I need help

[crazycat]

Hi
just looking for some advice. i have started x stitching again yay.the problem i have is where i live there is only one stall on the local market which is dire. can anyone recommend any good online stores.i am wanting to get some threads and i have seen some thread packs etc on ebay and i was wondering if anyone thinks they are good value or should i just buy them seperatly which brand do you prefer dmc or anchor.also is there anything else i should think of investing in .sorry for bambling on i just want to do things proplerythis time as i couldnt when i was a kid all advice is appreciated as i'm feeling like a newbie all over again and feeling a little lost.

[Kute Kitty]

When I first started stitching I bought a pack of 100 Anchor threads off eBay for £10, which was really good value and set me up well as a place to start!

There aren't many places around Leicester where I can get threads, so I mostly buy online - try http://www.wimblebees.com" target="_blank or http://www.willowfabrics.com" target="_blank, I use them quite a lot

[mags]

I have used Sew and So, Tandem Cottage and Willow Fabrics and found them all to be very reliable.

http://www.sewandso.co.uk/index.html" target="_blank

http://www.threadsite.co.uk/tandem/" target="_blank

http://www.willowfabrics.com/" target="_blank

I tend to buy DMC rather than Anchor but couldn't tell you why.
I think some here have some favourites on ebay for threads and am sure they will share their knowledge.

[Becca]

http://www.sewandso.co.uk is an excellent site, they sell a huge range of kits, charts, fabric, threads and accessories, cheaper than in the shops, and their service and delivery is great.

[Slinky]

If you are buying a number of items, and you can wait for the shipping, I've found http://www.123stitch.com/ (US site) to be very competitively priced and reliable, also they stock kits and charts not always available in the UK.

Enjoy your stitching again!!

Slinky

[Angel]

SITES
I echo praises for sewandso.co.uk EXCELLENT service! I always go there when shopping online. Also on ebay you will find a lot of good bargins, but you will also find people who should be avoided. My ebay experiences run thus:
HK Cross stitch Sells DMC threads from hong kong, I generally buy a hundred at a time. Excellent seller, excellent service, excellent shipping and VERY impressive prices!
Caryn and richards Sells kits from America. Very highly rated. I love doing buisness with them, they do combined shipping and I go back to them when looking for kits.
Rattygirl I love this seller, mainly she does animal related stuff, but she's wonderful, very helpful and can't do enough for you. Very polite and friendly and her charts are beautiful!

AVOID siamese cat woman AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!!!!!!!!!!! I bought a kit from her and the description was wrong. I messaged her and she was very rude to me. My sister started it anyway and apparently the instructions don't match the printed pattern (Not a counted chart) which makes for very hard work.

THREADS
I mainly use DMC threads because I find they have more of a range to them...and my hobbycraft stocks more DMC than Anchor. However my gramma always used Anchor. They're not bad threads, they're just not the ones I use.
However, I tend to use Rainbow gallery metalics rather than the devils spawn DMC created to represent metalics. (Translation = DMC metalics are impossible to use and I hate them.)
My best advice is to just experiment, find something you feel comfortable with.
Although I don't like DMC metallics, I do like their stranded cotton and their variations, so I will try their silks and their glow in the dark threads. While one type of one brand isn't for you, that doesnt mean the entire brand is the same.

Essentials
I could not live without my fray check! Stops your material from fraying. It's very handy if you travel with material (like I do) or you have a material prone to fraying like linen and some evenweaves.
Thread heaven is essential when working with metallics
Fifty thousand needles...it will last about a week. Or at least in my house.

Hope that helps ^_^

[Rose]

Crazy cat I don't know if you have spotted it yet or not, but towards the top of this section is a thread that is titled "Suggestions for Newbies" there is some excellent advice in there.

As for what type of floss to use. Most of us choose what is easiest to get in our particular area. I have always used DMC just because is has a very large selection and is easy to replace here. But others use Anchor for the very same reason.

The others have given you great advice on sites. There is also an "Internet Sites" thread at the top of the pages you may want to look through. If you have a question before ordering just ask we will try to give very good feed back so you can decide if you want to place an order with them.

Essentials to me are just the basics like floss, fabric, needles and a frame of some sort. But remamber the frame is optional and you will have to decide which kind is best for you.
After that I would say a very good daylight type light for stitching at night or in a poor lite room. And Thread heaven for those hard to manage threads, mostly metallic but some time others.

[crazycat]

thankyou for all your advice have just bought some anchor threads of ebay. i find using a hoop helps as i find fabric goes limp quickly if i dont. i tend to stitch for a few hours at a time and always find it a struggle to get the shape of where the ring has been out should i worry about this or wait till i have finished i dont want to ruin my stitches by putting my hoop over them

[Serinde]

Try not to leave the fabric in the hoop if you aren't likely to be stitching until the next day (or the next week...). Also, try wrapping the inside hoop with white bias tape. It helps hold your fabric more tightly and so helps with tension. (not yours! the stitching! )

[nettie]

Try not to leave the fabric in the hoop if you aren't likely to be stitching until the next day (or the next week...).

*holds hands out for Serinde to smack*

I never take my material out of the hoop. I always wash my piece when I finish it and then iron it which gets a lot fo the creases out.

[crazycat]

now im confused as i had always been told to take out so you dont get marks on the fabric or is this just the plastic hoops i use wooden ones btw

[nicgoss]

Hi,

My favourite and by far the cheapest is http://www.colray-crafts.co.uk" target="_blank and their sister company do charts only http://www.happyhobbits.co.uk" target="_blank

[Rose]

As with so many thing that go along with this craft it is a personal choice. I don't worry about the wrinkles because I wash and iron all of my projects at the end. If you want to take the stitching out of the hoop then that is ok. If like me you leave it in that is ok too. If you use q-snap frames you will have much less chance of creases.

[Angel]

On the subject of hoops.

Think of this, when you have a piece of paper and you store it like a scroll, rolled up, if it's only rolled for a few minutes it's got a slight curl, but nothing a few minutes won't take out. If you store it like that for weeks that curl takes forever to come out. I often have to put the paper between books. This is the same for stitching. The more it's held in those creases the harder they are to remove. Therefore if you take it out when not stitching it will be easier to remove the creases, leave it in and it's harder.

On that note putting fabric in a hoop is sometimes complicated. So it may be easier to leave it in. Putting the hoop over stitched areas won't hurt it. I have done it myself and the stitches are fine.

[Serinde]

Try not to leave the fabric in the hoop if you aren't likely to be stitching until the next day (or the next week...).

*holds hands out for Serinde to smack*

I never take my material out of the hoop. I always wash my piece when I finish it and then iron it which gets a lot fo the creases out.

Aw, I never smack anyone's hands! I almost never wash my embroideries either (apart from table linen, obviously), although I do iron them once completed. So I guess for me, taking them out of the hoop is a necessary evil.