Here is a pic after page 3 of 30 was completed. It is the very top of the skull. I don't know if you can tell from the pic but the first 3/4 of the image has the "checkerboard" effect because I was doing columns of 10x10. The last quarter I went cross country and I like it much more. It looks more seamless to me. Since the "checkerboard" effect is less than 10% of the entire piece I hope it won't be too noticeable after I wash it. I didn't have that issue with my first project and so I am wondering if it is because of the 3 over 1. It creates a much thicker piece and perhaps makes it more noticeable. One of these days I'll do a whole pro/con rant on 3 over 1.
Last edited by Mad Max on Fri Feb 03, 2017 11:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Skull of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette, Van Gogh, 18ct Aida, 3 over 1.
I think the thread tension is what causes the lines to show up. If it wasn't so hard to pull through, maybe the lines wouldn't be so noticeable because there would be less tension in the thread. I did 2 over 1 on 14 count with one of my pieces & got a noticeable line at the edge of the pages. Unfortunately it didn't wash out. I don't get it now, as I don't pull the thread so hard any more.
However, no lines are visible in the photo & you've made a good start on a rather unusual picture.
Great start! Do you have a pic of what the finished piece will look like?
I could see vague lines when I enlarged the picture but once the main part of the piece is stitched, that is what people will be looking at and I don't think they'll notice the lines so much. I think stitchers notice them more because we're aware of them but non-stitchers probably wouldn't notice, especially after washing.
I agree with Richard about tension. I got a checkerboard effect on Adobe White which I stitched on 28ct Jobelan but I don't have that problem with Cat in a Window, which I'm stitching on 22ct Hardanger. I think it's because the Hardanger is a slightly stiffer fabric than the Jobelan and therefore better able to withstand my tension.
Great start and I agree with the others that the "checkerboard" effect should be gone after washing the piece. I also think that tension is the cause, but don't know if the 3 over 1 has any effect. I have stitched 2 over 1 on 18ct and 3 over 1 on 14ct fabrics but not 3 over 1 on 18ct. Have you tested this out in areas that have more confetti than color blocks? I know that with my first HAED, which I stitched on 25ct lugana, 2 over 1 was great while I stitched nearly 6 pages of black thread. Once I got to the confetti filled sections it became almost impossible for me to pull the needle through the holes in the fabric. I had to restart the piece and it has turned into a "on hold" project. If you haven't tested yours, you might want to try it before you go a lot further. Just a suggestion, but one I wish someone had made to me before I got started. Regardless, I am very much looking forward to seeing your progress on this piece.
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
Tension, and direction of tension at the end of rows, is definitely part of the issue but I also think 3 over 1 might be contributory. Look at the back - do you have an obvious vertical ridge of thread between the columns where you've carried the thread behind down to the next row? I think this has an effect on the front as well, and will be more obvious the more strands you stitch with due to increased bulk. I'm having this issue between pages of the project I'm doing at the moment in areas with blocks of colour and I don't think it's solely a tension problem as it's stitched 2 over 1 on 14ct Aida so I'm trying to work with minimal tension to not compromise coverage. Also Aida is stiffer and less prone to deformation as previously mentioned. I'm overcoming the problem by making the back a bit more "messy" at the junctions of pages so I'm not creating a hard vertical ridge all the way down the edge.
I agree with others though, only you will know it's there when it's finished and up on the wall!
Rosemary
WIPs
Blue Moon - Andy Russell
The Shore of the Turquoise Sea - Albert Bierstadt
Arabian Walled Garden - Chatelaine
What a great project. It looks fine to me, I can't notice any lines. I had the same trouble with some of mine but now I stitch cross country and I don't have that problem. Great work
Vanessa
A little progress every day adds up to big results
WIP
The adoration of the kings- Golden kite completed
This is going to look amazing when it's done I'll be watching out for updates.
