Even though I've been stitching for over 25 years, there are a lot of firsts with this one.
It's my first time using Q-Snaps. I always had a stretcher bar set-up, but there is so much material for this piece (it'll end up around 20 inches by 26 inches, and I bought a 30x36 piece of 18-count Aida) that stretcher bars just won't work. So, I got the 11x17 Q-Snaps, as well as a Grime Guard that I realized right away I would need to protect the thread from my arms and just make everything easier to manage. Since I'm starting in the upper-left corner of the pattern, all that white you see under the WIP picture is the rolled-up excess material that won't fit into the Grime Guard.
Just to make everything managable, on my last trip to the local craft store to pick up a needle threader (first time using one of those, too!) and two colors of floss I didn't realize I was missing, I saw their display of big canvas bags with nice leather (or pleather, not too sure which) handles that would hold the big Q-Snaps frame and all of my project-related stuff, so I picked one out.
Oh, and I'm also using my brand-new magnifying light that I picked up once I realized that I just can't deal with my usual source of light at my age--I need more wattage to see everything!
Even though I've been stitching for over 25 years, there are a lot of firsts with this one.
It's my first time using Q-Snaps. I always had a stretcher bar set-up, but there is so much material for this piece (it'll end up around 20 inches by 26 inches, and I bought a 30x36 piece of 18-count Aida) that stretcher bars just won't work. So, I got the 11x17 Q-Snaps, as well as a Grime Guard that I realized right away I would need to protect the thread from my arms and just make everything easier to manage. Since I'm starting in the upper-left corner of the pattern, all that white you see under the WIP picture is the rolled-up excess material that won't fit into the Grime Guard.
Just to make everything managable, on my last trip to the local craft store to pick up a needle threader (first time using one of those, too!) and two colors of floss I didn't realize I was missing, I saw their display of big canvas bags with nice leather (or pleather, not too sure which) handles that would hold the big Q-Snaps frame and all of my project-related stuff, so I picked one out.
So, with my Fantasy Fairy I, too, am working with hugely excessive fabric, and after trying to hand make a grime guard for my 10" hoop, which I couldn't figure out since it doesn't have corners, what I ultimately did was get a pillow case, stuffed the excess in, and safety pinned it closed, as close to the hoop I could. Works for me. Not sure when I get into the middle, but that will be awhile yet lol! Might have two pillow cases then
Edit to add pictures:
So many HAEDs I couldn't possibly list them all. Current favorites are Dragon Kin, Sea Unicorns (QS), April Fairy, What's This, Dahlia, and so many starts going on. Love to cross stitch! Find me on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/brekkana.kultiras
That is going to be fantastic!!!
I also use Q-snaps for most of my projects and prefer the 8 x 8 size. I have larger ones but I just find them cumbersome. For my HAEDs that end up with lots of extra fabric, I roll the fabric up and tuck it under the grime guards. Use large hair clips to hold them up. An old picture from my O Kitten Tree shows the clips. It is a bit bulky but protects the fabric. It does get wrinkly but they go away when I move the fabric. The clips leave no permanent marks either. And to make sure I now put a second grime guard over the first so that the clips only touch the guard and not the fabric directly. Since I leave the fabric in the q-snaps until I change projects or move the fabric to a new section, its not quite as cumbersome as it sounds. Hope this makes sense.
Carole
WIPs
Star Wars Afghan:Chewbaca
HAEDs:
O Kitten Tree
Dancing with the Cat
Everything else "on hold"
2022 Finished: Star Wars Afghan: Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Finn, Rey, Poe, Han Solo,Darth Vader, BB8,Luke Skywalker
That picture brings back memories. I had a pencil case when at school with that image printed on it. I really can't remember what happened to it (last remember seeing it in 1977 maybe) and would love to have the picture again.
Oh my goodness. I like maps but this one takes the biscuit as it is fantastic & will be outstanding when done. Can understand it will take you ages but look forward to updates. It always amazes me what intricate projects people find to stitch. Hope you enjoy working on this, Well done for taking on this task.
The pillow cases are a brilliant idea, especially for a hoop set-up!
Before I got the Grime Guard, I was thinking of using some plain muslin and some big hair clips to protect the fabric, but it was too unwieldy. I do still have both, though, and I am using a few of the clips to hold the excess material in place under the grime guard's material. I am going to try and remember to wash the guard at least once a month, if not more often, just to keep everything as clean as possible.
I brought the project into work for the first time today and will see what I can get done during my lunchtime.
Good progress and it's a fantastic project, it's going to be stunning. And big!!!
Now I'm trying to figure out if I could make a grime guard with extra fabric on the bottom and sides to hold the rolled up cross stitch fabric.....hummm.
lavenderbee wrote:Oh my goodness. I like maps but this one takes the biscuit as it is fantastic & will be outstanding when done. Can understand it will take you ages but look forward to updates. It always amazes me what intricate projects people find to stitch. Hope you enjoy working on this, Well done for taking on this task.
Amazing detail.That will keep you out of mischief for a while!!
I worked on it pretty much nonstop over the weekend (and boy, were my eyes tired by the end of the day on Sunday!!). I was trying to finish off my first page of the pattern (out of 28), but I had to put it down with another 500 or more stitches to go. So, it looks like I'll be finishing off the page by Friday night sometime.
I've been bringing it into work to get 30 minutes of stitching in the middle of the day, but today, that had to get put on hold. As I'm finishing the photocopied page that I'm working off of (and marking off the completed stitches with a highlighter), I noticed that where I usually hold the page in my left hand while I'm stitching with my right, I have been rubbing off some of the copied page's ink at the bottom left of the page, which is the section that I'm still stitching. So, today at lunchtime, I decided to make another copy of the page, this time blown up 125% to make it easier to read, and then spent 10 minutes transferring over most of my highlighted marks on that corner. (I also copied the next page I'll be working on at 125%--two separate pages, which are a LOT easier to read!!)
I'll be posting updated pictures at the end of every month, so I should be part-way into my second page by my next update! I'll also update my stitch tracker in my sig at that poin--right now, I'm around 6800 stitches done, so almost 180,000 more to go.
Fizzbw wrote:Good progress and it's a fantastic project, it's going to be stunning. And big!!!
Now I'm trying to figure out if I could make a grime guard with extra fabric on the bottom and sides to hold the rolled up cross stitch fabric.....hummm.
Niki xxx
I'll be seeing my mom this summer, and I'm going to bring out the project to work on it at her place. She has a sewing machine, so I'm going to see if she can make me a few grime guards with extra room for all of my rolled up material.
I couldn't wait until the end of the month, so here is my first page completed!!!
I just finished the last 20 stitches before leaving for work this morning.
SQ patterns seem to have a LOT of confetti in them, so I am not sharing any pictures of the back of the piece--it is soooo not up to my usual rather high standards of being a mirror of the front due to all of the anchoring bits of thread running all over the place. I really should learn some of those techniques for anchoring thread that don't take up a lot of space. Oh, well, maybe with the next page.
shows the clips. It is a bit bulky but protects the fabric. It does get wrinkly but they go away when I move the fabric. The clips leave no permanent marks either. And to make sure I now put a second grime guard over the first so that the clips only touch the guard and not the fabric directly. Since I leave the fabric in the q-snaps until I change projects or move the fabric to a new section, its not quite as cumbersome as it sounds. Hope this makes sense.
