Newbie help please.

[Diamondwings]

I started a small ornament size piece, it's Cinderella by Thomas kinkade, and it's got a lot of confetti, and a lot of 1/4 and 3/4 stitches. So my 2 questions are how do I handle confetti? I don't understand or feel comfortable with parking, (mostly because I don't really know what it is haha) and it seems redundant to make a single stitch, cut it and start again on the opposite side. I don't want to travel too far.

Secondly, I'm stitching on Aida, probably 18 ct and it seems really hard to pierce the fabric for the 1/4 and 3/4 stitches, especially if you're trying to make even stitches.

I feel like a total dork asking these questions, I'm sure they are silly, but I don't know anyone who stitches to ask!!

Any help would be extremely appreciated.

[Rose]

Well it is hard to tell you what to do you have to experiment with confetti. I will do one stitch and then jump no more then 5 stitches to get to the next stitch but with the smaller 18 count you could go as much as 8 stitches but never across an area that will not have stitching on it. Confetti is a bear at times but it really can make beautiful pictures.

As for the 1/4 and 3/4 stitches you can try a sharper needle or just us a smaller tapestry needle. I use size 26 for most of my stitching. I stitch mainly on Aida and some times on canvas or denim or cotton and I always work with 26 or 28 needles and they go through the fabric very well.

[Serinde]

No question is silly!

Confetti is a pest. But Rose is, as usual, spot on. You can travel your thread on the back if it is going to be covered by other threads. Never travel a thread behind an unstitched bit of fabric because it will show through and the finish won't be as nice as it might have been. If you really study your design, you might find that the confetti stitches for particular colours can be worked going down the design vertically rather than across the design horizontally. This can save "travel" time.

1/4 and 3/4 stitches on Aida are difficult, but not impossible with the correct needle.

Good luck!

[Reta]

for 1/4 & 3/4 stitches I use a sharp pin to locate the middle

[Lessa54]

You're right not to want to travel too far - big jumps waste thread, can affect tension and the thread on the back can get caught on the stitches in the middle. It's a question of finding a distance you're happy to jump which can depend on the count of fabric and the nature of the design. For example, on 18ct, I won't go more than about 4 or 5 stitches, but on 28ct over 1, I will do as much as 8 or 9 stitches in a very heavy confetti area.

There will be times when all you can do is one stitch and finish off - it's frustrating and slow, but the effect is worth it. If using two threads of the same colour, a loop start can really help with saving on stitches at the back to run through for endings. Otherwise, the pinhead stitch is really useful for confetti (though it won't work with single 1/4 and 3/4 stitches). There's an explanation here

[Diamondwings]

Thanks guys. This all makes sense, I was just hoping there was some sort of magical confetti trick I didn't know. I figure as time goes on I'll get more comfortable with all these things, and I did make my first French knot! It only took like 25 minutes, so...

[BizzieLizzie]

I was just hoping there was some sort of magical confetti trick I didn't know.

Sadly not. But if you find one, could you let me know?!

Well done on your first French knot! I used to struggle with them too, until I realised the trick is to keep the thread that's wrapped round the needle fairly taut.

[efhawks]

I'm working on the Thomas Kinkade, Snow White right now and it too is littered with confetti. Because these kits are solid stitching with no empty space, I find that traveling a little farther then I normally would is fine (just don't travel a dark thread under a light space). My thought is if the amount of thread spent traveling would be less than or equal to the thread spent to finish off, cut and restart it's worth the time saved.

Good luck! Would love to see the finished product! Do you have a Stitch-a-long (SAL)?

[crosstitcher1]

I MIGHT seem STUPID at this ? but WHAT is CONFETTI? I have been stitching since 1983, and NEVER seen it in the projects that I do. Can't find it in the Glossary Term on this site.

HAPPY STITCHING IN STITCHING LAND

[Reta]

Read here

http://crossstitch.about.com/od/glossa2 ... titche.htm" target="_blank

[Rose]

Actually if you go to Abbreviations and Slang Terms you will find this explanation....


Confetti this term is used for individual stitches of one color that are surrounded by different colored stitches in an area. One stitch, one color, surrounded by different stitches of a different color. Seen in HEADs, Mystitc Stitches and other large patterns to create depth or shading.