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So I'm a newbie and I've started two big projects in my head, hopefully I will start them for real soon!
I decided to record my plan - and my progress - here, hopefully getting some advice as well.

Task number one: get back into stitching, so I bought a magazine yesterday with a small kit to do some butterflies and flowers (I don't particularly like butterflies or pretty flowers but it's the only magazine they had and honestly I don't want to practice on a real project, I need to allow myself to make mistakes in this part)

My first few hours of flowery stitching I decided I'm going to do my "Starry Scream Project" properly, taking care of the back and making sure all the crosses are stitched in the same order. I already have on my flower a few crosses wrong and I messed up some at the back, but I'm using this part to learn my weaknesses.

One thing I learned: I do not like white thread on white fabric!

With my practicing progressing well, I have started today to look for a good size pattern, I did not find it! I want something that is 75 cm long at least but the biggest I could find is 50 cm x 30 cm and I want them bigger than that!

I contacted an on line seller who has both pictures and advertises custom made patterns, but no reply yet.
If anybody is willing to help, that would be nice!

I also decided I'm gonna need one of those things that hold the fabric in place for you while you stitch, I don't even know how it's called!
And a box to keep all my threads and stuff tidy.
Any suggestions?

Another important thing I learned today, do not just put the needle on the table when you're not using it! I couldn't find it for a while when I went to pick it up!

Also which thread should I go for? The one that came with the magazine doesn't seem strong, the white thread fell apart at one point while I was using it!

Can't wait to update this soon

Hi, Magdalen!! Welcome back to the world of stitching.

If you're looking for big projects that are based on fine art, I'm a big advocate of Scarlet Quince--http://www.scarletquince.com/. I'm working on a world map from the mid 1500s that I found when I googled "Cross stitch world map," and I have since bought five more patterns from the company. The map will end up being 28 inches wide by 20 inches tall (71.12cm by 50.8cm), and they have even larger patterns there.

This is their Scream pattern: http://www.scarletquince.com/pat.php?pat=MUN010" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

And this is their Starry Night pattern: http://www.scarletquince.com/pat.php?pat=VGO003" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

There are other companies who provide fine art patterns, too, such as Heaven and Earth Designs, better known here as HAED, but I can't figure out their website to find just their fine art patterns since they did a redesign of the site. They also have very cool non-fine art patterns that are gorgeous in their own right!

Edited to add: Where are you located at in the world? In the United States, I would recommend getting supplies from a well-stocked online store like 123stitch or Everything Crossstitch. You can get floss bins there (I usually get mine at the local Joann Fabrics store in my town, since they always have some in stock), a craft bag to put everything in while you're working on it, and, my most recent discovery, Q-Snaps to hold your project in place.

I can't recommend Q-Snaps more to use in place of embroidery hoops or stretcher bars, especially if you're going to be working on a big project. They are PVC pipe in various sizes of squares/rectangles (I like the 11-inch square size, best for my rather large hands to hold) that you place the fabric over, and then use the plastic clamps provided to hold the fabric in place. The excess fabric that will be draped over the sides can be rolled up, then you add a Grime Guard around the square of pipe and fabric to protect the fabric from your hands (I didn't have this when I first started, and the excess fabric got a bit dirty from my skin oils, but I washed it) and, if you want, something to put between the fabric and the clamp (I use a six-inch wide length of white cotton that's long enough to go around all four sides, and after it goes between the clamp and fabric, I use the rest of the six inches to wrap around the excess fabric in the back and clip it all in place using a big hair clip that I bought at the beauty-supply store). There's a Q-Snaps thread in the Tips sub-forum that I posted some photos of my work in progress with the Q-Snaps holding it taut, so you can see what I'm describing here.

As for floss, look around at the various websites for where you can get some pretty cheap. The type that is most commonly used here in the States is the DMC brand, but I know that there are other types such as Anchor brand that other people here use. I have always used DMC myself, just because that is the most common one used in the patterns I have bought over the years. So, I have a big stash of floss bobbins in floss bins that I already had in my craft box when I started this map project. But, I did still have to buy a lot of floss to fill out my supplies for the project! My mom went to the store near her house (it's a regional company, not in my area of the country) when they had DMC skeins on sale, and she stocked me up with what I needed for a much lower cost than I would have paid online.

So when you get your supplies for a big project, keep an eye out for sales!

Something that I can recommend for all new or returning stitchers to look at are how-to videos on YouTube. I was really surprised to find that there are so many crafting videos to watch that can show you how to do just about everything you might imagine in every type of craft, including stitching! Definitely spend some time checking those out for tips, as well as asking here, of course!

Good luck.

