Crossstitchforum - A FREE forum for Cross Stitchers

So what is your style?

For small projects (as in one page patterns) l am a fan of stitching all in one colour and then moving to the next, until they are all complete then finishing with backstitch. I am however about to embark on the Clock Fractal which is 30 pages long and would love to hear how others tackle these size projects.

I have heard of doing 10x10 blocks and completing page by page as a good way, but I must admit if i see one stitch outside the grid I'd be tempted to go ahead and do it, which would probably lead me stay and end up cross countrying me the page. How do you remain committed to only 10x10?

I've also watched a few tutorials on parking and have seen this can also be done line by line - what is your experience?

Another query on larger projects is how to hold them ie frame, hoop or in hand, and what is the best technique to work in hand as I have read some of you do.

I'd be glad to read of your styles and advice, hopefully I haven't introduced too many things under the one heading!

Thanks,
Cynthia

I like to do multi page patterns by parking in 10 wide grids. That said, Im not too strict about keeping it inside the grid. if a color carries on into the next square over I go ahead and stitch it. doing this actually keeps lines from showing up in your work.

also, if you want to cross county, go for it! Id suggest gridding out your fabric either with thread (or fishing line) or with a wash off pen, this helps prevent counting errors.

here is a couple pictures, the first one is cross country with gridding and the second is my not so strict parking




as for what frame to use, whatever works best for you. I like either a scroll frame or an 11x17 Qsnap for big projects, I leave hoops for minis. I dont stitch in hand at all, but it works fine for other people.

I think the smallest project I've done in the last five years was a nine-page chart. I park, but not in 10 x 10 blocks. On my current project, I've been parking half the page width at a time and going line by line. It's actually working out quite well. I don't grid; I find it unnecessary, but I encourage you to try it if you haven't yet. Some folks find it to be a godsend. I can't cross-country large projects that have a lot of confetti with subtle shading. It's too easy to miscount and then get lost because the colors are so similar. I don't miscount and have to frog while parking, and I find it much faster as long as I only have to deal with 25 needles or fewer. When I get more than 25 needles going, it's gets a little crazy. For that many colors, I have to take the needles out and thread each color as I come to it, which slows me down. I do afghans and tablecloths in hand, but everything else I do on scroll frames with a stand. I usually use 30-inch or 36-inch scroll rods and there's no way I'm holding that frame in hand. Gotta have a stand.

I stitch till I finish that length of thread taking the shortest rout possible, then I start on the next empty square and repeat.

I use spring hoops for hardanger and small projects. I use scroll frames (loving the Millenium ... my other scrolls have seen their last I think) for my tapestry and bigger projects.

I'm loving this topic. As new to cross stitch myself I have been curious how all of these lovely, more experienced stitches work through a project. I'm working through a few smaller projects to really get myself situated before heading into a large piece.

ener23 wrote:I'm loving this topic.

Me too! And it just goes to show there is no wrong way, you just have to try and see what works best for you As for myself, typically, I work from bottom right going up and left cross country style ... on "simple" designs ... but on my bigger many colored ones, I am working top right down, cross country style to the given page. I myself am still learning as I go ... on doing new ways ... I hope you let us know what you try and how you like (or don't like!) the style

I used to do all one colour. But then....I miscounted and everything beyond that stitch was wrong.

I do not park. I take a thread, stitch all of that colour in the one area...maybe anchor it and restart same thread in another area. Then on to another colour.

When doing a pattern of multiple pages, I tape them together. This way I do not accidentally re stitch the same row (some double two rows, some double three). So I don't even finish one page before going on to the next. I did that once, and I felt there was a visible line on my finished picture. That line might have been in my own mind.

I generally use 8 x 8 Q snaps for my HAED projects and a large hoop for my afghan. The larger ones I just find cumbersome. I am pretty much a cross country stitcher focusing on a page at a time on my larger (mostly HAED) projects, but will move to the next page on the right or below if there are only a few stitches to continue. I almost always start in the upper left corner. I have been doing that for years. I learned about gridding since joining the forum and find it invaluable.

I hate threading needles so will keep needles threaded and have a crazy system using the plastic bobbin boxes to keep the bobbins and threaded needles in for each project. I'm not sure I can even explain it other than to say what started out as logical when I was a "one project only at a time" stitcher has grown tendrils like a vine once I expanded to not just a lot of projects, but a lot of big projects. Fortunately the bobbin containers aren't expensive at Michael's and the Sterlite Storage Drawer Carts are also not pricey at Walmart. Each drawer holds one or two projects. One cart stores fabrics and hoops etc and stores non HAED projects and UFOs. I have 5 carts now. If I ever get around to cleaning out what was my husband's "paint room" it will become my craft room. (I have a wonderful image in my head how it will look).

I hope some of this makes sense

Carole

For the majority of my projects I will start in the middle and then work to the first closest face and finish that and then move to whatever calls to me. I cross country stitch and I do not grid. All of this works for ME. But may not be good for others.

But several very large projects multiple pages. I will start in the top left and work across and down following whatever color I choose to work with. Again I still work cross country and I still do not grid. I work on mainly one page at a time but as Carole said when it gets close to the next page I will cross into that page to work a color.

I love my Q-snaps and I use every combination you can think of. From 8X8 to 11X11 or whatever the project needs. and I have a lap stand that holds them all.

Thanks so far for all the responses. It is so interesting to read all the different techniques that people use.

I've fridded my clock fractal material and have at the moment commenced it in a scroll frame which is too small - was the only one I had in the house. (I will start a new thread when there is some progress worth showing).

So thinking of finding a q snap frame to try, have found a listing on eBay.

I will also attempt parking at least on the first page and see how I like it. Always worth trying a new technique!

On HAEDs I park. No ifs, and, or buts about it. I started off with strict 10x10 grids, but gave up on that and just let the pattern itself guide me, working areas of similar colors. This is an older picture of one of my HAEDS, Ive done a lot more since then, but I think it shows well that I'm working in areas that are similar colored..



You can see a slideshow of the progress pics here to see how I worked on it seotion by section. Sometimes I did stick to a 10 inch wide column within an area just because otherwise it would have driven me mad.

http://s1295.photobucket.com/user/Needl ... rmaid%20QS" target="_blank

For a frame, I like using a scroll frame - specifially the millenium frame. It is pretty heavy an probably should go in a stand but I managed to work without one for quite a while. Though I imagine any sort of frame would work, you just need to find what you're comfortable with.

Such an interesting topic. I'm about to embark on a biggie project and am curious. I'm doing a mini HAED at the moment as a practice. Only a hundred or so stitches in. But I can't get my head round parking. I'm using magic aida on my large HAED as I'm not going to risk messing up counting. I just do a few 10x10 blocks at a time. Marking the ones I am doing and cross country stitch until the thread is finished.

Thank you for posting this as a question!