh, it's not the end of the world if you're one stitch over in where you start. Heck, it's not the end of the world if you mess up the stitching itself, if only you will notice it. If you're worried, measure the piece of fabric and compare it to the finished size. You should have at least an inch on each side to spare (I hope!). You don't have to be exact, as long as you're not going to run out of fabric.

BTW, when/if you do bigger projects, you want to aim to have 3-5" on a side free if you're going to frame it.

(Reply to this)(Parent)

	tesslouise 2008-05-03 12:58 am UTC (link)
	A lot of folks just start stitching in the center. This is what I do. I'll have some photos of my current WIP to post soon (once hubby gets them online). (Reply to this)(Parent)

	runeshower 2008-05-02 06:16 pm UTC (link)
	From reading the other comments, sounds like you've got it figured out. I just wanted to add - that is a cute project! :-) Have fun! (Reply to this)

	ye4rsfr0mn0w 2008-05-02 11:17 pm UTC (link)
	I think they have you covered! Good luck with it! (Reply to this)

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