Aside from the delightful and instructive videos, I am always excited to learn all I can about working with fine needlework construction. By the way Jean, your sweater is a lovely color on you as is your hairstyle. Thank you for being there each week.🪡💖
Excellent excellent point about pulling out threads to look at color to stitch with for a piece instead of the skein!!!! You HIT the nail on the HEAD with that!!!! I'm happy you brought this up! It's so very true!!!! I've had the very same thing happen to me when I've used the 'skein' to change a color - I stitched with it - looked AWFUL!!!! Yet the skein against the fabric with other stitches as well, looked great! Nope!! I had to tear the threads out and choose a different color! It was not until I actually stitched WITH the threads that I found the right colors, or what was pleasing to me! Thank you, dearly!!!
Thanks for sharing all you updates. I’m so excited about the upcoming cruise! Looking forward to seeing everyone and the the 3 projects. Have a good week. 😊🪡
It sounds as though you had a lovely road trip! Thanks for the video visit today and the selvage discussion. I tend to be thrifty with my fabric, so vary where the selvage is on my pieces. I do try to keep the selvage on the side for larger pieces, but I feel the smaller the piece, the less it might matter, and I want to efficiently use up my scraps!
As always this was a wonderful video. I have often done what you demonstrated (although not with pulling out the floss from the skein) to see how the floss colors will look on different fabric types/colors etc. In my experience, what you said about dye lots is true for all the types of floss that I have used. A very long time ago I was stitching a large Winnie the Pooh for a friend's daughter. About 1/2-2/3 of the way through stitching Winnie I ran out of the 'yellow' floss. I was at my LNS with my project (on our stitchers night) and bought more. As I was stitching with the additional floss, I discovered that it didn't match! Same color, same manufacturer but a different dye lot that showed up only after I had stitched a portion! It only showed up when I used an Ottlite! (This was before I bought a portable Ottlite that I now take with me when stitching!) Not only did I have to frog the area but go and find the exact match for that dye lot. I found some in a box that had floss left over from a Pluto piece that I had done previously! (In case you are interested the specific yellow floss called for and used to sttich Pooh is the same one used for Pluto in the cross-stitch charts.) As I had experienced with oil painting colors can look different depending on what they are near, background or fabric and the light source! After that my friends would be laughing as I picked out fabric, floss and specialty threads and carefully examining all of it under my Ottlite before I bought it! Not to mention buying enough floss to complete the project! I love your trips to needlework shops. It makes me itchy to get on the road! I often recommend the FB group Stitching Road Trip to people searching for an LNS near to them or in an area where they are traveling. Thanks again for a great video. I always learn something new!
Wonderful shops! We spent a week in Waynesville…was hoping Sassy Jacks would be open but I know it’s a little way off; Annabella’s was closed for her retreat so missed her shop; we went to Sandy’s shop in Hendersonville and I found some neat stuff. Once everyone’s open we will make another trip in the spring! It’s going to be great for folks in that area…3 shops within 75 Miles or less!!!!
Thank you for the subjects you covered! I agree withbyou about the selvage. I appreciate selvage on fabric as a directional marker (i keep mine on the left) for my project. For some patterns, quakers etc., it's helpful to know where the top of the stitching is!
I agree with your opinions 👍 My little tip is when I have to frog and there are very tiny bits of floss left behind, I either use a clean white gum eraser lightly over the area, or I use the eraser on the end of my Frixion highlighter (which I think is like a silicone material) to get those last floss bits collected by rubbing them away from my stitches.
Thank you for sharing. On the parts of the cloth that is wrinkled you can very gently turn that portion upside down on a dish towel on your ironing board and get a damp towel and lay it on the top of the spot and ever so gently press and stretch the lace portion smooth. in that type of lace, it is stitched on a new piece of linen or cloth. All the work is done under tension. What you did was to fuller the cloth so the threads have relaxes. The first time my Armenian teacher pressed out one of my pieces, you could hear in the front room where I was, and she was slaming the iron down on the lace in her sewing room. I thought that it would be ruined, but it came out beautiful. I learned about fullering cloth when I took a weaving class from profession. Cloth woven under tension when fullered it relaxes and sucks in when washed. That is what is wrong with your piece. I thought at the time my work would be destroyed, but it was not just put back under some tension, so it would lay flat. I have done this on fine knitted and crocheted lace. My aunt knitted lace for a living and cleaned it for the people she sold it to. The 2 pieces are very fine and is probably at least on a 100 to 120 cotton. My bobbin lace is done on some of my pieces at 160 or higher thread. I have always intended to do a piece of the lace you bought, but I have done needle laces and others and not got around to that one.
