How do you all know where to mark your fabric? Do you do it on the lines on the outsides of the ten holes? Such as with aida, do you mark it like this?
|oooooooooo| O's being the holes and the |'s being where the fabric lines are and where you'd mark it? Could someone show me a close up picture of a grid'd square?
Also, what kind of marker do you use? I just assume a water soluable one or is it specialty?
Lastly, I've already started on my cross stitch but is it too late to grid it?
Griding your fabric
Moderators: rcperryls, Rose, karen4bells, Serinde, Alex
Re: Griding your fabric
I just mart the centre lines & then start stitching from there . Sometime just in a rough way without marking. & somtime just makine a running simple stitch from centre & make a cross. Should in with different colour. Then i stitch from that mark .
http://myartcreations.blogspot.com
http://myartcreations.blogspot.com
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kimkat_tkl
- Posts: 1285
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- Location: Brisbane Australia
Re: Griding your fabric
I normally don't grid so I don't know about the right type of marker to use (someone else on here is sure to know though).
I sure this has been explained elsewhere on here but this is how I intend to grid my HAED (whenever I get around to starting it).
1. I would find the centre of the fabric by folding it half and mark the centre with a pin. (This way you are working out from the centre - less likely to start too far in and run out of room on the other edge, and pins are easier to change if you make a mistake counting).
2. Going to the left of the centreline I would then mark the first 10x10 line from the pattern onto the fabric with another pin.
For example: say the centrelines falls between the 3rd and 4th stitch in a 10x10 square (using | for a pin running through the holes and o as a hole) this would look something like: | o o | (the second being the centreline of the fabric)
3. I would then count out ten holes from the second pin and add a third.
Using the example above: | o o o o o o o o o | o o |
This I would keep doing until I reached the edge of the pattern. Then I would repeat to the right of the centreline and the same with the fabric rotated 90 degrees. Then once I was sure that everything was counted right I would make the grid more permanent than the pins (either with thread or marker).
Pengwenn's Balloons SAL has a reasonable pic showing her 10x10 gridding
I sure this has been explained elsewhere on here but this is how I intend to grid my HAED (whenever I get around to starting it).
1. I would find the centre of the fabric by folding it half and mark the centre with a pin. (This way you are working out from the centre - less likely to start too far in and run out of room on the other edge, and pins are easier to change if you make a mistake counting).
2. Going to the left of the centreline I would then mark the first 10x10 line from the pattern onto the fabric with another pin.
For example: say the centrelines falls between the 3rd and 4th stitch in a 10x10 square (using | for a pin running through the holes and o as a hole) this would look something like: | o o | (the second being the centreline of the fabric)
3. I would then count out ten holes from the second pin and add a third.
Using the example above: | o o o o o o o o o | o o |
This I would keep doing until I reached the edge of the pattern. Then I would repeat to the right of the centreline and the same with the fabric rotated 90 degrees. Then once I was sure that everything was counted right I would make the grid more permanent than the pins (either with thread or marker).
Pengwenn's Balloons SAL has a reasonable pic showing her 10x10 gridding
Tracy
My 2015 SAL
My 2015 SAL
Re: Griding your fabric
I bought a water soluable (sp) pen from the store where I buy my supplies and it does wash out. It looks the same as Pengwenn's. I don't grid the whole work, but did some after I started my windmill. I was getting lost so I put some marks to guide me. If you look in my gallery and click on the windmill to make it larger you will see what I did. I go down the row of holes, if that makes any sense to you. It looks a mess but I know it will wash out when I am finished.
Re: Griding your fabric
I do gridding more and more lately because I really find it helpful. I think I rather draw the line on the row of holes, look here, for example:
Hope it helps.
Hope it helps.
Agi
"The world, as a colourful knot of threads, has turned into a memory, and now you cannot be sure whether it was real." (Géza Ottlik, Hungarian writer)
My blog
"The world, as a colourful knot of threads, has turned into a memory, and now you cannot be sure whether it was real." (Géza Ottlik, Hungarian writer)
My blog
Re: Griding your fabric
I do it on the holes also, but with a tacking stitch 5 holes over and 5 holes under to make a 10 x 10 square. If this doesn't make sense - look in my gallery 
mags
WIPs:
Heritage Tower Bridge (yes still
)
various bits and bobs
WIPs:
Heritage Tower Bridge (yes still
)various bits and bobs
Re: Griding your fabric
Oh awesome this does make a lot of sense. I think i need to grid the gold dragon so that way I know i'm not getting too lost in the pattern seeing as its really huge. I'd hate to frog a huge section on this thing!
Re: Griding your fabric
If you go down the tacking stitches route, I am repeating here what I have learned:
On my cat and owl pictures I used a red thread and gridded 10 x 10 squares, doing the same with a red crayon on a copy of the pattern, crossing off the block when I had done. Yes it was a bit tricky to remove (suggest from the back) and if you scan it in and zoom very big there are one or two bits left (but I can't see them naked eye). There is no way I could have done these pictures without gridding.
On my current sepia picture which has large areas of one colour (progress picture not yet taken) I gridded with a brown thread in case it got caught and as it seems to be getting caught quite a bit I am removing it as I go.
I have heard that it would be better to use a synthetic thread rather than cotton (fluff-wise) but I think I prefer the cotton thread as it is more sympathetic pulling it out
On my cat and owl pictures I used a red thread and gridded 10 x 10 squares, doing the same with a red crayon on a copy of the pattern, crossing off the block when I had done. Yes it was a bit tricky to remove (suggest from the back) and if you scan it in and zoom very big there are one or two bits left (but I can't see them naked eye). There is no way I could have done these pictures without gridding.
