Hi, I'm Sally the owner and designer at Caterpillar Cross Stitch! With my team, I create contemporary cross stitch kits, patterns and stitch-a-long projects to keep your fingers busy and brighten your stitching life!
Kits are handmade with love in Warwickshire, UK.
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I didn’t know this, thank you. One thing I learned the hard way is, don’t put your thread in your mouth to thread it… I did this and have some tea stain on my project !
Thank you! Your videos are so helpful! I love your little parakeet! It looked like he/she was trying to take a mini-birdbath in your hand. What's his/her name? ❤
I just pulled out an old, framed piece which has dust on it. How strange to find this video made this morning!! Should I vacuum it before washing it as long as the attachment is clean? Or blow it with a can of pressurized air?
I see from your next comment you saw my prior video and got an answer on that one. I've tried the vacuum before and the lint roller just works better altogether! Pressurized air would probably drive the dirt and dust further down into the fabric. For the yellowing, you could try using a laundry pre-treat like oxyclean and a soft toothbrush, but it may not be something on the surface; it might be chemical changes in the fabric itself which may or may not be removable.
Thank you for this video. I have recently framed two projects without washing it first 😢 I use a gentle powder to wash projects (except for the framed last two). I dilute the powder in the water and double rinse to make sure no powder is left behind. I'm working on a large full coverage where the fabric is 3' x 2'. I have a small kitchen sink. Would it be okay to wash it in the bathtub if I first clean the bathtub really well?
Absolutely! Having a clean work space and preparing your place to set it down is what matters, along with using the coldest water your tap can provide. Thanks for watching!
Could you also feature a way of washing for those of us who live in drought conditions and feel guilty wasting that much water? Also, what about using silk threads.
I live in a desert state with frequent drought conditions. We just broke a decade-long drought last year actually, but to be totally honest, domestic water use is a minuscule portion of water usage. The vast, vast majority of water usage is by agriculture and industrial users, and they just try to trick home consumers into thinking they can do something about it so they won't go after the real culprits. BUT! In virtually all areas, water that goes down your sink like this is not consumed! It will go to a treatment plant and then eventually be used to water farmland or one of those big wasteful golf courses. Thanks so much for watching!
I would agree, except I live in an area where our only water source is rainwater. There's no way for us to acquire water from another location as we live on an island.
I will absolutely do that! I've done a couple projects with glow in the dark thread (one with a ghost that glows and one with a secret message that appears in the dark). I'll make a video with the tips I've learned! Thanks for watching!
Thank you Ford for your method of washing a project. I'm finding that there are as many ways to wash a project as there are stitchers. I appreciate your no-fuss technique. It certainly leaves no excuse not to wash the project! You rock!
Wondering if you have any suggestions for brands of lights to purchase (and that work well) to illuminate my cross stitch project. My eyes aren't as young as they used to be when I started cross stitching many decades ago. Thanks!
Thank you for creating this short and helpful tutorial. Wall hangings are such a great way to display cross stitch and easy storage when they need to be put away. I have never seen the tip about the weighted cord but it’s great.
Thank you so much for these very clear explanations 👍 I fear I won't use this technique though, since I could only imagine the waste of thread behind the fabric 🫣 But if one day I need to remember, I will definitely go back to your video. Thank you!!
Thank you for this!! I wanted to use a crochet thread for part of my piece for texture and make it kinda pop but it was not looking good with two strands. You're the first person who managed to actually explain the pinning part to me and I just anchored my thread, yay! 🎉
You forgot to mention some place to store your needles. They won’t stay firm, in the little slips they come in, for very long. Would be really nice to open your little stitch bag and all your needles slide out- great if you have kids and pets- experience tells me that. Imagine a vet visit at midnight because your puppy grabbed the needles before you did.
You're doing it way harder than it needs to be. Enter in one point, exit through another point right next to it and do a regular X. The thread is not going anywhere. For me this technique is about saving the thread and not having lots of ends on the back so the back looks neater than usual. With the amount of thread you're using, it's more of a waste & the X looks wonky (when in my technique you TRULY do not see that). It's a good explanation for someone who doesn't know how to do that at all, but I seriously believe it is more wasteful and time consuming than it needs to be. *UPD:* Knots in cross stitch are generally a huge no. I mean, it's your project, so do what you want, but it's the wrong technique for sure. You don't need a knot and you don't need a huge tail. It'll pin itself with the basic securing of the thread that I described earlier. I've been successfully doing that for years in all my projects.
Thank you Ford! My nephew actually ate desiccant when he was little! He was fine but found it was Not as yummy as one would think lol. I have so many hand made objects that I’ll potentially be annoying my relatives for hundreds of years 😂.
@@SonovaStitch Now I feel embarrassed 😛 You mentioned that, but I was wondering what is that thing and then I forgot to search but I didn't think at all that was the name of a product I thought it was something like scotch tape or something and I was wondering, how on earth would that work, or if it's something like a transparent film that you stick on the stitching but not the obvious! Then I stopped thinking about that and I thought that I have one brilliant suggestion to make 🤭 Oh, well.....😊🧵🪡
That is definitely a good tip for anyone who uses silk or wool threads! Clothes moths don't generally go for cotton since it doesn't contain keratin, which is what the larvae feed on. Thanks for watching!
All of my projects are stitched with the "called for" cat hair, so washing is always needed. Can't wait to see your recommendations for that! Great video! Hi Nugget!
Nugget will be making an appearance in the washing video! They came running when I turned the sink on. It is disallowed in the strongest possible terms to wash a stitch without the bird getting a bath! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for being here Caterpillar Crew! Please like and subscribe and don't forget to claim your 10% off discount code for your first order by tapping here: eepurl.com/giThcT Sally and Ford x
I am new to cross stitching and have started off by doing a cross stitch by number kind of thing. When it is complete, I am supposed to wash it to remove the printed design. Will I have to wash it more than what is done in this video?
Stitch over 2 strands on your fabric. On evenweave we typically stitch 2 over 2 meaning 2 strands of thread/floss stitching a cross over 2 strands on your evenweave fabric. We have another RU-vid video about this with a demo : )
