Help please!

[HotBumpyChick]

Sorry if these have been dealt with before and I know I should really search but I'm not sure how to!

1) Do you always start in the 'middle' of a large piece of work or elsewhere? I am struggling with the Moonlight and Maiden one I'm doing and know fine well I will be froggin' the flippin' thing! I wonder whether it would be wise to start at the bottom, after careful measuring and marking, that way I won't have to worry about bits and pieces getting 'matched up', if you understand me?

2) Did I see some work on here with lots of coloured threads 'hanging' is it easier to do this rather than cut and tie everything in(or sew everything in, you get what I mean?)

3) Are there other tips I can use working on large projects, to stop me crying after I've done about 70 hours work only to find I'm Kermit the froggin' again!!

Thanks in advance, HBC X

[SusanF]

This time I can help you! If you look at some of the HAED SALs you'll see that most of them start at the top right hand corner of the project - these are so large, over so many pages that it's impractical to work from the middle. Measuring your fabric is absolutely key here though - can you imagine how awful it would feel to find out months down the line that you've run out of fabric at one side Don't forget to add extra fabric all round the stitching area.

Leaving threads is called Parking. It's one of those things that you really love or just don't see the point of. Maybe someone who regularly uses this method can help more with this question.

As for any other tips, well start a SAL of course and we'll keep you encouraged throughout you long project and maybe work on a few small projects inbetween too, just so that you don't get fed up with it.

[Cecilia]

SusanF gave good advice. Some people on this forum also mark a grid on their fabric using those fabric pens that wash away afterwards. I'm sure someone here can give more advice on this as I've never used them myself.

[koko]

I am working on a project that's 308x192 stitches right now. I started in the top left corner and have been working my way through, page by page. Before I started the project I gridded the fabric in 10x10 squares using a water soluble fabric pen. That has helped so much with the counting, and also ensures that what Susan described does not happen - running out of fabric when you're half-way through!

I've never tried the parking method, but have been tempted to try to see if it's faster.

My other suggestion is just to set smaller goals for yourself (ie one page at a time) and work on smaller projects in between so you can have some completed projects to give you a sense of accomplishment. I know I have been getting discouraged because the project is so big it feels like I will never finish, so it helps me to do a small card or other little project to get my motivation back up.

Definitely set up a SAL thread, it is great to hear the encouragement from all the members here! Good luck with your project!

[SusanF]

Oh I completely forgot about gridding and I think that's probably one of the most important things to do on a large project. Some people grid over 10 x 10 boxes or by pages - depends on how big your project is I guess.

[HotBumpyChick]

Ohh Thank you all so much! I didn't get notified by e mail as I forgot to tick the box! Your answers have definately helped enourmously!! THANK YOU!!!