   
Stitching Tips
One of the first things I learned when I began designing
was that, when it comes to needle and thread, there is more than one way of
doing absolutely everything ..... and in my book all methods are the best if
they work for you!
Needlework, in whatever form, is one of the most
satisfying and creative activities you could possibly have ... so the first
and most important tip I can offer is to encourage you to relax and enjoy.
Whether you have been stitching for five minutes or
fifty years, you can be safe in the knowledge that you, along with the rest
of us, are on the learning curve somewhere!
These pages, devoted to Stitching Tips, are for us all
to learn more about our craft and to share stitching know-how with each
other. If you have a particular stitching tip that you would like to
pass on, then please get in touch with me by email, and the best of them will
be published on these pages.
 To begin, here are
some gems submitted by my designer friends and stitching buddies!
 Jan
Eaton is the best-selling author of many textile craft books and
specialises in all aspects of hand embroidery. She has published over a
dozen titles including Mary Thomas’s Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches (new
full-colour edition), The Complete Stitch Encyclopedia, A Creative Guide to
Cross Stitch Embroidery, Around the World in Cross Stitch and The
Step-by-Step Art of Silk Painting.
Jan lives in London and divides her working time
between her cross stitch design company, Tom Pudding Designs, and many
freelance pursuits including writing and textile crafts such as silk painting
and crochet. She is a regular contributor to many of the leading UK
craft and needlecraft magazines.
‘Cleanliness is
next to godliness’...... A rather trite maxim, but one to follow with great
vigour! Nothing spoils a piece of cross stitch more than grubby finger
marks or a dirty ring where the fabric has been rubbed round an embroidery
hoop. Wash your hands frequently and avoid hand cream when you are
stitching as the oils in the cream may transfer to the fabric. Used at
other times, hand cream keeps your skin smooth and prevents snags when using
stranded cotton, rayon and silk.
When mounting
your fabric in a hoop, first spread a double piece of white, acid-free tissue
paper over the right side of the fabric, secure the hoop, then tear a hole in
the tissue to expose an area of fabric ready for stitching.
If you find regular needles tarnish while stitching,
invest in a pack of gold plated needles. They may cost a little more, but
last a lot longer. (Morag Hewat)
The Loop
Starting Method
If you need to
stitch with two strands of thread use the loop method to start - it’s much
neater than weaving the thread through the back of the first few stitches,
and there’s no chance of the thread coming undone. Cut your length of
thread to twice the length you would normally and fold it in half; thread the
needle with the two loose ends. Bring your needle up through the fabric
as normal but don’t pull the thread all the way through - instead take the
needle down through the fabric and through the loop at the back. Carry
on stitching in the usual manner. (Sharon Hodgson)
Comfort
You must feel comfortable while you are
stitching or you won’t enjoy what you are doing. I sit in a well-padded
office chair with a high back, resting my feet on a 15cm high large wooden
box under the studio table and facing a large window. At night, my work
is illuminated by a 75w daylight bulb in an adjustable lamp with a heavy
base. I like to listen to something while I am stitching as this helps
my concentration, so I have the radio on (Radio3, 4 or 5), story tapes or
opera, depending on my mood.
When I’m
working a long row or column I skip every tenth stitch to make it easier to
count. Then I do a complete stitch on the return trip. It seems
to give less distortion than doing a complete stitch every tenth stitch.
When threading
beading needles, to make the thread go through the eye easily and not fray
out, put a tiny spot of clear nail polish on the end of thread and flatten it
with your fingers. Let it dry and it keeps the thread together and
makes a firm end to put through the needle.
Shirley Shone.
Instead of wetting my floss and waiting for
it to dry, I pull it through a fabric softener sheet for tumble dryers- this
works just as well and gives my work a lovely perfume too!
To
help you keep your place on a complicated chart use peel-off Post-it
notes. Use one horizontally to indicate the row and move another along
vertically five stitches at a time (or more or less each time depending on
the pattern!). Hazel Rea
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