HAED questions

[Anaya]

I saw a pattern on 123 stitch by HAED called Twilight Moon Pearls. I know a lot of y'all have done HAED patterns so I have a few questions. Is it difficult to stitch 2 over 1 on 25 ct? Are there a lot of color changes in a given area? You know, like 3 stitches in this color, 6 in that color, and then 4 in another color. And lastly, are there usually any blended colors?

Thanks in advance for the assist!

[Allyn]

I saw a pattern on 123 stitch by HAED called Twilight Moon Pearls. I know a lot of y'all have done HAED patterns so I have a few questions. Is it difficult to stitch 2 over 1 on 25 ct? Are there a lot of color changes in a given area? You know, like 3 stitches in this color, 6 in that color, and then 4 in another color. And lastly, are there usually any blended colors?...

Check the HaED website and find a mock-up of the design first to make sure it you're happy with the way it will look. Not all HaEDs have a mock-up and some of their conversions are less than stellar.

I don't think it is difficult at all to stitch two-over-one on 25-count as long as you tent stitch instead of full crosses. Full crosses two-over-one on 25 count is, imo, very bulky and gets hard to stitch because of the density of stitches. Two-over-one tent or one-over-one full crosses is better on 25-count.

Usually there is quite a bit of confetti. In some areas, you might have 40+ symbols in a 10x10 square, which would be much heavier confetti than your example.

HaED doesn't do blends, which is a shame.

[rcperryls]

I thought I recognized the design! I am 2/3 of the way through another of Melissa Dawn's designs, Mini Shiver Meow Timbers! and am having so much fun stitching it. I am stitching it 1 over 1 full crosses on 25 count Lugana and getting good coverage, though on my later HAED projects, I prefer tenting on 28 ct. I would suggest testing the fabric counts and stitch types before you get started. None of the HAEDs have fractional stitches or blended threads. There is however a lot of confetti as most projects use 80 - 90 different colors (you can get some in up to 250 or so, but none blended). I've seen designs stitched on Aida, evenweaves and linen in all different counts. Looking forward to seeing your progress on this. Remember it is only one stitch at a time!

Carole

[Anaya]

Thank you all for the input. I went on the website and looked at the mockup. It looked great but I'm not in the mood for a lot of confetti so I'll be putting it on the back burner for now.

My first project years ago was Rapunzel by Teresa Wentzel. I call it my first because prior to that I'd done maybe 3 little weekenders, the kind with a short phrase and maybe a flower or a butterfly, real simple. I had no idea what I was getting into! I did finish it a year later and it looked awesome, but it wasn't a very relaxing project.

[Allyn]

...My first project years ago was Rapunzel by Teresa Wentzel. ....

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it. Teresa Wentzler is, to this day, still my favorite designer. I've done and still have quite a few of her old charts, including Rapunzel. Specialty stitches, lots of confetti and blended threads I love her charts.

[rcperryls]

...My first project years ago was Rapunzel by Teresa Wentzel. ....

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it. Teresa Wentzler is, to this day, still my favorite designer. I've done and still have quite a few of her old charts, Specialty stitches, lots of confetti and blended threads I love her charts.

I agree that Teresa Wentzler is an awesome designer. I never stitched Rapunzel, but have stitched dragons and carousel horses and fairies. She has always been at the top of my favorite designer list. But I do understand that the confetti and blended threads can become overwhelming, even though the final effect is beautiful.

Carole

[Anaya]

I probably should have picked something easier to start with, and worked my up to it. The reason I didn't was I was so new at it that I thought all patterns would be the same level of difficulty. By the time I found out otherwise I was more than halfway through and at that point I was committed@

And the funny thing is, that since I didn't know any better it didn't intimidate me at all, I just jumped right in. And while I'll probably never do another Teresa again, I do think her designs are absolutely amazing.

[richardandtracy]

My first experience with cross stitch, 40 years after doing a tiny little bit at school was a 300 x 240 kit. I was so ignorant of it, I had no idea whatsoever the implications of the fact it was 59600 stitches. So went ahead and took a year over it, finishing at 1 minute to midnight on 31 Dec 2011. it was this one:
http://www.crossstitchforum.com/gallery ... ic_id=7663
Only had 29 colours though.

It is nice to hear that someone else made a mistake as big as mine!

Regards,

Richard.

[SteveM]

Is it difficult to stitch 2 over 1 on 25 ct?

I found possible to stitch full crosses 2 over 1 on 25 count Lugana, but it was challenging enough that it was taking all of the enjoyment out of it. Ultimately I opted to restart on the same fabric but reduce to 1 over 1 full crosses. If you want to read about my troubles and decision to restart it is posted here.

Are there a lot of color changes in a given area? You know, like 3 stitches in this color, 6 in that color, and then 4 in another color.

If the area is a soft blend of colors such as the sky or cat's body then the color count will often be quite low. If the area is detailed, such as the eyes of the cat, the flowers, or butterflies then the colors and confetti go up which is what captures that detail. I think you'll find that at the top of the pattern you'll be doing a lot of 10x10 blocks of solid 939, the worst will be the butterflies with a max of 30 colors in a 10x10 area, and a whole lot of 10x10 blocks with 2-6 colors. Areas like the moon have bands of colors that run along the length of it so if you stitch cross county you can easily follow these bands and not worry about frequent color changes.

And lastly, are there usually any blended colors?

HAED uses solid colors only which is why you can stitch 1 over 1 if you like.


I would rate this image as having rather low confetti and a good one to start with if it has caught your interest. If you look at the floss usage chart you'll see that a large majority of the floss is 1 skein and only 14 of those 88 colors require more than one skein. What this means is that most of the time you'll be working with 12 colors and the remainder will mainly be constrained to the eyes, nose, ears, wings, butterflies, flowers, bubbles, and globe.

[Anaya]

Thank you to everyone for all your helpful suggestions. I've taken everything into consideration and decided not to go for it. While I would absolutely adore the finished product, I don't think I would enjoy the journey getting there. I've decided to go with Stickideen von der Wiedenburg's Rose Quaker because something about that pattern has been calling to me since I first saw it. I'm currently stitching Stickideen's We Love Cats and am totally enjoying it every step of the way and I have the feeling that Rose Quaker will be the same.

[fccs]

I like your choice - it's very pretty! I'll be looking forward to seeing it come to life with your needle.

[Allyn]

...I've decided to go with Stickideen von der Wiedenburg's Rose Quaker because something about that pattern has been calling to me since I first saw it. ....

Oh! I like that pattern alot! I'm looking forward to watching your progress.