Help getting started!

[-SunshineGirl-]

Hi,

Once I get my fabric (oh postman, please hurry up) and floss I will start my first cross-stitch project in years, a HAED, Fairy Sisters. The problem is that every time when I started a project before I have had a more experienced stitcher nearby who have helped me start. Now I am on my own, and there is no way I can start this without the help of some of you wonderful people. My first questions are:

1. How far from the edges of the fabric do I start? Like is there some minimum or do I just need to make sure the whole project fits?

2. What is the best/which method do you use to stop the fabric fraying?

3. Can I stitch one block(10x10) then move on to the next one or will that be visible when I finish stitching?

3b. If I cannot stitch 10x10 blocks at a time, what do I do seeing as there is very dark navy blue accross the width of the project for at least the first half page from the top some places more, surely I should not do it row by row for the width of the HEAD????

4. Any advice to give me before I get started? Something you wish you knew when you started your last project?

[Mrs Milkybar Kid]

I'm sure others will be along shortly - we all have different ways of doing things - but here is my few pennies worth:

1. Depends what you plan to do with the finished piece. If you want to frame it then I think the suggestion is that you leave a minimum border of 3 inches around the stitched piece to allow the fabric to be stretched for framing - I always leave more just to avoid panicking!

2. I always zigzag stitch with the sewing machine around the edge of the fabric. You could whip stitch by hand, some people use bias binding or wonderweb to hem the fabric. You can buy something called fray stop - but I've never used it so can't comment on that!

3. You can stitch HAEDs in so many different ways - it all falls to personal preference. I don't stitch in 10x10 blocks but stitch where the thread (within reason) takes me. Others stitch in 10x10 blocks the length of the page, others the width of the page. You probably won't get lines stitching in 10x10 blocks - but some stitchers report that they can see visible page lines where they have worked on large pieces over a long period of time. To stop this from happening make sure that you don't leave a page on a straight edge but go over to the next page in the chart for a few stitches so that there is no clear page break so to speak. Some people do actually stitch there HAEDs row by row over the width of the chart - so that is another option.

4. Preparation is the key! Triple check your fabric measurements, make sure you have all the threads you need. If you need a lot of a certain colour buy it all at once as DMC (despite what they say) does have dye lots and you wouldn't want the colour to differ! You can use Adobe to enlarge your chart pages and print off - makes it a lot easier on your eyes and no need to buy the large format charts!

Finally, take a deep breath - and most importantly - ENJOY!!

[rcperryls]

I'm new to HAED's and had many of the same questions that you are raising.
1. I have always heard that framed pieces should have a border of 3 inches around them no matter what the design is. I think my HAED just meets that, though I might be a bit short, in which case I may have to add fabric or I'm not sure what yet. Its pretty close.

2. I know I should use zigzag stitch around the edges, but just got a handheld sewing machine that I am trying to use. What I did is a big no no, so I won't say, but I will say that stitching is the preferred method.

3. I am stitching my HAED in columns page by page. right now since the vast majority of the stitches are black its not too hard and I don't think I will be bothered by lines, though I'm not positive. I have never stitched this way before. Always went where the color was, though I do typically start at the top left corner of a piece and went from there. Though I am trying to stay within the 10 x 10 squares in a column, I will go over to the next column if it seems to make sense because of where the colors are placed. Similarly if a color is furthr down in a column, I will continue with it until either the thread ends or there is too big a space to jump. I haven't run into a lot of confetti yet, but a little bit.

4. I am gridding my piece with a water soluble pen and I find that very very helpful in keeping track of where my stitches need to be. I have never done this before either, even in very complicated designs, but with the HAED it seems very useful.

Like I said, I am a beginner with these designs, and I am sure some of the more experienced HAED stitchers will have better advice. But most important is what Mrs. MBK said:

Finally, take a deep breath - and most importantly - ENJOY!!