Edited again to add--look around for a needle minder to keep track of your needles! These are magnets that you can put onto your project or Grime Guard to keep your needle in place while you're not working on the project. There are lots of really pretty ones available--I got mine through Amazon. There's a company called Puffin and Company that makes really adorable ones--I've had a bee and now an owl that keep track of my needles.

I agree with everything that Kathy said so won't repeat it! Take the time to find out what works best for you. I use hoops sometimes and q-snaps some times, depending on the project and how I'm feeling at a particular time. Try different fabrics and count sizes also. Looking forward to seeing pics of your projects.

Carole

Sometimes you just have to experiment to figure out what works for you. I use DMC floss unless I'm using an overdyed (which I love) or a silk (which I also love). I use hoops and Qsnaps and scroll frames and stretcher bars - it all depends on the project. Okay, so I was totally no help at all, huh?

Magdalen wrote: With my practicing progressing well, I have started today to look for a good size pattern, I did not find it! I want something that is 75 cm long at least but the biggest I could find is 50 cm x 30 cm and I want them bigger than that!

I contacted an on line seller who has both pictures and advertises custom made patterns, but no reply yet.
If anybody is willing to help, that would be nice!...

Both of those pictures are public domain, so you could convert them to XS yourself without needing permission from anyone. Then you could make them whatever size you want.

Keep in mind also that the finished size is the result of both the stitch count and fabric count. A design that is 500 stitches tall would be about 50 cm if done over-1 on 25 count, but it would be almost 80 cm done over-1 on 16 count. What count fabric are you thinking about using? I have a chart of The Scream that is 396 x 500 stitches, 100 solid colors. PM me if you're interested.

Kathy_A wrote:
This is their Scream pattern: http://www.scarletquince.com/pat.php?pat=MUN010" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

And this is their Starry Night pattern: http://www.scarletquince.com/pat.php?pat=VGO003" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank



Edited to add: Where are you located at in the world?



.

Thank you for all your information, just to answer your question, I live near Cardiff now in the UK

Those patterns are good but the size is similar to what I found on other websites, maybe I didn't notice they have more than one size?

The solution to charts of the wrong size is to chart it yourself, as Allyn suggested. The pictures are out of copyright now, so you could do it with some free charting software. My first project was a kit, then the remaining 7 or 8 have been charted with free software.

Don't get too het up about the back of your work. If you have a large number of colours, it cannot help but be messy. And why go for lots of colours? To get a better reproduction of the original image. Using over 100 tends to get a much better colour match than around 80/90. Without a comparison next to each other it is hard to get a feel for the size of the improvement, but it is sizable.

As for threads and fabric, I get my DMC threads here:
http://www.cross-stitch-heaven.co.uk/
They are the cheapest supplier I can find, which is why I'm able to afford this hobby.

Regards,

Richard

To reiterate what Allyn said, the size of your stitched piece is a product of the number of stitches and the fabric count. Given a piece of rope I can make a 75cm x 75cm work from a 15x15 stitch pattern by making my "stitches" 5cm tall. You may find this calculator from SQ helpful, especially as it has cm as an option. The link will pre-populate with the info for their Scream pattern so just select "cm" then press "calculate" (ignore all of the framing and border stuff for now). If you want to try a different fabric count click "modify" to go back. When you're ready to try other patterns such as the one Allyn has that is 396x500 just delete the SQ pattern code and enter those dimensions. This will help you understand the relationship between the pattern size and fabric count and how they determine the finished size.

Several of us have the ability to generate patterns so once you've worked out the number of stitches that you want in your pattern then ask and I'm sure we'll all trip over each other trying to get you some patterns that will fit your needs. Allyn's Scream pattern would be a good start I should think.

Edit: I just used Richard's free charting program to make a pattern of Starry Night. I chose a size of 475 high x 600 wide stitches which on 18 count fabric results in a finished work of 67cm high x 85cm wide, on 16 count fabric that would be 75cm x 95cm. I got good results with 118 solid colours and even better with 133 blended colours. At around 200 colours the art and pattern looked remarkably similar, but that many colours would be for a more adventurous stitcher with a keen eye.

Personally I use Q-Snaps and a scroll frame for holding my fabric. I prefer my Q-Snaps, but I found that for one of my projects there was too much excess fabric for my tastes so I decided to get a scroll frame for it.

The project on the scroll frame is 750x562 stitches on 25 count fabric, I think the fabric I have is about 1mx80cm or 85cm. A completed project that I used my Q-Snaps for is 225x250 stitches on 18 count fabric. One that I am currently stitching is 337x225 stitches on 18 count fabric.

