laying tool

[Ann_]

I saw something in a catalog about laying tool. What exactly it is? How I can use it?

[dollystitcher]

I had never heard of these either so I googled it. Apparently it is a tool that helps you lay your stitches flatter by sort of smoothing them flat as you stitch. It seems to be more useful for embroidery stitches such as satin stitch, though it can be used for cross stitch too. Hope this helps

[Lessa54]

As I understand it's supposed to achieve the same as railroading - ie ensuring that your two strands of thread are lying neatly side by side on your fabric. Personally I just railroad and let the thread untwist every so often.

[Mabel Figworthy]

It's generally used for free embroidery, and I think it is much used in Japanese silk embroidery and the like -- anything that needs to lie absolutely flat. I don't think I'd use it in cross stitch really, even when I worked with flat silks I found that usually a quick stroke with the needle made it lie as flat as it needed to be, but then in cross stitch the stitch length is relatively short.

[stitchingmae]

Railroading?

Have seen this a few times and not sure waht it is?

[Mabel Figworthy]

It's when you use two strands and you take the needle between the two strands when you go down the hole so the two strands lie nice and flat next to each other.