On my current sepia picture which has large areas of one colour (progress picture not yet taken) I gridded with a brown thread in case it got caught and as it seems to be getting caught quite a bit I am removing it as I go.
I have heard that it would be better to use a synthetic thread rather than cotton (fluff-wise) but I think I prefer the cotton thread as it is more sympathetic pulling it out
mags
WIPs:
Heritage Tower Bridge (yes still )
various bits and bobs
WIPs:
Heritage Tower Bridge (yes still
)various bits and bobs
Re: Griding your fabric
I think for me, i'll go with the water soluable marker - dragon is fully stitched, meaning no open spaces at all, it'll go faster for me as i've already started work on it. I do like your way too Mags, I will have to try that one on a pattern in the future and test out which I like best!
Re: Griding your fabric
Yeah I had to grid my Balloon SAL because there was no way I was going to start in the middle because of all the color changes. I've only gridded once and I think I like it so far and will continue to do it on larger projects. Here are some tips I learned in the process:
1. Mark your grid by stitch count instead of dimension (i.e. number of inches). I just took the measurement dimentions and made marks on the fabric for the border of the design. Turns out I was three lines short in each dimension (that part doesn't show in what is scanned in my Balloon SAL)
2. Know your stitch count and grid for it. When I marked my grid I started at the bottom and counted ten lines up and made a mark. I did this all the way the fabric. When I looked at the pattern the last row of 10x10 grids only uses the top 9 lines. Instead of washing out all my grid lines and starting over I had to remind myself that I was working "one row up" from the bottom so all my future grids would stay the same. So read your pattern and if there are only 6 lines in the bottom gird don't start making 10x10 grids from the bottom like I did.
3. Test your marking device before hand AND on the same piece of fabric. I considered taking a scrap piece of fabric to test the water soluable pen I was using but thought you never know if the material was processed the same so it's best to test a small corner to see if you can actually remove any marks. I wrote in big letters "BOTTOM" across the bottom of the material. I let it sit for several hours and then I ran the fabric under cold water. It worked so I knew I wouldn't have any problems washing the stuff off.
I do like kimkat's idea of pinning the middle and counting your lines out from the center to match the chart. I made sure I had 4" of fabric around all sides before I started mine so even though I goofed a couple of lines there's still plenty of room to work. After marking the center and the first surrounding grid you could start marking your grids with a pen from there. I prefer to mark the holes since that is the edge of a stitch either way.
Oh, and even though you've gridded your fabric I would still always count out your stitches. Don't assume anything or you'll be
-ing more than you'll like.
1. Mark your grid by stitch count instead of dimension (i.e. number of inches). I just took the measurement dimentions and made marks on the fabric for the border of the design. Turns out I was three lines short in each dimension (that part doesn't show in what is scanned in my Balloon SAL)
2. Know your stitch count and grid for it. When I marked my grid I started at the bottom and counted ten lines up and made a mark. I did this all the way the fabric. When I looked at the pattern the last row of 10x10 grids only uses the top 9 lines. Instead of washing out all my grid lines and starting over I had to remind myself that I was working "one row up" from the bottom so all my future grids would stay the same. So read your pattern and if there are only 6 lines in the bottom gird don't start making 10x10 grids from the bottom like I did.
3. Test your marking device before hand AND on the same piece of fabric. I considered taking a scrap piece of fabric to test the water soluable pen I was using but thought you never know if the material was processed the same so it's best to test a small corner to see if you can actually remove any marks. I wrote in big letters "BOTTOM" across the bottom of the material. I let it sit for several hours and then I ran the fabric under cold water. It worked so I knew I wouldn't have any problems washing the stuff off.
I do like kimkat's idea of pinning the middle and counting your lines out from the center to match the chart. I made sure I had 4" of fabric around all sides before I started mine so even though I goofed a couple of lines there's still plenty of room to work. After marking the center and the first surrounding grid you could start marking your grids with a pen from there. I prefer to mark the holes since that is the edge of a stitch either way.
Oh, and even though you've gridded your fabric I would still always count out your stitches. Don't assume anything or you'll be
-ing more than you'll like.current project rotation:
Twilight Balloon Flight
The Accolade
Faces of Faery 89
Dad's Flower Pot
Twilight Balloon Flight
The Accolade
Faces of Faery 89
Dad's Flower Pot
Re: Griding your fabric
Oh and one more thing.
4. Choose the color of your marking pen carefully. If you're using blue thread it might not be a good idea to use a blue marking pen. Trust me on this one.
4. Choose the color of your marking pen carefully. If you're using blue thread it might not be a good idea to use a blue marking pen. Trust me on this one.
current project rotation:
Twilight Balloon Flight
The Accolade
Faces of Faery 89
Dad's Flower Pot
Twilight Balloon Flight
The Accolade
Faces of Faery 89
Dad's Flower Pot
Re: Griding your fabric
I'm afraid I don't grid my work, but it certainly looks like you've got plenty of advice from these girlies! 
Nic x
-----------------
Work in Progress
HAED 'Yes'
HAED 'Ballerina Sisters
HAED 'Swans Song'
HAED 'Shh'
Mystic Stitch 'Dawn's Song'
New York @ Night
-----------------
Work in Progress
HAED 'Yes'
HAED 'Ballerina Sisters
HAED 'Swans Song'
HAED 'Shh'
Mystic Stitch 'Dawn's Song'
New York @ Night
Re: Griding your fabric
Well i'm not too worried about finding the center, I've already got the whole center 4 squares of the gold dragon started, but i thought it would be helpful to go and grid the whole thing so i wouldnt get confused since the pattern is gridded in 10x10 squares, i should probably grid my fabric so i dont get too lost.