should i stitch line by line or according to thread colour?

[Teffa]

Hi everyone!! This is my first post in a forum...I've been practising cross stitch for the past 6 months and I always stuck to simple designs which I stitched line by line...but now I'm starting a project which has quite a large number of different shades...should i stitch my project line by line or should i stitch it according to the thread colour and then go back to the lines when I need a different colour? I'm confused because some lines only have one stitch in a particular colour so i dont want my project to look messy on the back...
i would be grateful if you could share your tips with me...
thanks a lot!

[agi]

Hi, Teffa, welcome to the forum.

I tend to do patches of colours rather than lines, I don't even know how to do that, but I have to admit my back is not as neat as I would like it to be.

When it is a bigger patch of the same colour it looks good but when there are just a few stitches of a colour it becomes messy.

Hopefully there will be someone else with bigger experience who can help you more. But my advice is: don't worry too much, do it as it comes easier for you, and simply don't show your backside to anyone.

(We have been having some crazy jokes here about our backsides - if you want a good laugh, you have come to the right place.)

[Teffa]

thanks a lot for sharing your method with me

I got worried because yesterday i visited a Cross Stitch exhibition and there were projects with perfect backs especially those on towels and baby bibs, so i started wondering if i'm doing it all wrong mainly because i dont know anyone experienced to turn to and make sure i'm stitching in the right way...

thank you sooo much for your reply

[lacemaker2004]

HI Teffa,
I've been stitching for probably 20 some years and my backs are not neat. I met a guy stitcher once that it was almost impossible to tell the difference between his front and his back it was so amazingly clean..........sorry to say.....ain't happenin' here. I don't have the patience nor the attention. I just figure if anyone is rude enough to flip it over it's their own fault!

As for how I stitch, I do it in patches too that way I'm not wasting thread nor getting them confused. I do mostly big projects that have tons of colors and I can't see a way to keep them all organized and out of the way if I tried line by line.

[Teffa]

yep thanks a lot! i tried stitching in patches this morning and i think i'm going to stick to that, as you said...it helps to organize threads easily.

[mags]

Hi Teffa and welcome

There is a way of doing cross stitch so that the back is just as good as the front - I tried it once on a christmas card - it takes a lot of floss and I don't think it is very quick to do. If you like I will look out a link of how to do it.

I don't do lines. I thread a needle up and go as far as I can with that and then change. If you look at my gallery you will see progress pictures of my cat picture. I did try to keep the back neat on that one, however the owl I am now working on - I gave up trying to keep it neat as there are a lot of colour changes

If the back of the project is not going to be seen, I wouldn't worry too much. Just try not to use knots as they can be a bit lumpy.

[coffee_freak]

welcome!
and I also stitch by blocks of color..always starting in the middle of the project..I always count three times so the whole thing isn't off..
I know some swear by line by line w/ needles parked off to the side so they don't have to thread the needle over and over..
i also only work with one needle.

[Teffa]

i like threading needles and preparing them beforehand, but thats because i worked line by line so far. and would you recommend starting from the middle of the pattern and stitching up down? or starting from a corner?
thanks everyone for posting

[sammy_v]

Hi welcome to the forum.

I stitch in patches of colours to, ill do lines if it a huge area of one colour though. My backs start off neat but let me tell u, by the time im done that aint neat no more lol.

[coffee_freak]

whether you start from the upper left corner or in the middle depends on how you stitch I think. I start from the middle because I'm afraid if I start from the top..i will have measured wrong and counted wrong and it wouldn't be centered.
but that's just me. I just recently saw someone used a water soluble marker to make the grid on the fabric. I'm SOOO going to do that next time and stitch square by square for this large project I'm starting soon.

but usually i fold the fabric in fours to find the middle and then find the middle of the pattern..and stitch blocks of color. I make a photo copy of the pattern and mark of what I stitch with a highlighter.

[Teffa]

yes i find it more comfortable to start from the middle...
and goodluck coffee_freak for your big project

[merbs]

I just figure if anyone is rude enough to flip it over it's their own fault!

The nerve of some people! They do it to me at work when I stitch during lunch. Not that I'm too embarrassed about my backs but I just don't know where their dirty hands have been..lol.

I used to stitch all of one color wherever it was on the chart then do another, etc, but, now, I do like mags mentioned....use up a needle then switch.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Hi Teffa, welcome to the forum hope you'll enjoy your visits here! (Actually it is almost impossible not to )

I tend to work patches of colour, even when they are quite far apart (see my last progress picture on the kingfisher, which has some of the beige "leaf veins" already stitched without anything else near them).

It depends a bit on the design where I start; usually in the middle, but with the cats for the ATC I started at the bottom -- of the cats, that is -- and worked my way up -- seemed more logical than doing half a black cat from the waist upwards and then doing the other half.

I try to keep the back as neat as possible, but if that means lots of extra time and effort and it's going into a card or frame anyway, then I'm simply not going to bother as long as the front is neat and presentable; life's too short and there's at least 8 projects waiting in my To Do pile

[Teffa]

thanks so much for your help! i really needed some support from experienced stitchers and i loved your work in your website Mabel! especially the black and ginger cats! and yes you were right i'm hooked on this forum! it's just great! everyone's soo helpful!
thanks!

[lacemaker2004]

I have purchased a thread organizer for one particular project that contains lots of confetti stitching but I have tried it out yet. My thought was if I could prep a bunch of needles then I could work a bit faster.

[Rose]

Welcome Teffa, so good to see a newbie jumping right in and doing what we like best asking questions.

I have been stitching for over 25 years and I still do it the same way. I work from the middle out, usually I go toward the face of the project. I like to have the face finished and work around from there. Just my little quirk.

I use one thread 95% of the time and go in blocks of color.

And don't ask about my backside that is off limits. It is the back it shouldn't matter to much how it looks. I make it as nice as I can but I don't obsess.

Hope to see you around soon.

[Teffa]

thanks a lot Rose i tried to stitch using one thread today and i felt i did a good job, it's much easier using one thread and doing blocks of color than working line line!
well surprisingly...it also resulted in a much neater back work!! but i'm going to take your advice...i wont obsess! thanks!

[~threadbear~]

I work in blocks of colour but I must admit the reverse side of my work (note how carefully I worded that! ) is not always the neatest.
I think, it's more important that you just really enjoy the stitching though, rather than worry over the side that won't get seen once it's either in a card or frame.

Welcome to the forum and have loads of fun!!

[Teffa]

yep thanks a lot ~threadbear~
i totally agree that the imp thing is to enjoy stitching, although on second thought...i dont enjoy stitching...i'm addicted to it!!! it's even better than chocolate

[carolyn61]

Welcome Teffa,
I pretty much follow the crowd on this subject. I work one thread until I run out. I work in grids, marking the chart as I go. I do count, count again and count one more time. A bit obsessive about it, actually, as I do not like having to "undo". But *sigh* it does happen, dirty little . I try to keep my "reverse side" neat but again, one can only do so much.

Glad you've come , you'll find this forum a special place indeed.

Better than chocolate?!