Technique for fishing line gridding

[MareSlatts]

Hi all,

I've been reading this forum for a few weeks, and after gaining a ton of knowledge I have a question i'm hoping you can answer for me.

A little bit of background - i'm from Sydney, Australia and have been cross stitching (large and small) since i was 8 (25 years).

As many seem to have done before me, discovering the term HAED on this forum and figuring out what it meant led me to purchase my first chart (Sistine Chapel) which i'm soooooo excited about!

In reading through the multitude of tips and tricks and techniques etc, the concept of gridding pops up a lot. I've seen people's fabric gridded when looking at you tube clips and images and it definitely intrigued me, but have never really found I needed to do it as i haven't stitched very many charts that cover the whole design rather than having the cloth showing. I find these much easier to navigate and count based on the stitched landmarks but can totally see how gridding would help when there are no gaps in the stitching.

I'm really keen to give it a go when i start my HAED in the next few weeks. I'm not keen on the drawn on method - looking at sewing the grid on. Have purchased some nice bright VERY fine orange fishing line to use.

I had a bit of a practice on a spare piece of cloth (25ct evenweave) but just couldn't get it to behave!! How to people secure the ends ot their fishing line? I do the first line on the left from top to bottom (5 over, 5 under), and try to continue one grid square across the bottom and the want to go back up the next parallel. But i'm finding that the fishing line is slipping under the threads on the corners. I'm not pulling it crazy tight or anything, just a normal amount to ensure the fishing line stays on the right line.

Do people secure their fishing line? What order/direction to people sew their grids in?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I was so excited and had such high hopes, and was deflated after 5 minutes!!

Thank you!!

Mare

[MaggieM1750]

When I used fishing line, I tied a knot maybe an inch from the end of it. Left myself a long enough tail to grab on to when done. Separate piece for each line. I didn't sew a whole grid. Rather the first maybe 3 lines, to get me started properly, then at the page break. I was too impatient to start "real" stitching instead of "grid" stitching. Which is why I eventually switched to markers.

[Ainjel333]

I did my first gridding on the project I'm working on now. I used red fine fishing line and gridded 10 x 10 squares. Running the line all the way from top to bottom, each line on the fabric being it's own line of the fishing line so I can pull it out in one swoop or pull it out as I finish an area where I don't need it anymore, and just clip it off. (same with side to side)...and I just left about 3 inches sticking out of the end.

I wasn't sure I was going to like it, it seemed a bit annoying at first, but after 4 squares finished..I am loving it! It is soooo much easier counting and checking that you are not off a stitch. Before this, I never even looked at the grid lines on a pattern, now I am stitching grid square by grid square and although I am slow, it's working out great. Sometimes I have to kind of hold the line out of the way just a bit when I'm coming up through or down through the hole that the line is in, but it's not bad at all.
I did also get to anxious to start stitching instead of gridding and only did half my fabric but I can add the rest of the gridding when I get closer to the area I didn't do.

[efhawks]

That's how I did it for my first HAED. I just gridded the first page MaggieM1750 mentioned. I tied a knot at the top about 5 stitches from the top of the page and went over 10 and under 10 to the bottom. I was tying a knot at the bottom too but that was taking too much time so I just left it loose. This made it easier to remove the thread when I was done stitching and meant I could reuse it later . Hope that helps.

[Mystonique]

Hi Hi and hello (also from Sydney, Parramatta area).

I grid with fishing line and usually cut lengths the length of the fabric I'm working on and knott at each end like efhawks. A friend taught me to pull it a bit tightbut in a straight line (stretching it slightly) if it won't sit right and this seems to work.

I've never done a HAED but have a BAP underway at the moment 8}

[geekishly]

Like the others, I tie a knot at one end to keep it from pulling through. I stitch "cross-hairs" by going under 6 over 4 under 6 over 4. It is a little time consuming to do them, but after you lay down all the horizontal lines, it's super fast to go and do the vertical lines. since all you have to do is come up two holes above the horizontal line and then back down two under it.

When I'm all done I cut off the knots and secure the line down with painters tape/masking tape. Not everyone likes using tape on their projects, but I like it because it keeps the fabric from fraying and keeps the fishing line from scratching your wrist while stitching.

[stitchingmae]

I may be trying the fishing line after the last one i gridded turned a bit yellow even though it was my own fault not sure that I will trust it again LoL

[MareSlatts]

Thanks everyone for your input! I think i'm now a bit more compfortable with what I plan to do.

