Stitch Along with Stitchin' Mommy - Typewriter Method 

Cross stitching almost feels like second nature to me now! I've been stitching off and on for over 30 years, so the process is very familiar. I'm glad you enjoyed the video! :)

I'm so glad it was helpful!

That's true! On pieces that are symmetrical, I will stitch an arrow or mark of some kind on the top, because it's impossible to figure it out sometimes!

I saw your finish recently! Congrats again! :D

That's a cool modification of this method! I might have to try that on one of my pieces. :)

I'm not sure! I had a comment about that on a different stitch with me video as well. The thread does twist sometimes, and I'll let it dangle to untwist, but it doesn't happen all that often. I think I might unconsciously twist my needle as I'm stitching in the opposite direction that the thread is inclined to twist, which counteracts itself. I heard Nell from Little Yellow House Crafts mention that she does that, so perhaps I adopted that practice without even realizing it!

For cross-stitching specifically, to “railroad” your stitches means to place your needle between your two strands of thread before pulling it through the fabric. This forces the stitches to lie flatter on the fabric, rather than bunch up one on top of the other. This helps me a lot to keep my thread from twisting

I think one of my viewers suggested that term, and it totally fits! :D

When I'm stitching, I want to make sure my thread is pulled back toward the center of the stitch when I'm done with the stitch because it helps keep the hole open for a future neighboring stitch, and it keeps the leg of the stitch from looking elongated. Because of that, I will sometimes work some stitches upside down in order to make sure the threads are pulling in a pleasing direction. With a half stitch, about half of my stitches are done "upside down" actually because that's how the stitch works best in order to stay flexible and less warping (back of the stitches is vertical). If I stitch with a continental tent stitch (back of the stitches is a long diagonal), the warping is significant. I have a few other stitch with me videos highlighting half stitch designs as well, which might help shed some light on my methods that I have a hard time verbalizing. :) And, no, I don't railroad my stitches. I have never felt it improved my stitches or was worth the time. I think I might have an unconscious twist to my needle that keeps the threads from twisting very much, and I will sometimes fiddle with a stitch with my needle before moving on, if I think it has twisted.

Because I stitch in-hand, I am conscious of keeping my tension even. When I'm carrying stitches, I like to run my thread under the finished stitches on the back because it helps keep that length of thread from pulling too tight when I start my next stitch. If I pull too tight after carrying a thread, the fabric could bunch up and pucker. If you stitch in a hoop or frame of some kind, that's not usually a problem you would face. :)

Sounds good! And you can always adjust it to fit a certain section on those larger designs where you can't work across the whole width. :)

I'm glad the video was helpful!

I hope it helps! You can always limit your working area to a manageable distance to avoid counting too much. But having this method of choosing symbols has been very nice!

I have always considered myself a serial starter, but since discovering Flosstube, it has gotten a bit out of control. I'm now trying to make sure I include plans to finish things so that my numbers don't continue to mushroom!

@@StitchinMommy Hehe! Good luck!

I just read your reply to another comment and I now think you do this to mantain the direction to the center consistent in every stitch. Is it? I never thought about that! You are very perfectionist! Maybe that's why your stitches look so good! :)

Yes! I try to keep my stitches pulling towards their center as much as possible to help them look nice. It doesn't always work with the "route" I'm taking through the design, but it's my goal if possible. When I heard Brian blitstitch discussing his method of stitching, that's one of his goals for his stitches also, which helped me start thinking about it more. We can always learn new tips and tricks! Some of them are helpful and some of them I pass on, but it's always fun to hear about them. :)

Sarah, I know this is an old video but I was reading through the comments and was wondering what you mean by “pulling the stitches to their center”. Thanks in advance. I don’t comment very much but enjoy all of your videos.

