Working on Big Projects One Page at a Time

[Kathy_A]

I was just wondering if there is any truth to the warning that Scarlet Quince has on their website? They say that you shouldn't work on their big projects one page at a time, but should stagger your work a bit so the edges aren't all straight before progressing to the next page. Otherwise, they say, you'll have a "checkerboard effect" on your final work.

Is that true? If the work is continued right away, I don't see why that should happen. If there is a break of years between pages, that's another thing altogether since I can see the thread possibly fading a bit during the downtime.

If anyone out there has worked on big projects from HAED or SQ (or other places, too!), have you seen this checkerboard effect?

Thanks for answering my questions!!

[Lulu22]

I agree, but only if there are large blocks of colour that you are stitching from one page to the next, its not necessary with confetti area's, this did happen to me so now I do look at the next page and if need be I work on that one at the same time, but I make sure I'm not tired as its easy to make mistakes! Hope this helps.

[Allyn]

I was just wondering if there is any truth to the warning that Scarlet Quince has on their website? They say that you shouldn't work on their big projects one page at a time, but should stagger your work a bit so the edges aren't all straight before progressing to the next page. Otherwise, they say, you'll have a "checkerboard effect" on your final work.

Is that true? If the work is continued right away, I don't see why that should happen. If there is a break of years between pages, that's another thing altogether since I can see the thread possibly fading a bit during the downtime.

If anyone out there has worked on big projects from HAED or SQ (or other places, too!), have you seen this checkerboard effect?

Thanks for answering my questions!!

Oh yes, I have absolutely seen that effect many times. It's more like stripes than a checkerboard (the sides become pronounced rather than the top or bottom). It's more pronounced when doing 10 x 10 squares rather than pages (which is why I won't do 10 x 10 squares), but yes, I've seen it quite distinctly in people's projects. Time isn't a factor -- it isn't faded colors. It's more about tension on the stitches that all align along an 'edge.' If you eliminate that straight 'edge' by staggering it and carrying the thread over to the next page every once in a while (doesn't have to be every line, just every so often to break the straight line) you'll eliminate the stripe. As Lulu pointed out, it's much more prominent when doing areas of solid fill, but I've also seen it in confetti areas. I keep the adjacent pages (the next over and the one below) to the one I'm working on handy so if the color continues for a stitch or two over or down, I go ahead and do them. That breaks the straight-line edge of the page so there aren't "stripes."

[carolanne]

I think Allyn gives a good description of a way to guard against it.

[19Roland19]

I've seen the line too.

I print off the adjacent pages and when I cross over, I tape them together. This is the back of the pattern I am currently working on. (You can see some of the highlighter through the paper, but not the pattern, which would have shown better, but due to copyright I'm only posting the back.)

Some pages only have a bit stitched, one is almost complete.

[Allyn]

...I print off the adjacent pages and when I cross over, I tape them together. ...

Good point. I do this, too, if the project is small (12 pages or less) I trim the pages and tape them together and then I fold the now-one-big-sheet like a road map. That makes it quite easy to avoid the page stripes.

[kinley626]

Great tip. I have been making an effort to cross into the next page every few lines, but taping the adjacent pages would make that a whole lot easier.

[wendywombat]

...I print off the adjacent pages and when I cross over, I tape them together. ...

Good point. I do this, too, if the project is small (12 pages or less) I trim the pages and tape them together and then I fold the now-one-big-sheet like a road map. That makes it quite easy to avoid the page stripes.

That's what I do, too. Great (stitching) minds think alike Eh?

[19Roland19]

...I print off the adjacent pages and when I cross over, I tape them together. ...

Good point. I do this, too, if the project is small (12 pages or less) I trim the pages and tape them together and then I fold the now-one-big-sheet like a road map. That makes it quite easy to avoid the page stripes.

It does start looking like a road map.

[Mystonique]

It happens and it ruins projects when it does.

I think it depends on how you stitch. For my part from one stitch session to the next my tension can differ significantly (I think it comes down to moods etc) ... so I try to finish areas each time. I definitely could not do a page at a time.

