Cross Stitch: 60th Birthday Card Update 1

[badly_knitted]

 

Right, first update on the art nouveau lady!

Excellent progress is being made, I'm pleased with myself. I've got the shoulder of her gown done, plus all her face and the first few locks of hair. I'm leaving her eye until last though, because I don't want her staring at me out of half a head o_O






I wasn't even going to attempt it because I'm working on 20 count, but I did manage (more or less) to do the fractional stitches on her eyebrow. It should be noted that I loathe fractionals and have been known to re-chart sections of designs I like in order to get rid of them because I have trouble not with the actual stitching but with reading them on the chart and translating that to the fabric. It's like a weird version of dyslexia, I get confused and can't make what I'm seeing make sense in my head. But I managed because it was only a couple of stitches. Yay!

Comments

[badly_knitted]

I don't usually stitch for more than an hour or two at a time, too much else to do, but I enjoy it although my fingers get a bit sore at times.

Cross-stitched cards are great, I do that more than anything else at the moment, partly because I like small projects and partly because all my kits are still stuck in storage. I thought they'd only be there for a few months while work was done on the house, but 8 years later...

Black aida is very effective but hard to stitch on. You need to either put a white pillowcase of something on your lap or have a light shining up from underneath so you can see the holes. Try online for fabric in future, it can be quite a bit cheaper than in the shops.

Metallic thread can be a nuisance. Some things that might help are using a larger needle than usual because that will widen the holes so the thread goes through more easily. Also use shorter lengths than you normally would and get a needle threader to help thread your needle. Don't go for the cheapest, they break really easily, I use this kind...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Steel-Hook-Needle-Threader-Hand-Sew-For-Small-Eye-Needle-Threading-Sewing-Pins/122412084506?hash=item1c80542d1a:m:mEpZ4VG_zWD6hyMvk4SrlAg:rk:5:pf:0

Clear nail varnish dabbed on the end of threads can also help.

Might you post pictures of your finished projects? I'd love to see.

[casualbird]

thanks for all the advice! it's all really useful.

i'll get to getting some of those cards, and a needle threader, thanks!!!

when i go home for the weekend, i'll put up one or two of my finished projects, plus maybe a process pic of the one i'm doing now?

[badly_knitted]

You're welcome, I'm glad I could offer some advice.

Good luck with finding what you need. There all all different sizes and colours of cards, and different shaped apertures. And don't forget acid-free double sided sticky tape. It's the best thing to use for mounting stitching to a card. There are probably tutorials on youtube.

That would be great! I always love seeing what other people are working on. I just finished a Valentine card.