Knowing i should use separate pieces for each down gridline and each across gridline is my biggest one! Glad to know that there are big ugly knots involved too as i was worried this wasn't the norm and i was doing something odd. I'm using a scroll frame so i'm conscious of not rolling the knots into the scroll as I imagine it would warp the layers of fabric rolled on top of it. But that should work ok if i'm only gridding chunks at a time (maybe by page) and then remove the grid before i roll the frame to the next area.

All of my missing threads arrived in the post on Friday so i'm just finishing off sticking them onto bobbins (first time bobbin user also!) .. i'm *THIS* close to actually starting ... can't wait ))

Thanks again!!

Mare

[MareSlatts]

So i'm testing it out on a smaller, fully stitched pattern i'm doing .... appears to be working nicely! Its also my first time stitching 2 over 1 on a higher count material (25ct i think) .. more practice for my HAED! Attempting to put a photo below ... lets see how it goes!

[Ainjel333]

You're doing a fantastic job! Your gridding looks nice and your stitching is nice and neat!
I'm loving the gridding as I can count easier and always have a small area easy to check my stitching on as I go. So far, I've had no mistakes, and that's really good for me.

[MareSlatts]

Thanks! It's funny you say my stitching is neat... to me it looks all uneven! Stitching 2 over 1 on the high count fabric feels so much less neat than normal on the less detailed fabric!!

[MareSlatts]

So I've gridded at least page 1 of my HAED .. giving the tiny thin ribbon style thread a go. I'm liking it WAY more than the fishing line!!



Have started stitching... just wanted to keep going .. but unfortunately I need some sleep before work tomorrow .. grrrrr!!

Thanks again for all your advice!!!

Mare

[Kathy_A]

MareSlatts, what kind of thread is that?

[MareSlatts]

Hi Kathy_A. I can't remember exactly what it's called... something like Sulky Metallic thread... it's like a really tiny ribbon almost. After trying both this, and the thinnest fishing line, I much prefer this. It's much more pliable and easier to work with. Someone mentioned it in another thread on here.. so when I saw it randomly in a shop I grabbed it. It comes in all sorts of colours. Pic below if that helps.

[stitchingmae]

I did my first gridding on the project I'm working on now. I used red fine fishing line and gridded 10 x 10 squares. Running the line all the way from top to bottom, each line on the fabric being it's own line of the fishing line so I can pull it out in one swoop or pull it out as I finish an area where I don't need it anymore, and just clip it off. (same with side to side)...and I just left about 3 inches sticking out of the end.

Can some of you show your pictures that do 10x10 grid lines.. I just can't imagine how it would work...LoL. I have the red fishing line and love the way it goes in and pulls out as i have already restarted once haha

I looked online and saw one place that shows to do six up and 4 down which ends up with the cross hairs...but I just don't see that working for me I liked the solid line from the pens......

That's how I did it for my first HAED. I just gridded the first page MaggieM1750 mentioned. I tied a knot at the top about 5 stitches from the top of the page and went over 10 and under 10 to the bottom. I was tying a knot at the bottom too but that was taking too much time so I just left it loose. This made it easier to remove the thread when I was done stitching and meant I could reuse it later . Hope that helps.

Seems to be the closet to what I want..but I was wondering if there were a way do skip just one or something get more soikd lines...I guess i could go back horizantal and close in the boxes???

[Mrsadm]

I have done some gridding with an ordinary piece of thread; and I'm wondering what folks think the advantage of fishing line is, over thread?

[KaraMuro]

I have done some gridding with an ordinary piece of thread; and I'm wondering what folks think the advantage of fishing line is, over thread?

I think most folks like it because you can't pierce it with a needle (as long as it's mono-filament) and it slides out easier under stitches. You can get it in a decent variety of colors. (I have gold for dark fabric and red for lighter fabric.) When you get down to 4lb and 2 lb test line, it's nearly as fine as thread.

[stitchingmae]

Lol just checked and i'm using 20lb test line haha I just grabbed the boldest color i could find. it isn't distorting the fabric and if i really want i can insert it without a needle its so stiff hehehehehe

[MareSlatts]

Hi maemae0410,

Had a go at getting the grid boxes as closed and complete as I could on a different piece i'm working on and it looks like the below image. Its over 8 and under 2 .. still cross hair style, but much bigger cross hairs and less gap in between each one. I think i'm going to change to this as my permanent gridding method.

[Peepfaleep]

Mareslatts,

This gridding thing is new to me. Yours looks great! I had some Sulky silver metallic thread and tried to grid a section of the current piece that I am working on and it would not lay flat! I don't think the thread you showed is the same as I have and maybe that is the reason. Did you knot the end? I'm confused because some people do 10 over and 10 under and some do 6 and 4 and yours is 8 and 2. What is the difference?