vertical lines in my work

[cairee]

on my sunset angel progect I have been stitching in 10x10 blocks one column at a time, as there are huge color blocks this has made stitching it far easier than my usual cross country stitching. the problem is when I stand back and look I can see vertical lines where the columns meet. looking closely my stitches are even, no threads split or anything like that, so why can I see the lines!? and can I make them go away?
Im reluctant to continue stitching this piece if it going to be ruined by stitching in blocks

[Rose]

I do not stitch in squares, I am a cross country stitcher so I do not have this trouble but other block stitchers have talked bout this. I believe that once the project is done and you wash and iron it the lines will disappear.

[MaggieM1750]

I've noticed that whenever I do blocks of color too. I typically stitch horizontally across a pattern. And like Rose, I am generally a cross country stitcher. But when I get blocks of colors, I'll do all my under stitches horizontally, back and forth, just the bottom leg of my stitch. Then I work in vertical columns to do the top stitch.

Some of the reason you are seeing columns is because of the tension from your thread. It's pulling your fabric in towards the middle of your stitch. By switching direction, I sort of lessen the pull on the fabric. (Or its just a completely made up rationalization, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

Try a steam iron on a spot you've fully completed and set it aside for a day. See how it looks after its been pressed and it sat for a while.

[Sarah83]

Can other people see them? I can see the lines on my White Tiger which is being stitched in 10x10 blocks but nobody else can. Nor do they show in photos as far as I can see. I'm beginning to think it's the fact I know roughly where they are so see them where others can't.

I've seen others say that they've been able to see lines too but once washed they've disappeared.

[bookknurd]

I only have one full-stitched piece going at the moment, and I'm stitching that cross-country so I don't really have this issue.

All my other pieces aren't fully stitched and don't have huge blocks of color, so I haven't really experienced this problem.

I have read that other stitchers who do blocks at a time or who do parking, will follow a color into another block if it's a continuous line of color (I think). Apparently, this can help minimize the appearance of lines.

Also, as Rose said, the consensus seems to be that these lines go away when you wash/iron it at the end.

[LadyS]

On the HAED BB there is a tip that after you're finished with a project, washed and pressed and it still has lines you can weave a thread on the back through the area that has the line and it bulks up the front again.

[Squirrel]

Another way of avoiding the vertical lines is to do a couple of stitches from the next block over so often down the square.