Carole

[Rose]

1) Well the biggest question you have to ask is how much extra fabric did you order when you bought your fabric. Did you calculate 2,3,4 inches extra all the way around???? Then you can decide after that how much to leave.

2) You have many options as to how you finish your fabric a) zigzag with a sewing machine b) hand stitch around the edge c) use fray check d) use some sort of tape to cover the edge e) leave enough extra edge so that if it does fray you can just cut off the edges and not worry about it.

The other 2 questions are really personal preferance you can stitch in about anyway that you are most comfortable doing.

[-SunshineGirl-]

Thank you all for the answers so far.

1. I just told the lady I was ordering fabric from what piece I was going to stitch, and the size of it, and she told me which piece of fabric I needed, which was the bigger one than I had thought I needed, so I assume that it has lots of room on it. I will do as suggested and leave 3inches, or rather 7-10 cm around the whole pattern.

2. I do not have a sewing machine, so I think what I will do to stop fraying is first hand-stitch around the edge, so that I can start stitching and then take it to my grandmother who can help me zigzag with the sewing machine.

3. Very unsure what I will do. Don't think it will be going across the whole piece row by row, because I can see that not working for me. Going where the colour takes me would be my preferred method, my problem there is that the top row is mainly one colour with sections of 1-10 stitches in other colours in it. I think I will just have to start and see what happens really. Since I am terrified of visible lines I will try to at least not make them straight lines, that way hopefully it will not be so noticeable.

If anyone else has any suggestions or want to tell me how they do it, I would love to hear.

4. Thank you for the great advice. I have bought all my DCM in one go, I figured it was easiest and then I would not run out of a colour when I was in a stitchy mood and needed lots of it! I definitely will print of a larger copy of the pattern, as I can imagine it will be hard enough to see the stitches that are anything else than dark navy blue anyway!

On the gridding I cheated, I bought pre-gridded fabric, I know myself well enough to figure I would need the fabric to be gridded, but I also knew once I laid my hands on the fabric I would want to get started, so I thought I might as well try the pre-gridded fabric, and if I hate it then I know not to get that for my next project.

I definitely will enjoy stitching, I do love the picture, and am looking forward to seeing it finished, but I am also trying to learn to slow down in life and enjoy the journey, not only the destination.

If anyone else have any great tips to getting started I would love to hear them!

[stitchingmae]

I have never done an HAED but I am doing a starry night that is complete stitches.

Thanks to the gift from MaggieM on the forum and the encouragement and live video instruction via skype from angel. I used fray check AKA fray stop for the first time. So far I love it. You can't tell its there its clear the fabric feels the same...I am very impressed!

I do grid my fabric using a water soluble marker I have done this for two other projects! I don't do block by block stitching let the thread take me where it wants...and do stitch past page breaks...but I use the grid to sort of make sure I am where I should be...there has been at least twice on this project alone that i'm like...hmm I should be hitting the grid...but i'm not...then I recheck my pattern and counting and only have to unstitch a few stitches instead of ripping them and then possibly having to rip other colors that were lined up to these bad stitches...If that makes sense.


The way I start my gridding...is after the fabric is all measured out and prepped.

1. find the center of the fabric and mark it.
2. I then find the center of the pattern on the chart.
3. Usually~ the "center" does not land on one of the gridding points. (It may be 2 stitches higher than the next horizantal grid line and 2 to the left of the next vertical grid line.) I just Count the two down and mark my first line and the two over and mark the next line that way I am still "starting" in the center.
Is this clear as mud?
4. I then just start counting ten stitches mark a line...ten stitches mark a line...until all my lines are marked...I do count several times...just because I'm OCD and in fact now have one of those foam boards that I place stick pins through the whole for each ten and then go back and draw the lines to the pins hahah..recounting each as I go (yes I am sick..but I admit it! I choose to live with my syndrome instead of thinking of its as a negative LOL)

I know you didn't really ask about gridding but thought I would expound please ignore if you did not need this info!