I'm thinking of doing that with my Spring Montage that I'm planning to start in a couple weeks. I want to be able to get to more colors up there in that first corner, so picking colors out of the 10x10 square makes a lot of sense. I worked like that on one of my older full coverages, too, before Pattern Keeper, and it's a nice way to see a finished section while still working cross country. :)

Great! I'm glad this was helpful. I have actually modified this method now when I'm stitching within the body of a piece, to choose the symbols left to right, top to bottom within an entire 10x10 square before moving on to choose symbols from what's left in the next 10x10 square. This seems to be a bit easier to location symbols than working from a strict single line across the entire design. Since those 10x10 grid lines are usually marked with darker lines, it's easier to glance at a line of 10x10 blocks to see which one still has empty symbols, than to follow along the exact "fourth line down from this bolder line on the grid", for example. I hope to make an updated stitch with me video demonstrating this sometime this fall. :)

@StitchinMommy I'm glad there are people out there like you to help me!❤️

Wonderful! I do have a few other of these "demo" style videos if you're interested in more content that shows how I stitch. I feel the same way you do - this is just the most natural way to stitch for me and using devices just makes it uncomfortable and not enjoyable. I'm glad you have discovered the way you like to stitch! Even though we're in the minority, there are a few of us out there. :D My storage tubes are all recycled - mostly from old wrapping paper tubes or the tubes that cross stitch fabric sometimes comes in at the craft stores. I have also made some tubes from cardstock. Just tape a post-it note to the bottom of a tube with packing tape and you have a fabric holder! :) Also, I measure my threads with a little 6" ruler that I picked up at some point. It has the books of the Bible printed on it - it probably came in a Sunday School goodie bag at some point in my kids' activities. Any 6" ruler would work great - it fits nicely in the pen/pencil cup that I keep on the table next to my stitchy chair.

@@StitchinMommy thank you so much. I have a couple of bookmarks with the books of the bible on them that would be good stuck on to a 6" length of card as a measuring tool and as I'm writing this I'm looking across the room at 4 empty cardboard tubes. I have the means!! It is such a lovely hobby. Now ..back to watching your post videos.

I weave my thread underneath the backs of stitches, even in those scattered areas. If I know I'll be heading out into a sparse area, I'll make sure I end up with a tail long enough to weave back through some stitches that might be a little bit away to secure them. I will also sometimes just run the thread through the back of the current stitch a couple times and leave a little tail so it doesn't come loose and it'll get stitched over later, securing it further. I'll try to show some of that in my next stitch with me video. :)

Yes, I am stitching this piece with a half stitch (tent stitch). I have a fairly light tension, but if you stitch tightly, half stitches could warp your fabric more than you'd like. You could also do a full cross with great results as well. Half stitches generally have double the amount of strands as a full cross on the same count fabric - on 25 count fabric, you could use a 1 strand full cross or a 2 strand half stitch. Since I stitch in-hand, the running of the threads along the back intermittently is to help regulate tension and keep from there being long strings I could get caught on as I'm stitching. I like things to be neat and tidy back there, and since it's not taught on a scroll frame or something, carried threads could cause tension issues if I'm not careful. :)

Hi Deb, I'm glad this video was helpful for you! I would recommend trying a smaller chart to start with, just so you can see progress faster and not feel too overwhelmed. If you're looking on the websites, look for the terms "mini", "small", "quick stitch", etc. Here are a few small ones I like that are very colorful: heavenandearthdesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=160_225&products_id=3944&zenid=6e5fb89397b70cb60fe0a392eb7e56e6 heavenandearthdesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=160_45&products_id=2310&zenid=6e5fb89397b70cb60fe0a392eb7e56e6 Both of those are less than 200 stitches in each direction, so they are quite doable!

I stitch with a light tension, which definitely helps prevent warping. And, yes, I think you're right, that by stitching all over, my threads are pulling in lots of directions, helping to discourage warping. I also prefer to use a basic half stitch, as I personally found a continental tent stitch (also diagonal lines on the back) to be too rigid to block successfully afterwards. That seemed to warp A LOT and then was not flexible. A half stitch (vertical lines on the back) remained more flexible - I tug at the fabric occasionally as I'm stitching, and it's also easier to block afterwards (wetting, then pinning into a squared off shape while it dries).

