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crafty-manx — CrossStitch Gridlines Tutorial
Published: 2008-05-30 20:32:38 +0000 UTC; Views: 4895; Favourites: 29; Downloads: 72
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Description
Cross Stitch Gridlines TutorialI've written this tutorial as an aid to cross stitchers who want to be able to mark their fabric for ease of counting. This is the method I use to mark my fabric for particularly difficult pieces.
I know that there is a lot of flash bounce/washed out color in the photos: the next project I have that is conducive to re-taking these photographs will see this tutorial re-done. (It is also very difficult to photograph your own hands!)
The pieces that appear in the photographs, for those who are curious, are, from the top down:
Fencer Keychains: [link]
Emerald Mermaid: [link]
Regal Blue: [link]
This is a tutorial was originally written several years ago, and appears in the archives of the LiveJournal cross stitch community : [link] Though under a different user name and on a different site, both tutorials are my own work, written and photographed by me. I am not plagiarizing myself.
6/11/2008: Uploaded a new version. Text remains mostly unchanged: I added a note about thread conditioner (which I forgot the first time) and fixed the formatting to make it nicer-looking. Many thanks to ^znow-white , *sleepinglynx , *cl2007 , *StudioHarajuku , and all the people in #ArtisanCrafts who offered critique on this tutorial!!
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Comments: 20
Your wonderful tutorial has been featured here.[link]
Thank you for providing the gallery with such awesome Resources.
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Awwww, thank you!!! 
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My pleasure ,if you ever want help you know where I am
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Great for those of us who still count on our fingers
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*raises hand* I sure do, too
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This was brilliantly done and I am going to try this on the next gigantic project I have! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING!
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No problem, glad I could help!
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Why did I never think of doing this ??? This is fantastic !
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Yes, it's a huge help on some of the larger pieces, and on linen where the threads aren't always uniform. It was actually weird doing it for the small piece I used as an example, but I wanted something that would stitch up quick so I could post it quick.
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I'd love to be able to stitch linen but the non uniformness of the threads would drive me out of my mind ! I really admire anyone who can do it.
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Have you tried evenweaves? They give a similar finish, but without the slubs and thread variation that linen has.
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No but I might give it a go. Do you have to use a special kind of fabric specially made for cross stitching or just anything with an evenweave ?
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Theoretically, you could use anything with an even weave. The advantage of using fabrics specifically meant for needlework is that you get a weave that's "loose" enough for a threaded tapestry needle to pass through. Don't forget too, that stitching on evenweave usually means stitching "over two": 28-count evenweave stitched over two yields 14 stitches to the inch. Sure, you could stitch over two on 40-count silk gauze to get 20 stitches to the inch, but your eyes might not forgive you too quickly
If you do want to stitch on, for example, cotton broadcloth, your best bet is to buy what's called Waste Canvas. You would baste it onto your fabric, stitch your design using the grid that the canvas provides, then remove the canvas at the end, leaving you with your design directly on your fabric.
As far as needlework fabrics go, I tend to stick with these manufacturers. They've got good, quality products.
Charles Craft: [link]
Wichelt Imports: [link]
Zweigart: [link]
DMC also manufactures their own line of fabric, coordinated to their floss. I tend not to use it only because, while they make a large selection of Aida, their evenweaves and linens are rather limited in available colors.
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Thank you so much for all the info ! I'll be well equipped when I get around to stitching on an evenweave.
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