25 Tips to Improve Your Stitching
Twisted Stitches
Let your thread dangle and untwist as you stitch to help eliminate knots in your thread.
Snarls and Knots
Using too long a piece of thread often leads to snarls and knots. Cut your threads in lengths of 18”. If using metallic thread, use 12” lengths.
Easy to Read Charts
Use a photocopier to enlarge your chart to an easily viewable size. Have a highlighter handy to mark off the squares as you do them to make sure you know exactly where you are. (Making a photocopy for your own personal use is not in violation of copyright law.)
Lost Scissors
Treat yourself to a scissor fob – invaluable for retrieving scissors from under a chair cushion or finding them in a pile of charts and fabrics! If you often stitch with others, a scissor fob makes it easy to keep track of your favorite scissors. (Check out our accessory page - we have some one-of-a-kind fobs at reasonable prices.)
Backstitch 1
If you hate to do backstitch, don’t leave it all until the end. Work the backstitch around the different areas as you finish them. Seeing the backstitch bring the design to life and not having it all to do at the end makes it more likely that the design will be completed.
Backstitch 2
Try Holbein or Double Running stitch instead. Do every alternate stitch the first time around, then fill in the blanks on the second trip. Uses less thread and creates a neater back.
Colour Changes
Missing one or two of the colours you need but aren’t sure about substitutes? Put all the colours together on the fabric for the design but don’t look at it for a few hours. Any colour that won’t work will stand out next time you look. Pick it out and try another one. (This is called a floss toss – just tossing the threads onto the fabric!)
Project Log
Many of us stitch for gifts and forget to take pictures or make a note of what we’ve done, for whom and when. Why not start a project log now? If you know where some of your older projects are, perhaps you can still get a picture and make a note of it. You’ll probably be surprised at the amount of stitching you’ve been able to accomplish.
No Knot Start 1
Use a loop start. Take a single strand of floss that is double the length you want to work with. Put both ends of the floss through the eye of the needle. After your first stitch, thread the needle through the loop on the back of your fabric. A nice neat start with no knot and no weaving of thread under other stitches. This only works if you need to use an even number of strands of floss!
No Knot Start 2
Use a waste knot. Tie a knot in the end of your floss and make your first stitch from the front, a short distance from where you will start stitching. The first few stitches will anchor the thread on the back. Cut away the waste knot on the front. The loose end will pull through to the back and become invisible.
Quick Embellishments
Want to make a stitched item something special? Try using metallic thread to highlight a part of the design – for example if you are stitching a design that has snow in it, scatter some half cross stitches in a silver metallic thread to give a glint to the picture. Or add buttons, beads or charms to make the design unique and special. Don’t forget bits of ribbons or trim or tassels to turn ordinary design into something out-of-the-ordinary.
Keep the Design Right Side Up
Ever lost track of the top of a design? Write the word TOP along the masking tape you bind the fabric edge with. Or just put a small pen mark on the top edge somewhere where it will not be seen after completion. Especially with symmetrical designs, it’s easy to get confused as to which side is the top if you don’t work on the design for a while.
Single Stitches
Sometimes a design calls for single stitches, for example snowflakes in a winter scene. One way to work them without carrying threads across the back of your work is to use a single strand of floss. Do the number of cross stitches equal to the number of strands of floss required. For example if the design is stitched with two strands of floss, do two cross stitches on top of each other with a single strand.
Backstitch
Try using the same or a darker shade of the colour next to the backstitch. This gives a subtler finish than using black. You might also try a dark grey instead of black if you want the backstitch areas to stand out but find that black is too harsh for your taste.
Using Small Bits of Fabric
Once you have stitched your design, use some iron-on interfacing to cover the back and give a bit of stiffness to the work. Use it to decorate a notebook, a bookmark or umpteen other small gift items. Stitching a fancy initial is one way to make an ordinary item something really special.
Cross Stitch Cards
Designs used in cards can often be removed from the card mount and used for something else after the event.
Backgrounds
Give a softer look to a background (and save some time!) by using a half cross stitch instead of a full cross stitch.
Floss Storage
Tired of winding floss onto bobbins? Get some zip lock bags used for snacks. They measure 6.5” X 3”. One skein of floss will lie flat and there is lots of room for left over bits of floss. Punch a hole in the edge of the bag and keep the bags on shower hooks. To label the bags, use self-adhesive labels and write the floss number on them. An economical substitute for Floss Away bags!.
Smooth Stitches
Your stitches will lie flat if you railroad them. When making a stitch, put your needle between the strands of floss. This eliminates the twisting. You can railroad both parts of the cross stitch or just the top. It takes a little bit of extra time but produces a more even finish for your stitching.
Special Effects
Create a unique colour by blending your own. Take one or more strands of two or more colours and combine them for a different colour. Great way to trim a small piece of fabric for a card or notebook cover.
Trouble Storing Cross Stitch Magazines?
Get some binder inserts. These are long thin pieces of plastic with one long slot and three holes. Open a magazine in the middle and feed half the pages through the long slot. Put the magazines in a three ring binder.
Large Pieces
Grid your fabric every 10th row and every 10th column if you are working a large piece. You can do this quickly with regular thread and large basting stitches. The grid square will then match the large square on your chart so you can easily find where you are or what mistakes (if any!) you have made.
Bits of Pictures
Make a smaller design from a part of a larger one – finish around the edges with a few rows of half cross stitch that follow the shape of the picture.
Different finishes
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Machine stitch around the edge then fray the fabric outside the machine stitch. |
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Blanket stitch a small hem around the finished piece. |
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Sew a coordinated piece of material over the front and turn it inside out. |
Ironing Your Work
Iron your work face down on a towel so the stitches don’t get flattened.