I do cross country to avoid the lines as its happened to me, some companies recommend stitching 10x10 squares but they must know these lines occur I appreciate it's to stop you making mistakes but I'd rather not have lines.
richardandtracy wrote:I think the thread tension is what causes the lines to show up. If it wasn't so hard to pull through, maybe the lines wouldn't be so noticeable because there would be less tension in the thread. I did 2 over 1 on 14 count with one of my pieces & got a noticeable line at the edge of the pages. Unfortunately it didn't wash out. I don't get it now, as I don't pull the thread so hard any more.
However, no lines are visible in the photo & you've made a good start on a rather unusual picture.
Regards,
Richard
Hi Richard. Thank you for your feedback! I have a feeling they won't wash out either but I'm hoping it will be minimized enough to not distract from the rest of the piece. For some reason, the cross-country method has solved the problem. The next 2 pages are basically all brown and black background so I should be able to move quite fast through that and post something soon. I'm excited to show more of the skull.
Skull of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette, Van Gogh, 18ct Aida, 3 over 1.
BizzieLizzie wrote:Great start! Do you have a pic of what the finished piece will look like?
I could see vague lines when I enlarged the picture but once the main part of the piece is stitched, that is what people will be looking at and I don't think they'll notice the lines so much. I think stitchers notice them more because we're aware of them but non-stitchers probably wouldn't notice, especially after washing.
I agree with Richard about tension. I got a checkerboard effect on Adobe White which I stitched on 28ct Jobelan but I don't have that problem with Cat in a Window, which I'm stitching on 22ct Hardanger. I think it's because the Hardanger is a slightly stiffer fabric than the Jobelan and therefore better able to withstand my tension.
Looking forward to seeing this piece progress!
Hi BizzieLizzie. Thank you for your feedback! It's funny you mention how stitchers notice stuff like that more because everyone I show has no idea what I am talking about and think it looks fine. For my next project I want to use 22ct Hardanger. Do you like it? One of the reasons I used 3 over 1 was because I liked the coverage. How is the coverage with the Cat in the Window?
Skull of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette, Van Gogh, 18ct Aida, 3 over 1.
kingfisher68 wrote:Good start. Sounds difficult, 3 over 1 & all that black.
Izzi
Hi Izzi. Thank you for your feedback! There is a lot of black indeed. I am heading into the tedious part of the pattern where there are only 2 main colors but I think it will go quickly.
Skull of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette, Van Gogh, 18ct Aida, 3 over 1.
rcperryls wrote: Great start and I agree with the others that the "checkerboard" effect should be gone after washing the piece. I also think that tension is the cause, but don't know if the 3 over 1 has any effect. I have stitched 2 over 1 on 18ct and 3 over 1 on 14ct fabrics but not 3 over 1 on 18ct. Have you tested this out in areas that have more confetti than color blocks? I know that with my first HAED, which I stitched on 25ct lugana, 2 over 1 was great while I stitched nearly 6 pages of black thread. Once I got to the confetti filled sections it became almost impossible for me to pull the needle through the holes in the fabric. I had to restart the piece and it has turned into a "on hold" project. If you haven't tested yours, you might want to try it before you go a lot further. Just a suggestion, but one I wish someone had made to me before I got started. Regardless, I am very much looking forward to seeing your progress on this piece.
Carole
Hi Carole. Thank you for your feedback! I was also worried about the confetti areas of the piece. There is a lot of it around the edge of the skull where it meets the background. When I first started, I seemed to be bending needles left and right to get it through the fabric. I was using DMC brand, and then I switched to John James and have not had any issues. There are times when it is not the easiest thing in the world but (knock on wood) I haven't had a situation where it was impossible to get through the fabric. Have you worked on 25ct Lugana since that project?
Skull of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette, Van Gogh, 18ct Aida, 3 over 1.
