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Thank you. I only occasionally need to do a French knot and as a result forget since last time I did them. I have kept your site in my Bookmarks and use it faithfully when needed. Your instructions are clear and very easy to follow. Thank you from Canada.
I'm not sure what you mean by magic paper, but water soluble pens, Frixion pens, mechanical pencil and/or fine permanent ink pen will work (for anything permanent you just have to make sure you fully cover your lines). But sometimes Frixion pens or water soluble pens can have the issue of the lines reappearing later after they've been erased, particularly if the item gets cold (such as being shipped in luggage in the hold of an aircraft). To prevent any potential issues, it's recommended to gently wash your project after erasing the lines, and before finishing off the back of your hoop. 😊
I meant if you need to erase the lines around the outer edge (because sometimes framing won't fully cover the edge, or if the pattern isn't a full coverage one). In the video description I do link a newer tutorial about stitching in grid lines with fishing line (or anything that won't stain the fabric or be pierced by the needle), that's far easier to deal with in the end as you just pull the grid lines out. And then you don't risk pencil or whatever staining lighter colour floss. 😊
You can do that, but the darker grid lines in most cross stitch patterns are grids of 10. So if you were looking at grids of 10 on your pattern but grids of 14 on your fabric, that'd be really easy to screw up at some point. 😊
I know it would probably require quite a bit of time to do so, but you could even go through your floss that you have and glue down a small swatch of the floss on top of the colors so that it would be for the actual Swatch color chart. Def would be laborious to do so tho im sure. 😂 Thisis a great idea and thank you for sharing!❤
You could, or just buy a real floss colour chart, which is what I ended up doing after I made this video. 😊Plus that'd get really expensive with I think almost 500 colours in their range now. 😳
I'm just beginning, and only doing practice swatches of stitching practice for now. Although I understand the practicality of the Danish, I'm finding the English method to be much easier for me, and especially when doing adjacent rows of stittching That's how I feel for now; who knows, it might chage sometime, ha ha!
Yep, it's all about what will work best for you (and you may find yourself switching in the middle of a project depending on where the stitches you're working on are). 😊
You can do that, or use a small knot -- knots are fine to use, you just have to be aware they're there so you don't get your needle caught up in them when you're going back through the same hole. 😊
@@peacockandfig I have a permanent marker. But it clear on plastic DMC card with water. I think there is different type of markers, and we have to be carrefully because it could erase DMC number.
Thank you so much for providing the DMC numbers for the Pride flag. I've seen many patterns but they aren't always exact in the floss numbers. Off to the store now so I can get started on my weekend projects. 🌈
@@peacockandfig Thanks again, but I found out that DMC 762 is pearl grey and yellow is DMC 726. Maybe they changed after you put out this video? Glad you're still getting responses to your video!
so watch it again then. 😊 Lots of people are fine with it, and to be honest this is a free tutorial. You’re going to make mistakes when trying out a new technique, so consider it a lesson in how to fix your mistakes. Refilming wasn’t an option for me - sorry you found it confusing, but at least I did it and it does work out in the end. Just give it a try.
Bahaha "thanks for trying"??? 😂 Clearly you've never tried filming anything before, even doing a short clip can easily take all day with prep, editing, uploading, etc. Sorry you didn't find it helpful, but many others have, so maybe you just need to watch it again. Or pay for a private tutor, this is a free tutorial, and it is accurate. So yeah, sorry it's not up to your standards of perfection but that's life eh....
@@cabbott328 it is. However her ATTITUDE in her response is worse. Wow. "sorry it's not up to your standards of perfection' Whaaaaa??? She said the video was inaccurate on repeat. Whatever. I wasn't trying to be hurtful, just telling her the video was very confusing. And it's true, I've never videoed and edited before, however if I attach my name to it and it has a long shelf life, I'd try to make it more accurate.
Great information about threaders. It would have been better if you used the small eyes to be helpful. Very easy to demonstrate with large eye when it would have been a better demonstration. Different threads pose the challenge, as I am learning it would have helped. Still looking, your information is excellent help.