That is one of the biggest helps that Pattern Keeper gives to me - highlighting all of the symbols that you're currently working with so you're less likely to miss them as you go along. There are always still a couple exceptions, but it's SO much better than hoping you catch all the symbols on your own. :)

So Pattern Keeper is an app for cross-stitching logging progress??

@@Kat-Knows Yes. It helps you single out the same color threads in the pattern area you're working, and as you finish them, you mark them off as completed... and that's what gives you your progress in completion.

Yes! Especially when a section of a particular color is large, that can happen. If possible, I'll try to work in as many symbols of a color along the row I'm working in, but sometimes the flow of color doesn't lend itself to that, or there's just a lot of that color. :) Also, after filming this, I have modified this method a little bit, since I found it was tricky to figure out where the next highest symbol was across the entire width of the design. So now, a preferred way to do it is to do this typewriter method across the topmost row of the design, then come back and choose symbols within the entire first 10x10 block, before moving on to the next 10x10 block, left to right, top to bottom. It makes it quicker once you're down in the middle of the piece to find your next symbol. :)

I often use a size 26 tapestry needle, but for these petite stitches I tend to use a size 28 tapestry needle. I even use a petite beading needle on my 40ct over 1 pieces because it's just so small! But generally if you make sure you're using a "tapestry" needle, the eye should be larger than regular sewing needles and it will also have a more blunt tip to help avoid piercing the fabric where you don't want to. There are also a few different kinds of needle threaders available, if you still have trouble threading the larger eyes.

I work from my master set of floss for all of my regular DMC at-home projects. If I have a design that I've kitted up with "fancy floss", I'll put all those threads with the pattern to make sure I don't use them up in another design. And if I have a travel project, I'll pull off a length or two of DMC to put on a thread card so that my project will have thread on the go without taking the whole bobbin out of my master set.

Yes, I also stitch with full crosses on lots of designs. About half of my full coverage pieces are stitched with a half stitch just to help speed along the stitching process a bit - and just to experiment with different methods! But some of my full coverage are done with full crosses and all of my non-full coverage projects have regular full crosses also.

Yes, I am doing a half stitch on this piece. I prefer a regular half stitch (where the back of the stitches are vertical). When I tried continental tent stitch (where the back of the stitches is a long diagonal), it warped the fabric severely and soundly, so there was no correcting it. A half stitch tends to warp less and is also more flexible to allow for blocking at the end of the project. That's just my experience, though. I have seen other stitchers claim to use a continental stitch, so maybe they know something I don't know about that stitch. :)

Yes, all of my full coverage patterns were purchased as PDFs that are fully compatible with Pattern Keeper. I had bought most of my Golden Kite patterns too long ago for them to be compatible, but they had an option to pay a small fee per pattern to get an updated copy. One of my patterns that I bought off of Etsy gave me an updated compatible copy for free when it was available - never hurts to ask!

I’m stitching on 22 count Aida here. The coverage is pretty light, so I now prefer to stitch on 25 or 28 count.

Most of the time, I haven’t noticed a problem with dark carried threads showing through the lighter areas. I do tend to avoid running dark thread underneath finished light stitches, though. So I might just naturally avoid doing that when I notice it.

In Pattern Keeper, there are three modes - move, select, and mark. When you're in the "move" mode, you can look around the design and move to a section of the chart that you want - also zooming in or out. In the "select" mode, you can choose which symbol you want it to select. That highlights a particular symbol over the entire chart. You can choose your symbol by either tapping on one in the chart itself, or by tapping on one in the symbol key along the side. This is really a great feature because it helps you locate "ninja stitches" off by themselves, or helps you formulate a "path" to take while you're stitching. In the "mark" mode, this is where you actually add in your progress to the pattern. If you don't have any symbols highlighted (from the select mode), you can mark off any symbols as complete by tapping them or swiping your finger across them. If you DO have a symbol highlighted, you can only mark off that particular symbol, which is helpful to be able to swipe through a section and it will only detect the particular symbol you're working with at the moment. Then, you see a checkmark on the bottom, which you will tap to complete the process. Once symbols have been touched and the checkmark is also touched, those squares on the chart will now appear in the color of the floss that is assigned to them. This is a fun feature, because you can see easily on your chart what you've stitched and it matches the colors of your finished piece. There will likely still be other boxes on the chart with that symbol that you have not completed, but those won't be marked off until you have selected them and tap the "complete" checkmark. If you select completed stitches, you will have a little frog icon in place the of the complete checkmark so that you can "frog" or unstitch/unselect those particular stitches. Does all of that make sense? I found Pattern Keeper a game changer with my full coverage stitching - making it immensely more enjoyable now! I got a Kindle Fire for around $50 and use it pretty much just for Pattern Keeper - probably the least expensive option for a compatible tablet. There are a few hoops to jump through to be able to load the Google Play store to the Kindle, but there are RU-vid videos with step-by-step instructions for how to do that - the Pattern Keeper Facebook group links to those as well.