I am so glad to have your videos. We lost a dear friend and the world lost a huge library of experiences and knowledge. I enjoy your videos so much and respect your expertise in needlework.
Hi Jean. Love your Flosstube. Appreciate your valuable tips and comments. I was wondering where you are at with the beautiful sampler “Emily”. I haven’t heard you mention her for a while. I know life gets busy but would love an update. Take care and happy stitching 🤗
I always learn something from you, Jean. I have seen lots of questions on Reddit and FB about selvages, too, and oh how smug I felt when you validated the conclusion I had reached about leaving them alone while stitching. But then you recommended cutting them off before framing! That would never have occurred to me. I haven't tried framing myself and I guess I had assumed a professional would trim the edges as needed to reduce bulk while protecting the stitched area. Do you think it would be wise to conservatively trim the selvage before washing and pressing the piece and handing it over to a framer? Your earrings are just my style. Silver and inlaid turquoise and onyx with a bear paw pattern, right? Very nice!
I had always thought the salvage wss there so we could know the right side and the wrong side of the material. I always save the salvage for size, color and where I bought it.
For cross stitch fabrics, there is no right/wrong side unless it is printed with a design on one side. To be clear, to a weaver, there may be a right/wrong (or front/back) to the fabric but for all practical purposes to the end user (the cross stitcher) there is no difference.
I like the conversation about the salvage. I remember in the 90’s it was told to me by someone that the salvage always had to be on the left side and never on the top of your stitched piece. Now I realize it doesn’t matter, but my brain automatically defaults to that. It does make me chuckle. Thank you for the tip about cutting the salvage off before framing. That I didn’t know!
Hello Jean. Thank you for another great video. Would you please explain what overdyed floss is? I can guess that a variegated floss is overdyed, but what else? Are all silks overdyed? Is overdyed floss washable?
Jean, I just wanted to thank you for 4:03 . I have learned so much and am again loving this hobby! We do not have any shops where I live, and I am feeling very restricted on materials as I can't touch and feel and see exactly what I am getting if I order on the internet 😢 Want to start learning to use linen rather than aida, but hardly know where to start. I am thinking maybe trying a smaller piece first will give me more confidence. What would you suggest as a good fabric to start on? I have a couple smaller charts that call for 36 count, over 2 threads. Many thanks for any help you can lend!
When it comes to cross stitch, keep in mind that a chart can be stitched on any count fabric. The designer may have used 36 count, over two for the project but it could be stitched on 28, over two or 18, over two ... whatever you prefer. My best suggestion is to think of the Aida count you are most comfortable with and then choose a linen that is not quite so fine. So if you usually stitch on 16-Aida, I would say start with a 28-count or 30-count linen so you will be stitching 14 or 15 stitches per inch. I hope that makes sense. Your comment is inspiring me to offer a "how to stitch on linen" zoom class.
What a great idea! I am thinking help with substitution would be great too. Am finding the 'called for' is often no longer available. Choosing a color of linen online is a little challenging as you never know how true the photos are, or if the fabric is variegated at all, how different will it be from the photo? I am a hand knitter and have taught beginners quite a bit. It is usually helping them to get past the decision blocks that helps them become successful at their craft. Appreciate you so much!
Thanks for another great episode! Another question about the selvage-if you recommend cutting it off before stretching and pinning, do you include it in the allowance around the design? Thanks!
Do you mean do I include the selvage when adding the extra 2 or 3" on all sides? Yes, I do because people who stitch in hoops or Q-snaps and need extra fabric to account for what gets hidden in the hoop or Q-snap and it serves that purpose well. Now, if a framer insists on an extra 3" on all sides, I would not count it and would cut it off before handing it off. That said, and contrary to all the times I hear people say it. I have yet to hear from a professional framer that they "have to have 3 inches" to do their magic. The only time I would agree is if you plan to have 2" showing on all sides. I guess I need to chat about this a bit more! :)
I don't know. Sassy Jacks was still doing a lot of work so perhaps a ramp is in the plans. At Annabella's, I didn't ask if there was a wheel chair accessible entrance. I didn't see one but that doesn't mean it wasn't there. I am sure they would answer your question if you asked. I put the contact info in the episode notes.
