Where do you start?

[jaehyeon]

Hello, Cross-stitch forum!~

I'm really new to cross-stitch (and to the forums heh) and I just wanted to know what your stitching techniques are-- where you start in a project. What's the easiest technique for you? Do you start in the middle and do all of a certain color, then switch to a new one? Do you go by rows, parking your threads and switching back and forth? What do you do and what would you recommend for me to try as a newbie?

Thanks !

[Arianwen]

A little bit of everything!

It depends what I am stitching. If I am doing a big piece I try and start in the top left hand corner nowadays. Smaller projects I tend to start roughly in the middle. my current project I started bottom middle. Look at the pattern and decide what works best for you. try starting projects both ways if you like.

I am a cross country stitcher - I work all the stitches of a colour in one area if I can before I change colours - I can't get my head around parking yet.
!
My technique is whatever the piece 'calls' me to do!

Have fun exploring and figuring out what works for you - there really is no right or wrong way

[pattiebelle]

I like starting in the middle for most projects. If there are many pages to the chart, I start in the upper left. I can park, but it's not my first choice, so I "cross-country" most of the time.

It's true, you'll find what works for you. And you'll find yourself changing it up all the time!!! It's a great hobby that is very forgiving. You'll love it!!!

[karen4bells]

A little bit of everything!

It depends what I am stitching. If I am doing a big piece I try and start in the top left hand corner nowadays. Smaller projects I tend to start roughly in the middle. my current project I started bottom middle. Look at the pattern and decide what works best for you. try starting projects both ways if you like.

I am a cross country stitcher - I work all the stitches of a colour in one area if I can before I change colours - I can't get my head around parking yet.
!
My technique is whatever the piece 'calls' me to do!

Have fun exploring and figuring out what works for you - there really is no right or wrong way

This is pretty much how I do it too---all depends on the design etc.

[fccs]

I'm another cross country stitcher and I usually start in the middle. I pick the color or part of the design I feel like doing first and off I go. That aid, I am working on two right now that I've started in the upper left corner, working in blocks, trying to get a handle on the whole parking thing. I see the value of parking, and I'm fairly comfortable with it, but my crazy cross country side usually takes over.

There is really no right or wrong way. I'd suggest trying different methods and see what works best for you (and keep in mind that the best method will often vary by project).

[NeedleAndFork]

What I do depends on the piece I'm working on. I almost always start in a corner - which corner just depends. I make a lot of ornaments, stitching on a large piece of fabric and then cutting off the completed ornament with a decent sized border, so I just start with a 1 - 2 inch border along one of the corners for those. For a big piece like a HAED, I grid the fabric to make sure that I am centering the design, and then start at the top. I started my last one in the top left, but realized I like working right to left more, so the next one will probably be started on the right.

As for technique, again it depends. On a pattern that has few colors and blocks of each color, I stitch one color at a time - not necessarily all of that color at once, but all within an area I prefer not to leave 'closed' holes to fill in if possible, I think it's neater to stitch if the space isn't entirely enclosed on all 4 sides. For patterns like HAEDs with confetti and lots of color changes, I park, working in a logical manner from top to bottom, though I might not necessarily work in straight lines. Then there have been some patterns that are so confetti heavy that the only way I can can keep track of them are to work in a very strict grid, working one stitch at a time and parking, working one row of 10 stitches at a time.

What all this means is what I'd suggest you try different things and find what works best for you for the kinds of patterns you like to stitch. Don't worry too much about what is right or wrong, just stitch and find what you are comfortable with for each kind of pattern.

[Allyn]

If the piece is solid stitched, I start in the upper left corner. If it isn't -- like a sampler -- I'll start in the middle. If the middle isn't stitched -- again, maybe a sampler -- I'll count up and to the left of center to a major component and start stitching there. I used to be a cross-country stitcher; but since I discovered the benefits of parking, I always park.

As others have said, you'll want to try different methods to see what works best for you.

And welcome to the forum.

[ChicagoMay]

For me it depends on the size of the piece. A smaller or medium sized one (like 5x7 for example) I'll start in the middle usually, especially if it comes as a kit. My larger ones I start top left, but I found that I prefer stitching bottom to top instead of top to bottom, so I might switch (or I just turn my chart and fabric upside down XD). I do the cross country but I'm going to try parking.

I suggest starting with a small to medium sized kit so you can get used to the types of stitches, as well as counting (seems silly, but I got messed up a lot with the counting from chart to fabric when I was first starting).

[richardandtracy]

So far I'm only on my 6th project so I don't really have a set style yet. Of my projects, the smallest was 5800 stitches, and the largest was my first at over 59000 stitches.

On these projects I use a scroll frame which I hold in my left hand, so to avoid crushing stitches, I start to the right hand side of the plan and complete all the pages that will fit on the frame surface before scrolling to the piece of fabric to the left. However, I usually start on the left hand side of the page of the chart I'm on, at either a top or bottom corner dependant on what has the greatest colour block to make the most progress as rapidly as possible. I try to complete a page of the plan before moving to the next. I do not yet do parking, but will be attempting that later this week if all goes well with other jobs in the house.

In terms of a completed project (in the Stitch-a-long forum called 'Portrait: The Eyes Have it') here's the chart page plan:

I started at the lower left of page 4, then the upper left of page 8, upper left of page 7, lower left page 3 and then scrolled on. After that it was lower left of page 6, lower left page 2 and scrolled on. Here I broke with normal practice and finished the face on page 1, before completing the hair. Then page 5, completed the face first before the rest - I just wanted to see the model's face.

Oh. It may be worth saying, in my current project ('Luis Royo: Uranos Drops' in the SAL forum) fits on the face of the frame & does not need scrolling. I'm not using Aida and plan on experimenting in other ways, so I'm playing safe and locating it in the middle.
Told you; I have no fixed way yet.

Regards,

Richard.

Edited after reference to progress photos showing I started Page 7 at top left, not bottom left

[wendywombat]

I count up from the middle and start at the top. I used to start at the middle and work down and out from that point.

What I hate doing is working UP!! So that's why I now start at the top if I can. If I'm going to make a mistake then it's ALWAYS when I work upwards.!

[rcperryls]

I am a start at the top left corner stitcher most of the time. Again, like the others it really depends on the project. If I'm not starting at that corner then

I count up from the middle and start at the top. I used to start at the middle and work down and out from that point. What I hate doing is working UP!! So that's why I now start at the top if I can. If I'm going to make a mistake then it's ALWAYS when I work upwards.!

I'm also a cross country stitcher. I've tried parking a few times but all it does is confuse me so I have given up on it. For now.
The important thing is to try different styles until you find what works best for you. Hope you will continue to post pics of your projects. Looking forward to getting to know you.

Carole