@@StitchinMommy thank you so much for getting back to me. You have given me an absolutely wonderful explanation. I can’t wait to get started. Angela

Sometimes I will go ahead and stitch the last few stitches of a color, but if they are off in a section of the pattern that is more thinly stitched, I might wait until that area has more done in order to anchor the thread. :)

28 count for full coverage is one of my favorite fabrics! If your design has a LOT of color changes, it might be a little bulky in those places, but overall, I am very happy with the coverage. If you watch one of my WIP parade videos, you'll find several of my full coverages are done on that count, so you can see the coverage. These designs I've done on 28 count: the four seasonal Montage patterns, April Fairy, Cat Alphabet, Hibiscus Fairy, and Hidden Harbor. I have also done several on 28 count with a 2 strand half stitch instead of a 1 strand full cross, but stitching with a half stitch is not for everyone.

I will use just one length of the required strands before choosing a new color. So, on this piece, I'm stitching with 2 strands, so if it's a solid color, I'll pull one strand from the length of DMC, fold it over and thread the needle to do the loop start, and stitch it all in until the thread runs out or the symbol runs out in a countable area. Then, I'll choose the next symbol. I won't continue to stitch until all of the cut length of DMC is finished. Does that answer your question?

When I first roll up my fabric, sometimes I do need to reroll it more often during the first few stitching sessions depending on how stiff and stubborn the fabric is. If it's particularly stiff fabric that won't behave, I'll sometimes use clips or thread peals to wrap around the roll to keep it in place whenever I set it down. Eventually, most fabric begins to "remember" the roll and doesn't unroll itself whenever I set it down. :)

It varies - some things get gifted, I have a set of Mirabilias for the seasons that I have all framed, but they rotate on the same spot on the wall throughout the year. I think some of my smaller, casual finishes will make great fronts of project bags or tote bags - possibly to sell or give away. I also have a large art portfolio where I plan to put my finishes that are larger, but don't really have a place to go. And lastly, some of the largest pieces I have will likely never get finished, and I'm okay with that. The joy is in the journey on those ones. :)

Yes, most of the time, I will go down the row to start the stitches, then go back down the row to complete them. Sometimes, if it benefits the "path" I'm taking through the design, I'll stitch them one X at a time, but that's the exception to the rule. :)

I decided to print out all the covers to the projects that I have in Pattern Keeper. Since I'm not working from a physical pattern, it makes it handy to be able to show the cover pages on my channel when giving my stitching updates. It's also a nice place to jot down measurements and any other details of decisions I've made on each piece. :)

Sometimes I'll decide on full cross vs. half cross based on the size of the piece - if it's really big, I'm more likely to want to do a half stitch so that I'll see progress faster. Another factor is the style of picture. If it's kind of an illustrated look with "line" edges around things, I feel like it lends itself better to a full cross - half stitches can sometimes be choppy when used for a line going in the direction opposite how the stitch lays. If the picture has more of a painting style with natural edges on things, it can work better for a half stitch. I also like to do half stitches on smaller count fabric so that it'll fade into just looking like pixels, rather than slashes. I like 28ct the best for a 2 strand half stitch, but 25ct also works if the threads aren't super dark. Try to choose fabric that's a little heartier as well, to help support the slight warping that might occur with a half stitch. I found 28ct Lugana was too loose for me to enjoy using a half stitch, but I like it for a 1 over 1 full cross.

