Afghans

[CuriousKitty]

So, I have completed one alphabet afghan as seen previously, and really enjoyed it (for the most part). I'm thinking of doing an animal one in the future, but the problem is most of my patterns I'd like to use are about 30x30 stitches wide, and the last blocked afghan I used, which I'd rate as an easy to stitch on, but a little fiddly, was a 28 block of approximately 80x80 stitches.

So, I don't really want to double the stitch again, as I did for the alphabet, so I'm wondering, for those who have stitched on afghans, if there's a brand out there that might sell one with smaller blocks? Most of what I find is the large open middle, or the blocks around the edges with an open middle, or the 28 block like I had.

Or does someone have a neat way to piece many blocks together nicely? I am an absolute ignoramus when it comes to quilting so I'd have to request help from a friend if that's the case.

Kind of a long shot but just trying to find ideas I guess.

[rcperryls]

I have stitched a lot of afghans over the years. I started them because framing was so expensive and also because I would have a hard time deciding which chart I would want to stitch of a particular subject area. My afghans are mostly themed as I have given many as gifts. I usually would sort of "plot" out which designs went where. I used Anne Cloth which is all blocks of about 80 x 80 or 100 x100 for some, but my first choice is Charles Croft Alphabet afghans with the large squares on the border and the rest of the afghan one large area. Sometimes I would group smaller designs together in a block and leave some blocks empty. If a design is too large for the square I just stitch over the looser stitches which form the inside borders of the squares (does any of this make sense?).

I am planning on starting a new afghan (as if I needed another project), but I have some great Star Wars charts and will be turning them into an afghan for my son who is a Star Wars fanatic (like me). My plan is to do individual characters around the border and I have a Mystic Stitch design which is pretty large and will be the center which is a group chart of characters from the "middle" (original) trilogy. The plan is to finish it sometime in the next decade.

Don't know if this is helpful to you or not. I don't know if the fabrics for the Baby Afghans have smaller dimensions or not, but that is something you could check on.

Carole

[Podolyanka]

An advice from my own experience: all the designs should be of the same scale(size), style, palette and -preferebly -by the same designer. If you could look through old issues (before 2013) of Le Idee di Susanna- an Italian cross stitch magazine. Their issues in 1990s and zero years were brimming with wonderful designs for all tastes, and I know for sure there were animals from large-portrait -like ones to tiny in themed sets. Look also at cross stitch books on book selling sites- they may have something like "Stitching Animals". Good luck, and I am already looking foorward to your updates on this new afghan.

[CuriousKitty]

I have stitched a lot of afghans over the years. I started them because framing was so expensive and also because I would have a hard time deciding which chart I would want to stitch of a particular subject area. My afghans are mostly themed as I have given many as gifts. I usually would sort of "plot" out which designs went where. I used Anne Cloth which is all blocks of about 80 x 80 or 100 x100 for some, but my first choice is Charles Croft Alphabet afghans with the large squares on the border and the rest of the afghan one large area. Sometimes I would group smaller designs together in a block and leave some blocks empty. If a design is too large for the square I just stitch over the looser stitches which form the inside borders of the squares (does any of this make sense?).

I am planning on starting a new afghan (as if I needed another project), but I have some great Star Wars charts and will be turning them into an afghan for my son who is a Star Wars fanatic (like me). My plan is to do individual characters around the border and I have a Mystic Stitch design which is pretty large and will be the center which is a group chart of characters from the "middle" (original) trilogy. The plan is to finish it sometime in the next decade.

Don't know if this is helpful to you or not. I don't know if the fabrics for the Baby Afghans have smaller dimensions or not, but that is something you could check on.

Carole

The "baby afghan" I did was indeed 80x80 for a 4x7 block arrangement. Is that considered standard or baby I wonder?

[Podolyanka]

An "adult" afghan is big enough to cover an adult person like a blanket/quilt. At least the knitted full size afghans I did were the bed's size.

[rcperryls]

The "baby afghan" I did was indeed 80x80 for a 4x7 block arrangement. Is that considered standard or baby I wonder?

I'm pretty sure that is standard. The only difference with a baby afghan is probably the total size, as Lyudmila said. Like everything else in cross stitching you can choose your designs and themes however you want. It's clear that Lyudmila and I have chosen different ways to design the afghans. Depending on the theme, I may have dozens of different designers or stick completely with one. My new afghan (whenever I get to it) will probably use 2 or 3 designers but it is very possible by the time I get to it, or before I finish it, if I come across any patterns that I think will fit in they could be added. The major problem with stitching an afghan is the amount of fabric to manage. Actually much easier to stitch in the winter, but I've taken afghans I am working on with me when we vacationed in summer along the Gulf Coast of Florida and managed fine. Looking forward to what you decide to do.l

Carole

[CuriousKitty]

The "baby afghan" I did was indeed 80x80 for a 4x7 block arrangement. Is that considered standard or baby I wonder?

I'm pretty sure that is standard. The only difference with a baby afghan is probably the total size, as Lyudmila said. Like everything else in cross stitching you can choose your designs and themes however you want. It's clear that Lyudmila and I have chosen different ways to design the afghans. Depending on the theme, I may have dozens of different designers or stick completely with one. My new afghan (whenever I get to it) will probably use 2 or 3 designers but it is very possible by the time I get to it, or before I finish it, if I come across any patterns that I think will fit in they could be added. The major problem with stitching an afghan is the amount of fabric to manage. Actually much easier to stitch in the winter, but I've taken afghans I am working on with me when we vacationed in summer along the Gulf Coast of Florida and managed fine. Looking forward to what you decide to do.l

Carole

It's long term planning right now, so I'm not positive. Maybe if I still double the size of the patterns, I stitch with 4 threads instead of 2.

On the Alphabet, 2 was just beautiful because it made it look more vintage and delicate showing the fabric beneath.

I'm also considering the logistics of "quilting" one together. Maybe stitching smaller squares and then piecing them together with a strip of cotton between everything?

[Granny Weatherwax]

I have stitched a lot of afghans over the years. I started them because framing was so expensive and also because I would have a hard time deciding which chart I would want to stitch of a particular subject area. My afghans are mostly themed as I have given many as gifts. I usually would sort of "plot" out which designs went where. I used Anne Cloth which is all blocks of about 80 x 80 or 100 x100 for some, but my first choice is Charles Croft Alphabet afghans with the large squares on the border and the rest of the afghan one large area. Sometimes I would group smaller designs together in a block and leave some blocks empty. If a design is too large for the square I just stitch over the looser stitches which form the inside borders of the squares (does any of this make sense?)

Hi curious kitty!
Thanks for starting this post as I have the same questions! Anne Cloth is a good advice! I could not find a lot of sites with Charles Croft Alphabet Afghans.
Is there someone here who made a quilt out of a collection of small x-stitch designs and is willing to share their advice?

Thanks!

[rcperryls]

My typo I think regarding Charles Craft (not Croft) alphabet afghan. However, I can't find it now, other than at 123Stitch and it is listed as out of stock/not available. Besides Anne Cloth, there is Lady Elizabeth , Monk's cloth fabrics. Charles Craft and Zweigart produce them. I haven't used those, so cannot say how well they stitch.

Carole

[CuriousKitty]

Mine was a Charles Craft, 100% acrylic, which has its good and bad points. I think I found it on ebay honestly.