Unfortunately with filming and keeping everything at a distance that could be captured by the camera (and not have my hands knock into the camera), demonstrating the smaller eyed needles would have been impossible which is why I didn't do it. Glad it was helpful anyway. 😊
Yes I know crewel embroidery traditionally is done with wool, but many designers also do use other threads (like DMC and other specialty threads) as they are much more accessible to stitchers around the world than the traditional wool threads. 😊
I have always used the Danish method (34 years cross-stitching), i didnt even know there was another way. I'm curious as to how the back looks with English, where with Danish the back is all straight lines.
You'll have to give it a go, I often alternate between the two methods (and I pay zero attention to what the back looks like, it's not important at all, I even have a whole tutorial just on that). 😊
@peacockandfig it's not important as a relaxing hobby, i agree. And for things i make for myself i dont pay attention. It's important when you enter it in the fair or put it to market though. That's why I asked.
Inappropriate?? Alrighty then, so clearly I'm not entitled to my opinion after years of working with both systems, on my channel. And that's an odd thing to get upset about on a free stitching tutorial that's years old, but you have a good day.
Sorry? Fractals have nothing to do with fractional stitches, my guess is you'll have to find someone who has a pattern of a fractal sunflower and just follow the pattern. 😊
Honestly, that one's still awesome, the patterns are so intricate so to me it'd be worth it. I don't remember how many patterns total are in it, but say it's 10, that's only about $4.40 per pattern (which is far less than you'd pay for the patterns individually). You could always see if it's available on her site and see what shipping would be, I'm guessing with the shipping from South Africa it'd be more than buying it on Amazon. Or check her site out and see if she sells any of the patterns (like Pertinacity) as a kit with all the floss and pattern included. You'll still pay for shipping, but for a project that will likely take you over a hundred hours to stitch, that's pennies per hour of entertainment (plus learning all those amazing stitches). 😊❤️
First I was able to borrow this book thru our local library…it is beautiful and great resource….then I purchased a copy for myself on Amazon, arrived yesterday! It was on sale for $20.49 U.S. usually $34.99. !!
Not true at all. 😊Some people find it more relaxing (or have ADHD or other mental health issues) that mean gridding actually makes it a fun relaxing hobby, and not one where they're fighting to remember where they are or constanly making mistakes they have to rip out. Or they get distracted a lot in their home environment, or can only pick up their projects sporadically, meaning it's easier to lose track of where you are in the pattern. Or they're working on a massive pattern with a ton of confetti, and gridding makes it easier to see where random stitches of various colours are. There is no right or wrong way to do any craft, including cross stitch, just how you find works best for you. If you don't grid, great, but many do. 😊
Excellent so helpful! Love your charascuro pattern. I recently have been inspired by William Rice's work and was playing with pic2pat grayscale patterning of some of his work. I am enthused by seeing how beautiful your Michaelangelo inspired work is going. Thank you
Glad you enjoyed the turorial Caryn! This project ended up great, MacStitch did a great job turning my art into this pattern. I will warn you about pic2pat, it's pretty notorious for having quite awful colour rendering, aka the contrast for a grayscale work will look fine in the pattern but will stitch up pretty bleh with everything being midtones or too dark. Free software is not great for colour conversions, it really does take a loooot of work to accurately render colour from imported images to how it actually will stitch. Every pic2pat conversion I've seen stitched looks like it's in a grey fog, everything is muted and to be frank, really sad looking, there's no contrast or vibrancy (and it's certainly not accurate to the original). So please do keep that in mind when using free software, how something stitches can end up wildly different than how the generated pattern looks. ❤
@@peacockandfig I hear you. I am new to crosstitch and I love making my own patterns no matter what art or craft I am doing. I may invest in more professional software in the future. Thank you for your insight.
Thank you; I just did colonial knots in the center of some small flowers instead of simple yellow cross stitches. Looks great! Very much appreciate your clear instructions. 👍
Hi there! I'm not quite sure what you're asking -- how I'm stitching both knots anchors them in place. You can finish your threads off however you like, whether that's via a small knot at the back, a pin stitch, running your thread a few times under other stitches nearby (full crosses, the knots won't have enough thread at the back), etc. 😊
.... or you could use the basic math skills we all learned in school which is so much faster than jumping online, which may or may not be possible depending on where you are, if you randomly see some fabric while out shopping and aren't sure if it'll fit a project you want to do (or vice versa), etc. 😊
Lol 7 years later. Hope you answer. Thank you for this video. I want to go find some now. I just have a couple of questions. Will it stretch the holes? Also, are you able to stitch over it and then it just easily pulls out?