I tend to carry threads about 1 inch, give or take, depending on necessity. If there's just one stitch somewhere and I know I would have to go back for it later, I'm more willing to carry farther for it. Because I stitch on smaller counts often, 1 inch can be 20-30 stitches, so it's quite a distance on the actual pattern. If something is farther away than that, I'll often start and stop my thread. I guess a good rule of thumb I use is if the distance carried will use up less thread than if I wove under to end and wove under again to start. If it'll take the same or less thread than it would take to start and stop, might as well carry!

@@StitchinMommy Thank you for taking your time to answer my question! The thumb rule is really good idea :)

Yes, on some of my full coverage projects, I have chosen to stitch them with a half stitch instead of a full cross stitch, mainly to save time. If you choose a good size fabric, it won't be noticable as a half stitch when you're finished. This particular project on 22ct was a bit of an experiment and I don't recommend it for half stitches, as the coverage isn't as nice as I would like. I prefer a 2 strand half stitch on 25ct or 28ct, and a 1 strand half stitch on 40ct. But, there are still some full coverage projects where I have chosen to still stitch a full cross. I like full crosses with 2 strands on 18ct, and 1 strand on 25ct or 28ct.

I like to stitch full coverage designs on smaller counts mainly because it helps the finished design have a smaller finished size. It's also fun to have the "pixels" of the picture be smaller, so that it blends together a little smoother without having to stand farther back. That being said, larger counts are also totally fine for full coverage! I have a few designs still on 18 count Aida and I have seen a stitcher online who regularly uses 11 count! If 16 count is your sweet spot, definitely use that so that you can enjoy the project - you'll be spending a lot of time on it so it should be a joy to work on. You can try washing the blue fabric you got to get some of the starch out. I've heard some stitchers have success with that. You can also try Zweigart brand fabric, which tends to be softer that some other brands. You can find that at 123stitch, Hobby Lobby, or other online shops. I hope that helps!

When using solid color floss, I like to pull a length of thread that is 4 feet. I will either use one strand with a loop start to stitch over 2 or cut a strand in half to stitch over 1 - so my working piece is about 2 feet. If I'm using variegated floss, those threads often come in precut lengths of 3 feet, so I use those as they are.

This pattern is compatible with a program called Pattern Keeper. It’s a great app that works mostly with full coverage PDF patterns - it doesn’t work for just any pattern. You can search for symbols, mark them off, and see what thread color goes with a symbol - speeding along those aspects of stitching these large designs. It’s an app only available on the Google Play store for android devices or a device like Kindle Fire that has had the Google Play store added to it.

This pattern is compatible with a program called Pattern Keeper. It’s a great app that works mostly with full coverage PDF patterns - it doesn’t work for just any pattern. You can search for symbols, mark them off, and see what thread color goes with a symbol - speeding along those aspects of stitching these large designs. It’s an app only available on the Google Play store for android devices or a device like Kindle Fire that has had the Google Play store added to it.

Yes, there are some times when I'll choose to stitch a full coverage design with a half stitch to save time. This one was kind of an experiment, and going forward, I would not recommend doing a 2 strand half stitch on 22 count because it didn't cover the fabric enough for my preference. I prefer a 2 strand half stitch on 25 or 28 count instead, or a 1 strand half stitch on 40 count. I still stitch some full coverages with a full cross, so it kind of depends on the project for me.

Yes, I am only stitching this with a half stitch. Some of my full coverage designs I have chosen to stitch them with a half stitch, since it helps to see progress faster. But some of my full coverage designs are still stitched with a full cross, and all of my regular patterns are also stitched with a full cross. :) The tubes I store my projects in are all recycled from various places. A lot of them are from what stitching fabric comes in when you buy it at the craft store. Sometimes I'll use leftover tubes from wrapping paper, or even just make tubes out of cardstock. :)

This Knitting Woman project was stitched on 22 count white Aida/Hardanger fabric with a 2 strand half stitch.

