I sent them to my local craft store. They’re a small local business, ran by a retired couple, that sells art and stitching supplies. The husband makes custom frames while the wife does the consultations and sales.
I haven’t seen your other threads, so not sure how beginner we’re talking. I’m not the most knowledgeable, but I’ll share the best things I’ve discovered. :)
A lot of tutorials will tell you not to tie knots in your thread on the back hold the thread in, but instead weave it into the thread on the back. This is true if you’re planning on making somethihg on a pillow or similar, but if you’re framing it and don’t care that the back is lumpy because no one will ever see it or feel it, just do you and make it secure.
They make cross stitch lattice thst dissolves in water, so you can cross stitch on tshirts, pillows, blankets, et cetera. It’s amazing, and a game changer for making nifty little things you’ll actually be able to wear or use daily. I love it so much.
Splitting your thread so its a lower ply is common, but if you leave it 6 stranded sometimes, you can add an extra layer of depth to what you make. For instance, i made a goomba (mario mushroom looking villain) for a friend. I made the outline of the goomba 6 stranded, with all the background stuff 3 stranded. It made it appear that the goomba was closer to the viewer, and really added a 3 dimensional effect that I loved. I’ve also used more strands to cross stitch curse words in a more handwritten font whenever i do something funny/inappropriate for the lols. Fancy script for most words in 3 strands, curse word in a scrawly looking vulgarish font with 6 strands.
Be mindful of hand pain. Carpal tunnel and damage is a real thing. Get a compression glove, take breaks. Our grandmas and mama’s have carpal tunnel for a reason, don’t follow in those footsteps. Take precautions.
Thanks for all the good advice! And for taking the time to type it down. I was wondering about the knot actually, thanks for clarifying that.
I love the idea of playing with the number of strands to emphasize parts of the design, hopefully will soon be designing original work. The compression glove seems to be a must, I didn’t even know they existed!
This is all great advice! I will add a second vote for taking care of your hands (and ergonomics in general). I don’t have wrist issues, but I have an old shoulder injury that flairs up if I don’t take breaks, mind my posture, and stretch.
Thanks! Very useful advice really. I’m the kind of person who wouldn’t have thought about this until way too late. So far I’m just starting to get the hang of it. My goal is to get to the point where I can design original art that I can then cross-stitch and frame. My first project is a doodle my 5 year-old made the other day that I traced using an app meant for pixel art and then made into a very basic pattern (one colour, no backstitching or half stitches). Time to work on it is limited but I’m having lots of fun so far
Aw, that’s a cute idea to stitch the doodle! To answer your question about apps, I’ve used the stitch fiddle website to make simple patterns with a few colors and backstitching. Floss cross is another site you could check out. I think the pixel art app you used might be similar to them since it has a similar grid.
Thanks. Yeah I’m gonna have to figure a couple things out. I had to do his mouth in white because the black (shockingly) doesn’t show against the black cloth. So I may end up backstitching the sign in white or something also. Trying to decide what to do about the umbrella handle as well. My plan is to do as little black stitching as I can get away with. So I may just pick a real dark color for the handle. We’ll see.
You are clearly more patient than I am! If I was doing this one I just wouldn’t stitch the handle at all and let the black cloth show through there lol
That works against Totoro (and I like it), but I’m not convinced I can just have blank black leading up to the umbrella. Gonna have to think about it. Will know more once more is there.
I started a couple of full coverage pieces. Sadly I’m only about 20 stitches in with the main one and I don’t have anything to show yet. Maybe next week!
Thanks! I know the feeling! I had to step away from that Dracula’s Castle pattern for a bit because I was getting too frustrated with it… That one may have been a little more advanced than I was ready for lol
Oh wow! Those nice frames really put both pieces over the top! I especially like how the garden of curiosities looks! This makes me think I should definitely look for something better than the cheap frames from the craft store that I usually get lol
Started a new project. This will take more than a year for sure. Full coverage of a Rembrandt painting done in needlepoint. Wanted to start the new thread but I had some federation issues from Mastodon.
I’m not religious or the type of person to do this type of projects but I really liked the kit when I saw it in my local sewing shop so I had to buy it. It’s not going to look as good as the painting but I wanted a big project. The materials are locally produced and the company is also local and rather small (the quality is rather shoddy but it’s not too bad). The purchase also supports the small shop, which I adore.
Sadly they only do phonecall orders and the closest I could find to an online store is a facebook page. I’m fairly certain they’ve been doing this since Soviet times when needlepoint was a very popular pastime (still is among older people, young people would rather cross stitch or crochet). I wouldn’t be surprised if the people doing this are past retirement age and not the most tech savvy. Also judging by the price tags on the mouline it might have been manufactured last century as I can’t see any way for a skein to be sold for 0.05$ in today’s money. It’s also thinner than DMC so I work in 2 strands even though the aida is about 24-26ct.
Yeah you can definitely do this! There are lots of kits on Etsy that are exactly like this in wood or plastic. Just make sure the holes are smooth and won’t catch the threads and damage them.
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