Tension, and direction of tension at the end of rows, is definitely part of the issue but I also think 3 over 1 might be contributory. Look at the back - do you have an obvious vertical ridge of thread between the columns where you've carried the thread behind down to the next row? I think this has an effect on the front as well, and will be more obvious the more strands you stitch with due to increased bulk. I'm having this issue between pages of the project I'm doing at the moment in areas with blocks of colour and I don't think it's solely a tension problem as it's stitched 2 over 1 on 14ct Aida so I'm trying to work with minimal tension to not compromise coverage. Also Aida is stiffer and less prone to deformation as previously mentioned. I'm overcoming the problem by making the back a bit more "messy" at the junctions of pages so I'm not creating a hard vertical ridge all the way down the edge.
I agree with others though, only you will know it's there when it's finished and up on the wall!
Hi Rosemary. Thank you for your comments! I think you hit the nail on the head! There are obvious vertical ridges between the columns on the back that are more pronounced because of the amount of thread I am using. I believe the lines on the front are not really due to the individual stitch tension but more to do with the uniform direction of the tension. I am also making the back look more "messy" by going cross-country mixed with a staggered edge along page borders. So far that seems to have cured the checkerboard issue. Have you worked on any other fabric besides Aida? For my next project I want to move up to 22ct but I'm not sure which brand of fabric to use.
Skull of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette, Van Gogh, 18ct Aida, 3 over 1.
vanessanjf wrote:What a great project. It looks fine to me, I can't notice any lines. I had the same trouble with some of mine but now I stitch cross country and I don't have that problem. Great work
Hi Vanessa! Thank you for your comments. Cross-country solved my problem, too! I look forward to showing you more of the skull once I get through 5 million black and brown stitches on the next 2 pages.
Skull of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette, Van Gogh, 18ct Aida, 3 over 1.
This is going to look amazing when it's done I'll be watching out for updates.
I do cross country to avoid the lines as its happened to me, some companies recommend stitching 10x10 squares but they must know these lines occur I appreciate it's to stop you making mistakes but I'd rather not have lines.
Hi Lulu. Thank you for your comments. I also do cross-country now after learning the hard way. Out of all the websites I went to, the only one that said not to do 10x10 squares was Scarlet Quince. I thought they were crazy but they were right. I couldn't do the cross-country if it wasn't for my gridding procedure to keep rack of where I am.
Skull of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette, Van Gogh, 18ct Aida, 3 over 1.
Mad Max wrote: For my next project I want to use 22ct Hardanger. Do you like it? One of the reasons I used 3 over 1 was because I liked the coverage. How is the coverage with the Cat in the Window?
Hi Mad Max,
Yes, I like 22ct Hardanger very much. It's similar to Aida, maybe slightly stiffer. I'm using it for Cat in a Window because this design uses blends so I have to use two strands, whereas I would normally use 28ct Jobelan when stitching with one strand. You can see the coverage I get on Cat in a Window here and I'm very happy with it. Scarlet Quince also have a handy page of floss coverage examples.
Bear in mind that I park using the Scarlet Quince method so I only bring the needle up in a hole that has no more than one stitch already in it. I note that you cross country, so you might find 22ct a little tight when fitting a stitch in where there's more than one stitch already in place, but if you're managing with 3 strands on 18ct, this might not be a problem for you (although it might become a problem if the back gets congested in confetti areas). I'm sure other forum members will be able to advise you on that.
Mad Max wrote:Have you worked on 25ct Lugana since that project?
Oh yes. I have several projects that I am stitching on 25ct Lugana, 1 over 1. I also like Jobelan and Linen for some projects. My favorite however, for most of my large projects (HAED designs generally) is 2 over 1 on 28ct Lugana. That gives me good coverage and goes faster. What is most important is that you find what you are most comfortable with.
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
Do you have a pic of what the finished piece will look like? 
Out of all the websites I went to, the only one that said not to do 10x10 squares was Scarlet Quince. I thought they were crazy but they were right. I couldn't do the cross-country if it wasn't for my gridding procedure to keep rack of where I am.