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wonderful backsides!!
Thank you all!
I am using the loop method, it helps to get a nice backside.
please do not worry to much about the backside.
I have some nices and others like this:

That is amazingly neat Carolyn, well done

Here's a site that shows a variety of stitched backs:

http://www.cyberstitchers.com/Galleries ... cksGallery" target="_blank

Pebbles

Thought I'd join in for a giggle, and because I've just completed my second Ollie Owl picture as a gift for my Mother and found the comparison quite amusing. The one on the right without the gridding is the first Ollie.


Front:


Back:


Still seriously tatty and the backstitching makes me want to cringe but it's quite funny all the same!

How interesting to see the difference!

I actually love this idea.... I just wish I'd thought to take a picture of the project I just finished before I framed it up! I was actually quite proud of the back of it, but maybe that's just because I'm OCD and worry as much about the back as I do the front!

Wow. I thought I was the only one worried about the backs of my stitching. With afghans its sort of needed but every once in a while a particular pattern gets messed up. I have to take some photos of the backs. Fortunately the ones that I really don't want to show are those that are in frames. I figure if it is framed no one but me (and the cat that helped with the stitching ) are the only ones that need to know.

Carole

Lenne, that difference in the backs on the same pattern is amazing. I wonder how much better it would be if you did it a third time .

lol my backs have knots and loops that I dont see till its too late ... I did learn to not knot my thread to start it but dont know why I bother with all my loops and knots that I end up with anyway.... maybe later this will bother me more but I still kinda new and as long as the front looks good ... I'm Happy


Connie

I know I shouldn't be worried about my backside (of the stitching, that is - the other one is a completely different matter ). Still, I try to get it as neat as possible. Since I started stitching 4 years ago, I have gone a long way, and it is nowhere as messy as it used to be.

Yet, I still cannot manage to do all vertical lines on the back. For example, when there is a line of just two or three stitches, like a stem of a flower, I always have a horizontal or diagonal line. How else can you do that? Would someone really good at it be willing to make a tutorial? I am really curious!
Thanks

Imme wrote:Lenne, that difference in the backs on the same pattern is amazing. I wonder how much better it would be if you did it a third time .

Hehe yeah it makes me laugh all the fuzzy bits on the first one, it's very furry like a little pet sticking out the back or something! I don't have proper embroidery scissors, only some heavy duty kitchen ones to work with *winces* Will probably make another Ollie Owl at somepoint because I am going to miss my little Woodland Folk friends when I've completed the set (sniff).

benceagi wrote: Yet, I still cannot manage to do all vertical lines on the back. For example, when there is a line of just two or three stitches, like a stem of a flower, I always have a horizontal or diagonal line. How else can you do that? Would someone really good at it be willing to make a tutorial? I am really curious!
Thanks

Ditto I am curious also, a tutorial would be fantastic! I know it's only the front that counts and I shouldn't worry so much about what is happening at the back but the more I try not to focus on it the more I find myself staring at the back wondering how certain things could be avoided next time I start a pattern.

I would like a tutorial also. Please someone

I too would love to see a tutorial about this. I never cared and my backs look like my project exploded, and I remember my mom's friend giving me the eye over my backs, and trying to get me to improve, but she was such a perfectionist, with backs that looked almost better than the front that as a young teen I rebelled against being judged over my stitching.

So I ended up never learning much. I do use a loop start when working with two threads, but I have major issues with going up or down rows and leaving those thicker lines, as I usually go with quicker stitching as opposed to even looking what's going on in the back. I can guarantee mine would be the worst backs in the forums.

I've found a way to avoid those thicker lines when you move up or down a row, but it's kind of difficult to explain. I'll do my best!

I always start out going bottom left to top right. /////

Then, I go back, starting at the bottom right and going to the top left. In this case, I would only complete the last 4 stitches. So, it would look like this. /XXXX

For the final stitch, instead of going bottom right to top left, I'll go top left to bottom right. The top stitching would still match with the rest of the completed stitches - XXXXX - but now the thread is in a different position.

When moving on to the next row, I'd start it just like any other row going bottom left to top right.

I may have to just post a picture up to really show this. Doing it this way avoids those thick lines running down the back of the stitching and still keeps the back looking neat.

I would love to see that. I was looking at the backs of my afghans last night. Some of the patterns have backs that looks so good that i have to admit I don't know how I did it. and some look like the work of a drunken sailor! Same afghan too. I think it depends more on how diligent I am on not carrying threads over more than 4 or 6 "squares" or not threading or covering them well when I do the inbetween stitches. (does that make sense). As I've said before, if I'm framing I tend to not be near as good about paying attention to it.

Carole

I'm finding that with my new project cos I've decided to do each stitch individually rather than going so far one way ///////// and then coming back the other \\\\\\\\\\\\ as I have done on all other projects my back does seem more messy.

But that could also have something to do with the stupid amount of colour changes there are!!!!

I tried to take some pics to demonstrate what I was saying earlier. Some of them are a little blurry, but I think you should be able to get the general idea.

Start off with your normal stitches, bottom left to top right.



Back of the fabric. This was started using the loop start method (I've found it keeps the back much neater!)



Head back, starting at the bottom right and going to the top left all the way until you get to the last stitch.



On the last stitch, instead of going bottom right-top left, instead start at the top left and go bottom right.




Start your next row of stitches as you normally would.


After completing a few rows, the back of your work should look like this:


Although it looks thicker, the threads actually lay flat against the fabric more so than normal stitching which leaves a thick line that runs vertically against your edge.

(the top is the modified way, the bottom rows are normal stitching)


Hopefully this better explains it!

Ah brilliant, thanks Lauren I'm going to give this a go, thanks for taking the time to show with photos

thank you. what do you do when you have a lot of colors and not a lot of stitches for each one in a particular section. Depending on my mood I do a lot of start and stopping or the weaving threads that I mentioned before

Carole

rcperryls wrote:thank you. what do you do when you have a lot of colors and not a lot of stitches for each one in a particular section. Depending on my mood I do a lot of start and stopping or the weaving threads that I mentioned before

Carole

That's always a toughie. Personally, I try to do the biggest blocks of colors first and leave the colors with the individual squares until the end. Since I loop start each color, I only have to worry about weaving under to connect or to finish off, that way there is less thread on the back of the fabric. That being said, if I have to move more than 10 squares or so, I'll just finish the thread off and loop start again. I try to minimize the amount of thread run under already completed threads so that it doesn't look bumpy.

Lenne wrote:Ah brilliant, thanks Lauren I'm going to give this a go, thanks for taking the time to show with photos

You're welcome! I'm glad I could be of some help!