Back Stitch Help Please

[Alison18]

Hi everyone I am new to cross stitching and this site and I was wondering if someone would be kind enough to help me please. Not very good at explaining this so I hope someone understands! I bought a Me 2 You cross stitch and I have completed it all apart from the backstitch. I am using Aida Fabric dont know if you need to know. Anyhow on the pattern for the backstitch the pattern shows to backstitch into the middle right side of a square where there is no hole and I was just wondering what I need to do? Do I make my own hole or do I just stretch the thread over say 5 squares until there is a hole? Ive tried searching the net but not came up with anything really. Hope someone understands I just really want to get it finished and start my next project. I would be grateful for anyones help. Thank You Very Much.

Alison
xx

[mags]

Hello and welcome

I personally haven't done any me to you designs - but I have seen the amount of back stitch involved. If it were me I would use a sharp needle rather than the normal blunt tapestry needle, and you will then be more easily able to go through the fabric where there isn't a hole. I think I would try and follow the pattern closely to get the desired effect. Hope this helps.

[Wandatoo]

I agree. With Aida, you should be able to put the needle in the middle of a square. Same idea as when you do a quarter stitch. Good luck -- and be sure to post a picture!

[Rose]

I wish I was better at putting explanation into words but here is my try.

If it is a normal back stitch hole to hole( straight across or diagonal) I do one and sometimes to squares per stitch. Kinda depends on the size of the aida. For other diagonal lines lines I still go hole to hole, meaning when looking at the pattern if a line goes across 3 or more stitches I will stretch the thread from hole to hole. ie.....top hole ^ then say over one and down three v the thread may be a bit long but as long as you are carful it will work well for you. Sometimes I have gon in between holes just because the line would be way to long to look proper on the pattern. But how I proceed really depends on the pattern and how it is suppose to look in the end.

We all tend to stitch to our individual styles.

[helbel]

Alison - a lot of it is up to you and what looks good with the design.

I try to make 1 stich per aida hole, even if that means makeing holes where there are none but it's not always possible, others backstitch over 2-3 aida holes, and especially when doing fur/whiskers effects.

[Anati]

Hi Alison,

I have the same problem.... About to finish my first work and not too sure about the backstitch thing....

I guess there's no actual rules. You just do what looks best...

Keeping my fingers crossed for both our works...

Anat

[Serinde]

Backstitch is there to define areas of stitching -- outlining blocks of colour so that it looks more like a flower, for example. Most of the time, backstitch follows your cross-stitches, and so you would backstitch from hole to hole, one stitch at a time.

Some designs are more complicated, and the backstitch is there to create the illusion of the thing, and seems to have almost no relation to the cross-stitches. Have a look at the Cut-Thru series, and you'll see what I mean.

I would suggest you look very carefully at the photo of the finished project which would have come with your kit or design. Sometimes backstitch will go stitch by stitch. Sometimes it will go diagonally over several crosses (usually no more than about four, or it becomes a different sort of stitch!). Do what the design tells you to do, and count carefully.

Backstitching makes an enormous difference to the finished article, so sticking at it is well worth the time and effort.

[maggs]

I go from hole to hole, be it one hole to the next or over two or three squares to the next hole. You just need to try it and see what looks the best.