A lot of times it is just a matter of wanting to stitch the design faster. Half stitches can be completed more quickly than full crosses. Also, when stitching a full coverage that has blended threads (like Golden Kite), using a half stitch allows me to use a smaller count fabric and still use two strands, so the finished size of the piece is smaller. Sometimes, if the design is more "illustrated" or has crisp lines, it may look better with a full cross, as half stitches can sometimes lend a softer look and tiny details will look different depending on which way they line up with the slant of the half stitches.

I have gotten used to counting on plain fabric and prefer that to gridlines. I double and triple check my counts on all my pieces as I stitch, especially when I stitch farther way to make sure things line up horizontally and vertically.

This method can actually be helpful to tackle heavy confetti, since I'm forced to deal with those symbols as I come to them, rather than avoiding them and being stuck with lots of different colors all at once. The biggest help I have now to tackling heavy confetti is actually the use of Pattern Keeper (Markup R-XP is another similar program). PK allows you to select the symbol you want, which tells you the color number and also highlights wherever that symbol occurs in the pattern. This is VERY helpful in confetti areas because it can help you chart a "path" through the area to not have to double back to catch stitches you missed, etc. I have since adapted this method to where I will pick symbols within an entire 10x10 block before moving over to the next 10x10 block - that makes it easier to find my next symbol, instead of following a single line all the way across a design.

❤thanks !!! I do not have PK but I like that you pointed out that you force yourself to deal with each 10 x 10 before moving on. This is my first full coverage and I am getting overwhelmed because my back is very messy.😢 I usually go cross country with a neat back however I find that it is not a good method for full coverage.

Yes, it's almost impossible to have a neat back with most full coverage designs, simply because of the different colors scattered around to create the detailed look. Just try to make sure your tension is good if you have to carry, so that the front stays smooth and not lumpy.

I purchased PK after a lot of consideration. Tried it for a month before purchasing, you are right it is a big help for full coverage wip.

No, I usually buy the PDF pattern and source the materials myself. I keep a master set of DMC, so I will stitch all my full coverage designs from that - no need to kit up floss separately for each project. So, when I want to start a new pattern, I just need the chart and a piece of fabric! :)

Pattern Keeper is what I use, and it's only available on Android devices (or anything compatible with Google Play - I have added that store to my Kindle Fire). There is a similar app for Apple devices that's called Markup R-XP that you could try if you don't have an Android. I'm not as familiar with that app, but you could search it up for videos or help either here on RU-vid or over on Facebook - I believe both apps have a helpful Facebook group.

When I stitch with a half stitch, I am essentially just doing the first leg of the cross. I prefer the flexibility of the stitch when done that way. When I tried using a continental tent stitch, the fabric warped horribly almost immediately. A plain half stitch allows the fabric to be manipulated a little bit, which helps it warp less initially and gives me hope for being able to block out any warping when the project is done. That being said, using a half stitch is a little bit different than a full cross when it comes to planning your "path" through the design. Essentially, it is the same as following the pattern with a full cross, but sometimes you will alter your "path" because of not having to complete the Xs. I'm not sure how exactly to describe what my thought process is, but I will try to film more patterns done in half stitch and try to verbalize what I'm thinking about as I go. I do have a few other stitch with me videos already in the "Demos & Tutorials" playlist that are done with a half stitch, so you may get some more insight from those.

I do carry my threads up to 1-2 inches away on full coverage designs like this, but since I stitch in-hand I want to make sure those carried threads don't pull too tight and make the piece bumpy, or get caught on things. So I will usually run my thread underneath finished stitches in the back to secure the carried threads (or they are carried over blank fabric which will eventually get stitched over). This piece has been finished and gifted, but the back would look rather neat because the carried threads are mostly covered by finished stitches. There will be sections that are thicker than others, where there are more color changes. But that is all normal for a full coverage design. When people stitch these patterns on a scroll frame, they will usually just carry without securing their threads, so their backs look more haphazard with the carried threads lying on top of the finished stitches.