Back of project

[NinjaBetty]

Okay so I am wanting all the lovely stitchers that have beautiful backs as well as their fronts to give me a few tips. I would love to be able to have nice neat backs and just don't know how to do it. I want to stitch an afghan someday and having the back neat would be a must. Any tips are appreciated.

[rcperryls]

I have pretty well managed to keep the backs of my afghans pretty neat. Mostly by weaving any threads that I have to carry in the back underneath the threads already there. Also I tend to do the big blocks of colors last so that they will cover any odd threads that are more than a few stitches apart. Hope that makes sense. I only pay attention to backs when I am stitching an afghan. Also I don't carry threads more than 6 or so stitches (usually) when stitching an afghan. Quite a few people sew a backing on to the afghan which is also a good way to deal with it, plus adds another layer of warmth.

Carole

[JazzeyBear]

What I do in trying to keep my back neat, I work in 10 by 10 blocks, or 20 by 20 blocks. I do all the single stitches first. The color that's used the most is stitched last to cover up all the threads that were carried. I also start with the loop method, where I take one strand of thread twice as long as what I need, fold in half, when I thread my needle I leave the loop towards the end. When I start my first leg I don't pull the thread all the way through the fabric, I leave the loop on the back, and when I finish my leg I make sure my needle goes through the loop and pull tightish. I also park my threads so I'm not constantly ending them, they are parked either in the block below or to the side, where ever it's needed again.

[NinjaBetty]

Ooh okay so that's one of the things that I have been doing wrong. I have been doing big blocks first and then going back to fill in the confetti and that makes the back look horrible. I would really love to try parking because I know that also makes the back neater. I have been following your advice Carole about weaving the threads underneath the threads when I need to carry and that his helping.

JazzeyBear, thanks so much for your input as well. I do the loop method as well but I have been doing the cross country stitching thing and that of course totally makes my backs look horrid as well since I didn't ever think to weave the carry thread under the others. I am going to follow your advice also and only work in the 10 by 10 or 20 by 20 blocks from now on. When parking, what if the next stitch is like ten or 15 stitches away of that colour? Would you end off or would you park it in the next one even though it's so far away?

I really want to get better at stitching and I feel bad about asking for help but I know that others know so much more than I do. I appreciate all the help.

[rcperryls]

Do not feel bad about asking for help. I have learned so much from this forum in the year and a half I have been a member. Much more than I knew in the 20 some years of stitching I had done. I feel that if I can help someone else with what I have learned here, I'm "paying back" for all the time and interest shown me. And I am sure I am not done at all asking for help. I still have the Feb hardanger piece to stitch and cut so all the hardanger experts will be answering my questions. This is a never ending learning process as well as a wonderful craft.

Carole

[JazzeyBear]

Its purely personal choice on those that are 10 to 15 stitches away. If there is only that one stitch, 10 blocks away with no other stitches of that color around I don't park it, I'll end it and restart it later. If there are stitches of that color than I park it. Just all depends on what colors are around, and whatnot. Everyone is different. If you want to park it even if there are no other colors around than go for it.

[BizzieLizzie]

For me the main ones are:

- loop start (which you do anyway)

- I only carry the thread as far as the next block. My rule of thumb is that if I would use more thread by carrying it than I would by ending it, then I end it

- where I have large blocks of one colour and my back looks like ||||||||, I weave my tails vertically in and out of the |||||| rather than running them under horizontally. It hides the tail better on the back.