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Stitching Help
This page, I hope, will develop into a page of handy hints and tips for stitchers. I should like your input, so if you have a useful tip which has worked for you do let me know and I'll post it here (and give you the credit, of course :))
| 10 important points |
| Remember to wash your hands before starting to stitch and keep your fabric and threads clean. It's a good idea to roll the fabric round a cardboard tube (the insides of toilet rolls, kitchen rolls and roasting foil rolls are very useful for this), and then wrap everything in a clean cloth. This not only keeps your work from getting dirty but also prevents it wrinkling. |
| If you need to wash your embroidery when it's finished. use only soap and water, making sure you rinse it until the water is completely clear. Don't worry if the colours run, just keep rinsing in clean water. Don't wring out the wet fabric, just roll it in a clean towel and let it dry naturally. |
| Remember to cut all trailing threads immediately you have secured them, or they will work their way into the next stitch. |
| If you need to undo stitches - it happens to us all!! - use pointed scissors. It's not a good idea to use a seam ripper, in case of accident to your fabric. |
| Let your needle hang down from your work from time to time. This will allow the threads to unravel and lie flat. Your stitching will be smoother if there are no twists in the thread. |
| A needle can leave a rusty mark if left in the fabric, so keep all your needles together in a case. |
| Think of your work as a painting on fabric, so don't pull the threads too tight (unless the type of work you are doing calls for it). |
| Remember that threads which have been undone lose their shine and should not be re-used. |
| Never use a knot to secure your threads. It's not strong enough and will stop your work from lying flat when finished. |
| When you start stitching after a spell away from your work, work a row of stitches either at the bottom of the fabric or on a spare piece. This will get you into the rhythm of stitching and keep your tension constant. |
| AIDA |
A cotton fabric woven into blocks and is usually stitched across 1 block of threads. It's available in a variety of counts (blocks to the inch) - 18,16,14,11 and 8 - and in a large variety of colours. Although it's an easy fabric to work on, it's not ideal for very detailed work as three-quarter stitches cannot be worked successfully. |
| HARDANGER |
A cotton fabric of double weave which makes it stronger than a single weave fabric. It's available in several colours in a 22 count. Hardanger is the name of a region of Norway, where a special type of embroidery is worked. This includes cutwork and monocolour work which is dependent on this type of weave for its success. |
| LINDA |
A single weave cotton fabric of 28 threads to the inch. It can be obtained in a wide variety of colours for a reasonable price. |
| ANNABELLE |
A cotton fabric in 28 count. As the thickness of the threads in the weave varies, the finished product looks similar to linen, but at half the price. This fabric also can be obtained in a number of different colours. |
| QUAKER |
A 28-count fabric, 55% linen, 45% cotton. It is a beautiful fabric to work with and is available in a variety of different colours. |
| BRITTNEY |
A 28-count fabric, 52% cotton and 48% viscose. It's very easy to work with because the weave is so strong. |
| LUGANA |
A 25-count fabric, 52% cotton and 48% rayon. As it is a combination of cotton and synthetic fibre it has a sheen which is very effective for some projects. |
| LINEN |
A natural fibre on which the early samplers were worked. Although the woven linen is completely even, there can be a variation in the thickness of the threads which makes it appear uneven. However it stitches smoothly but because it is a natural fibre and difficult to produce, it tends to be expensive. It can be purchased under different names, depending on the count.
EDINBURGH - 36 count
BELFAST - 32 count
CASHEL - 28 count
DUBLIN - 25 count
Linen is generally obtainable in its natural colour, bleached, or dyed in a limited range of colours. |
| WOOL |
Evenweave woollen fabric is lovely to use for cross-stitch. It's especially effective if wool threads are used for the embroidery as the two blend into each other well. |
| DMC |
DMC produces a variety of threads for embroidery. The most popular one is the stranded cotton. The big advantage DMC has over the other general use threads is that it keeps its sheen. DMC produces a large variety of colours, some of them very subtle. |
| COATS CRAFTS UK |
Coats products are found under various names. The most well-known name is probably Anchor stranded cotton. There is a greater variety of colours in Anchor than in DMC but the quality of the thread is not as good. It tends to fluff very quickly. |
| MADEIRA THREADS UK |
Madeira threads have the advantage of coming in a pack where the thread can be pulled out whilst the remainder of the thread stays in the packet. This avoids the tangling and knotting of the threads which can occur with the traditional skeins used by Anchor and DMC. Unfortunately, Madeira threads are very prone to fluffing in use and losing their sheen. |
CARON THREADS |
These are threads for that very special project. The cotton threads are very soft, the silk threads very luxurious. Man-made fibres and wool threads are also available. The colours are mainly variegated, many are very subtle. |
I would appreciate comments and additions to this page. If you have any hints to add or suggestions on how I could improve this page please contact Rosemary. I'd be delighted to hear from you. Happy stitching!
  
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