Hi Charissia! It won't stretch the holes unless you use crazy thick line (or pull it really tight when turning corners with your grid lines). And yes, you can pull it out really easily, that's the advantage of using something slippery like nylon thread (fishing line) or metallic thread that can't be pierced. 😊
I have this pattern and it's done on 14ct Aida and most is full cross stitches.....but then I have some areas on the pattern that in one square is a symbol in the lower left corner and then the same symbol in the upper right corner......so would that be two (2) quarter stitches (one in the lower left and one in the upper right) to represent a diagonal? It's in the "Coffee & Cat" pattern and I think to represent movement in the coffee?.....No sure......I've tried to contact the seller of the pattern and now I get no answers other than it's stitched on 14ct Aida?
That's two half stitches. Quarter stitches will usually be indicated like four tick marks (of whichever colour) coming in from each corner to the centre of the "block". I don't know why they'd do that in the same colour, that's weird the designer won't give you any details.
Thank you. I went to the WinStitch/MacStitch site (I'm a Windows person) and was impressed. As a designer, I'm looking to replace my EasyGrapher 2002 for fear of the inevitable incompatibility problem in the future and I found my replacement. This will do quite nicely I think. The support is impressive too. It even shows you how to import into Pattern Keeper (was there life before Pattern Keeper? No, there was not) right there in the software. You sold me.
Awesome, glad the video helped! I've never actually used Pattern Keeper or worried too much about compatibility as the technology was constantly changing when I first started using this software. Glad it's going to work for your needs! 😊
I have been working on a project but I am finding it difficult to find my place. It takes me forever to count and find it again. I have been watching the videos on gridding and I wish I saw them before I started. Is it possible to start gridding on a WIP?
You can, I have another video (that might be linked in the description of this one, I can't remember) about gridding with fishing line or fine nylon thread. You may find it tricky to sew in the grid lines (nylon = you can't puncture the thread accidentally and it's super easy to pull out when you're done) around stitching that's already there, but it's definitely doable. Give it a shot in a small area and see if it works. If you don't have any thin nylon thread, metallic threads can work as well, assuming they can't be punctured by your needle and will slide out easily when you're done. 😊
The cross stitch is aesthetically pleasing when sewing a patch to a vest or jacket (think motorcycle or rock n roll jacket). But is this the proper stitch for that application? I see many cross stitch tutorials but they all utilize the (ada?) Fabric like you have here... Is this an embroidery stitch? If so are there reasons NOT to use this stitch on , say, denim or leather/canvas vests and jackets?
You can, but it's a different technique to cross stitch onto fabric like a denim jacket. Basically you use "waste canvas," it's a heavier duty stitching fabric that's more like a grid, and you tack it to your base fabric like the denim. Then you do your cross stitch over the canvas, making sure to not catch the canvas threads in your stitches. When you're done, you usually wet the whole piece (make sure the floss you're using is good quality and the colours won't run), and carefully pull the canvas threads out one at a time. Then the stitching is left behind, sitting on the main fabric. The reason you'd use waste canvas is otherwise your cross stitches will end up all sorts of wonky, they'll be out of square and start to "slide" in their form. So your stitching design would end up warped and misshapen, and the stitches won't look nice. The waste canvas gives you the grid to work on, so your stitches are an even size and shape. I think there's waste canvas that's water soluble as well, aka you can rinse it away when you're done. I'm sure there are plenty of tutorials about using waste canvas on RU-vid, I don't have any myself. Otherwise yes, there are so many other embroidery stitches that can be used on fabrics, some common ones for patches are satin stitch, French knots, running stitch, chain stitch, etc. I have tutorials for all of those on this channel and my website too, including some free practice patterns for those who sign up to my email list. 😊
You're very welcome Hilde! Just be aware though, this video is quite old, so it's highly likely the process has changed a bit since then as the software would have been updated in the meantime. Should give you a good general idea of what it can do though. 😊
@peacockandfig Yes, a few buttons and things have moved around a bit, but this video gave me an excellent "tour" as I had you on my phone and my computer in front of me. 👌