But I don't think everyone has the same issues as me and I've seen projects done a page at a time that come out fine.

So maybe you need to try it and see ...

[richardandtracy]

I've seen it on my own work. Much of the effect disappears on washing, but I can still see it on one project.

Keeping the tension down and having a project with lots of different colours can reduce the effect.

Regards,

Richard.

[purgatory]

I have only done one big project before and did a page at a time but it came out fine and there is no line effect, the project I'm working on now did look like it had a line after I started the second page but as I've carried on stitching the page the effect has faded and now you cant tell where the edge was. Although I have thought that I should carry a few stitches over the edges I just haven't got round to doing it because my space is a little cramped and I don't want to be pulling bits of paper out all over the place!

But we all work differently and as long as you are enjoying what you are doing I think its just a case of figuring out what works for you

[Oriettait]

I have seen it on my work... and I wasnt happy about it... since then I have tried different tips, and this is what worked for me:
1- never leave your qsnap or millenium frame in tension when you are done stitching.. i used to leave the qsnap as they were and after awhile I noticed they were stretching my fabric quite a bit! this was with Lugana and with Magic guide 25ct which are quite soft fabric.
2. stagger your line, I usually stitch a 10 stitches column at the time but i make sure I include some stitches here and there from the next column
3. start and finish off your thread pulling it out on the front... i mostly stitch with two stands so I loop start but I learned to finish off my threads on the front, I noticed a immediate upgrade on how my front look as when you finish running under stitches in the back you effect the tension of what you have already done and this helps a lot creating the lines.
Since I started applying those tips all my lines disappeared and the front of my work looks much even and neat.

[Allyn]

... i mostly stitch with two stands so I loop start but I learned to finish off my threads on the front, I noticed a immediate upgrade on how my front look as when you finish running under stitches in the back you effect the tension of what you have already done and this helps a lot creating the lines.....

This is a most excellent point. I believe those stripes are surely a tension issue and since I almost exclusively use waste/away knots to start and end my threads I didn't think about how jamming the anchor tails under the already completed stitches would alter tension, especially when you have a large number of colors to anchor in a small space such as you'd have doing an SQ chart. I mean, I know it does alter tension -- part of why I switched to waste/away knots -- but I didn't put it together with the stripe effect until now. Doing a Scarlet Quince, you won't be able to loop-start (a lot of blends), which I'm sure is why they recommend not doing a page at a time. That's probably simpler advice than trying to coach folks on tension, what affects tension, and anchor techniques.

[Kathy_A]

I posted this question after I had finished my first page and read the recommendation on the SQ site. Now that I've got a big corner of my second page done, I am noticing a striped effect. However, I think that, for me, the reason might be due to the fact that newly stitched thread has a sheen to it that thread that has been stitched for at least a few weeks doesn't, and my first page is already showing that weathered look (probably due to the amount of times I've taken it out of and put it back into the pillow case I use to protect it when I'm not stitching). I'm going to make sure I stagger the edges from here on out, but I'm hoping that the edges of the first page will weather away any striping effect.

If not, I'm going to go over the edges and stitch over the top of a few along the edge to blunt the effect even more.

I have only used the anchoring technique of stitching over the end of the thread, so I don't think that tension would cause the striping I'm noticing now. (It's interesting--since I've never really talked with others who stitch except my sister, I had no idea about the "waste knot" technique!)

Thanks for all of your suggestions and help!!

[richardandtracy]

Learning that sort of thing is exactly why I came to this forum. If you're working on your own, accumulation of knowledge is by slow accretion if it occurs at all. Sharing techniques, as is done here, supercharges the learning process and can produce a step change in your work in a very short time. It certainly has had that effect on what I've done in the <1year I've been here.

Regards,

Richard.

[pattiebelle]

I know!!! Me too!.

Sometimes, though, what I learn isn't applicable for a while. Then one day, I'm in a jam, and what I see looks like something I read about earlier and the light bulb goes off! "Oh! THAT's what they were talking about!!!" -lol

This is also why I like ALL questions. I can't think of everything!

I love this place ...