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My current WIP is done in mostly half stitch with a few small section of full crosses. My half stitches come up from the left and down on the top right like so ////. If I was doing a full stitch I would the top bar would obviously go the opposite way over it. So, if I stitch the full crosses my normal way do you think it will look odd with the top bar going the opposite way to all the half stitches? Do you think I should do the opposite of what I normally do for the full stitches so that the top part of the full stitch is going the same way as all the half stitch?

My mind keeps going back to another project where I did one stitch completely the opposite way to the rest and it and it stuck out like a sore thumb.

It would be great if Icould get your opinions or even experiences.

Thanks x

I almost always make my top stitches and my hald stitches go the same direction, I think it gives a smoother finish. I only make them go opposite when I want the contrast to be clear, so my vote is to make them both go the same way. It adds dimension but not contrast.

I've always had my half stitches going /// and the top of my full crosses going \\\. I think I started that because the instructions for the first design I did with half stitches had it that way.

That said, I think you just need to go with whatever works best for and looks best to you. The effect is different with each way, but I don't think there's a wrong or a right. (And if there is a wrong, it's probably the way I do it, and I'm totally okay with that. )

fccs wrote:I've always had my half stitches going /// and the top of my full crosses going \\\. I think I started that because the instructions for the first design I did with half stitches had it that way.

That said, I think you just need to go with whatever works best for and looks best to you. The effect is different with each way, but I don't think there's a wrong or a right. (And if there is a wrong, it's probably the way I do it, and I'm totally okay with that. )

I agree. I stitch the same way as Debby and agree with what she suggested.

Carole

fccs wrote:I've always had my half stitches going /// and the top of my full crosses going \\\. I think I started that because the instructions for the first design I did with half stitches had it that way.

That said, I think you just need to go with whatever works best for and looks best to you. The effect is different with each way, but I don't think there's a wrong or a right. (And if there is a wrong, it's probably the way I do it, and I'm totally okay with that. )

What she said.

fccs wrote:I've always had my half stitches going /// and the top of my full crosses going \\\. I think I started that because the instructions for the first design I did with half stitches had it that way.

That said, I think you just need to go with whatever works best for and looks best to you. The effect is different with each way, but I don't think there's a wrong or a right. (And if there is a wrong, it's probably the way I do it, and I'm totally okay with that. )

Ill add my vote for this method.

fccs wrote:I've always had my half stitches going /// and the top of my full crosses going \\\. I think I started that because the instructions for the first design I did with half stitches had it that way.

That said, I think you just need to go with whatever works best for and looks best to you. The effect is different with each way, but I don't think there's a wrong or a right. (And if there is a wrong, it's probably the way I do it, and I'm totally okay with that. )

Yep! And until this very moment it hadn't occurred to me there was any other way of doing it *going back to look at my projects and see if it looks wonky*.....not like I'm going to change it but good to think about for the future

I think it depends on if you want the contrast or not, It just depends on the piece

I stitched this design a while back and it's hanging on my wall.


The blue in the sky is half stitches. When the piece was inches from my nose and I was looking at it through a magnifying glass, it looked strange to have the half cross go in the opposite direction from the top leg of the full cross. Now that it's done and I'm looking at it from 'viewing distance,' the sky is fine. The half cross stitches are less bulky than the full crosses, so it pushes the sky into the background -- it's separate, it's different, it's sky. The fact that the half stitches are going the other way lends itself to the sky being different and separate from the foreground elements.

I'll do the half stitches either way depending on how I want the piece to look, but usually, if they're half stitches, I'll do them the same as the bottom leg of the full cross because they're meant to be different/separate or else they'd be full stitches.

*image from PatternsOnline.com:
http://patternsonline.com/Patterns/Pat.aspx?P=5461" target="_blank

When I did "Venice" (which is in the gallery) there are places where half cross is used. It gives texture, so it makes sense that the arms are stitched /// where the top of the crossed stitch is \\\.

I think sometimes we cross-stitchers forget that by doing something as simple as changing the direction of our top stitch or only doing half the stitch we are able to introduce a different sort of interest to the piece. Ages ago when I was experimenting with long-armed cross-stitch, I discovered that if you executed the stitch as it was meant to be, and restarted every row from the left, it looked, well, like a sort of vaguely braided crossed stitch. BUT if you worked one row from L->R and then worked R->L it looked like knitting! (Which is how the Man in the Moon acquired his knitted cap in the Edinburgh exhibition piece!)

Thank you very much for all your responses! I think the general consensus is to do the full crosses as normal, I never thought of it as adding contrast or if the design was mostly made up of full crosses with some half stitch you wouldn't change the direction of any of the stitches.

I couldn't help but think that the few full cross stitches in the design might look odd with all the 1/2 stitches going the other way but now I've got a fresh perspective I think it will be fine!

Thank you for all your help!

You're welcome I really like it all done up it came out beautifuly!!!