Ultimately everyones preferences are different. Personally I would recommend starting on Q-Snaps and seeing if you like them/the excess fabric is ok for you. If not then invest in a scroll frame/build one yourself (it should be noted that the larger the project generally the harder it is to find a scroll frame for it).

agent_clone wrote:...If not then invest in a scroll frame/build one yourself (it should be noted that the larger the project generally the harder it is to find a scroll frame for it).

Not really. I use scroll frames and I have scroll bars up to 36 inches long. ADP, who made my frame, makes rods up to 60 inches long as I'm sure other manufacturers do. You can get a 'starter' frame pack -- the knobs, a pair of side bars and a pair of scroll rods -- in the most-used sizes (way too small for my needs) and then you get an additional pair of just the scroll rods in whatever length you need for your big project. I have an under-bed storage tub that holds my extra bars and rods among other xs things. Whatever size I need, I just pull out those rods. If you use a scroll frame, you'll end up with an assortment of rod lengths because not all projects are the same size. If you don't want to spend the money for a starter kit with rods you think you'll never use (never say never), buy the side bars, rods and knobs separately and put together whatever size 'starter' frame that suits your project.

It might be an Australian thing then... Admittedly I didn't want to go overseas due to postage reasons. I have the 40" rods for my current project. I think my stand can take up to 48" (though the website says 40", the same place sells 48" frames). A number of the frames I found online stopped at 36".

agent_clone wrote:It might be an Australian thing then... Admittedly I didn't want to go overseas due to postage reasons. I have the 40" rods for my current project. I think my stand can take up to 48" (though the website says 40", the same place sells 48" frames). A number of the frames I found online stopped at 36".

Ah, well individual circumstances, yeah? I know postage to Australia and Hawaii can be deal-breakers. I think the majority of folks are using rods 20-inches or less, so one person's idea of a BAP (big-ass project) is a whole lot different than another person's. I know ADP goes up to 60 inches :
http://www.adp-usa.com/product.aspx?ite ... th+Webbing" target="_blank
That page takes you to the webbed rods, but they also have no-web rods. They also sell individual frames with whatever length rods you need up to 36 inches and might do special pricing on a longer-rod frame if you contact them.

I like scroll frames for large projects (I rarely use rods shorter than 30-inches) because I don't have a stand that holds Q-Snaps and I don't like dealing with that big wad of fabric in my hands, grime-guard or not. However, Q-Snaps do give superior tension when compared to scroll frames (millennium frame not included in that comment). I don't need drum-tight tension for most things, so I'm okay with the tension the scroll frame gives. The millennium frame is the king of scroll frames, imo, but the cost can be prohibitive and you have to wait months and months and MONTHS for your purchase to arrive.

Thanks everyone for the replies even though I know things I didn't know before now I'm also more confused than ever!
I'm thinking about finding some craft school and take some basic lessons before I start on such a big project now!
I'm sure they do lessons of some kind somewhere? I may start my project there and continue on my own when I know what I'm doing?

If you have a local needlework store (LNS) there is potentially some lessons there (Here it tends to not be the major chain ones that have the lessons, but the smaller places, or the Embroidery Guild might have some). I'm not sure about at your location. Otherwise there are a number of youtube videos and lots of websites out there that can probably teach you what you want to know.

Personally I started with this one in the middle of last year: http://www.cross-stitch-patterns.eu/big.php?id=1296" target="_blank and just dug in. I bought a hoop, and wasn't particularly happy with that, so I went looking online for what other people recommend and bought some Q-Snaps when I took a trip to a location that had some. It was simple, fairly quick (for me), and easy to do, it was also fairly easy to recover from some mistakes I made (e.g. I think there is about 10 lines or so missing in the version I did, and I didn't noticed for a while, but that just meant I adjusted a couple of things and it still looks ok). I will say one thing, I didn't realise that your meant to have the crosses going the same way each time so it does look a little funny up close because of that.

There are some excellent on line tutorials, some with videos.
My favorites are:

Mary Corbet's Needle'N Thread
Scarlet Quince Solutions
About.com Cross Stitch Basics

YouTube has so many tutorials that all you need to do is to "google" your question and you will get tons of options.

And of course, ask any question here that you have. Someone will know the answer or will have a good idea of where to go to find the answer.

Carole

As you say, you might want to start on something smaller that won't require an investment of a lot of time. Personally, I would start with a small pattern that you kit yourself, meaning that you purchase the fabric and floss instead of having it a pre-purchased kit from a company. That way, you can research sources for both fabric and floss, get a feel for the different stitch-count fabric types that are out there, and look at different ways to hold your project, be it embroidery hoops, stretcher bars, Q-Snaps, or something else. Starting small means you can get to know what you like before you invest time and money for the big thing.