Tuesday Tips - Getting Centered

(Okay, so it’s not Tuesday, but it’s been so long I figured I better post anyway!)

In order to start any stitching project, it is proper to start in the middle of your fabric and work out. There is a very good reason for this: if you start in a corner and didn’t measure properly, you might not end up with enough fabric to finish the piece!

Fabric Size

Your fabric should be large enough for your pattern, based on the number of stitches in both length and width, plus about 3 inches around all edges for finishing. To get the proper measurements, you can ask the nice salesperson at the craft store to help or follow these steps (this does require some math):

1.  Determine the total stitches from the pattern. This is usually listed as the pattern dimensions.
2. Divide the number of stitches in the pattern by the count of your fabric to get your total finished piece size. The fabric count is the number of stitches per inch; for example, Aida 14 has 14 stitches per inch.
3. Add 6 inches (3 inches per side) to each dimension.
4. Buy fabric with at least these dimensions.

So if you have a piece that is 112 x 140 stitches (8” x 10”), you will need a piece of Aida 14 count fabric that is 14” x 16.”

Preparing the fabric

You may notice that some fabrics tend to fray at the edges. While this may not be a big deal in the beginning, over time these straggling bits of thread do become annoying. To prevent fraying, either wrap the edges in some masking tape or zig-zag stitch along the edge with your sewing machine.

Finding the Center

Now to the heart of the story: finding the center of your fabric.

To do this, simply fold your fabric in quarters, lengthwise and widthwise. At the folded point, this is your center. Poke a needle into this point so you don’t loose it after you put the fabric in your hoop. This is where your first stitch will be placed.

See this quickie slideshow for some illustrations.

Make sure you find the center stitch of your pattern: it is marked with arrows on the edges of the chart.

For more advanced projects, or if you are undertaking a project that is larger than one you’ve done before, it may be helpful to mark the center with a few basting stitches. Take a piece of thread that is a different color and create very long stitches that cross the center point of your fabric. Make sure they are loose enough so that you can pull them out later, but tight enough that they are useful. It’s a fine line. :-)

Tuesday Tips - Choosing your fabric

The type of fabric you choose can really do wonders for the project you are working on. It can change the texture and add to (or detract from) the artistic style. The weave style, color, and fibers all add to the perfect piece of cross stitch or embroidery fabric.

Weave Style
Most beginner projects are done on even weave fabric called Aida. This fabric comes with nice, neat squares that make it very convenient to match up with the graph lines of your chart. It helps makes basic cross stitches evenly spaced and symmetrical. However, you can see the fabric more clearly in your background.

For more detailed projects, you might want something a little more sophisticated. This may call for a smaller weave fabric like linen or, one of my favorites, Jobelan. Having a smaller weave fabric keeps the background of the design smooth and fresh-looking. Also, creating partial stitches is easier with a smaller weave because you don’t have to try to poke your needle through a mass of fabric – the hole already exists. However, you must be more careful of the tension of your stitches to keep them neat and even.

Uneven weave linen can be more difficult to stitch on because the thread rows are not the same. Distortion of your project may occur. I have not had the opportunity to work on such fabric, so I can’t give a personal account. (Quite frankly, it scares me a little!)

Color
There are so many colors available in fabric choices. Of course, there is the standard white and antique white, but you can work on red, blue, black, pink, or virtually any other color of the rainbow. Your choice may depend on many factors:

1. the color of the room where you will put the final product
2. your choice of complimentary or contrasting color of the design
3. whatever scraps of fabric you have in your inventory

To add to your choices, you not only have solid colors, but hand dyed fabrics as well. These can come in opalescent and other marbled colors that really add texture to your finished piece. A hand dyed blue may be a great look as a cloudy sky on a landscape piece. Here is an example of Silkweaver’s Expressions “Blue Fusion” on Lugana.

Pre-printed fabrics are also available that have a small screen-print design, like hearts, gingham, or stripes.

My tip on color revolves around darkness: dark colors are much more difficult to stitch on so make sure you have plenty of light. It also helps to have something light-colored behind your fabric, on your lap or other work surface, so that you can more easily see the holes.

Fibers
Popular Aida fabrics are created with cotton fibers. Plain, easy to wash, and durable. But there are others: metallic, silk, rayon, perforated paper, and waste canvas.

The softer rayon/cotton blends have a nice sheen to them and are very easy to handle. Many also do not wrinkle easily. Linen and a new piece of Aida can be a bit stiff until you’ve worked with it a while. Metallic is usually a cotton fabric with a few strands of metallic thread woven through to create a look that shimmers. You have to see this style in person, pictures don’t do it justice.

Perforated paper is exactly that: thick paper with holes in it. This is often used to create ornaments or bookmarks because of its durability. It comes in either a plain sheet or pre-cut designs like hearts or doilies. Go to the Kreinik Tokens and Trifles website to see more examples.

Waste canvas is used as a guide for stitching on a piece of fabric that is not made for cross stitch, like a shirt or table linen. You stitch the canvas on top of the shirt just as you would any other project. Upon completion, you simply wet the fabric and gently pull out the waste canvas from the under the stitches, leaving your image untouched.

So, as you can see, it’s not just the pattern that makes your work stand out. The fabric is the foundation of your masterpiece.