NordicNeedle.com

These stitching tips came to us from our email newsletter subscribers in response to one of our customers, Elanie, when she wrote, “I like cross stitch very much but it takes forever to finish a project. Can you give me a few tips on how to work more effectively to save some time? I currently have projects on hand that should take maybe 150 years to complete.” If you would like to add your suggestions, please send them to me at: rozw@nordicneedle.com Thank you! We will post ten new ones in each of my upcoming email newsletters until we run out of stitching tips!

#1. Have all colors arranged by the list on chart. I use a five drawer stand with fishing tackle boxes....one square per skein of floss. Place quilted fabric on a piece of foam core. Enlarge list and pin to fabric. You now have a place to put threaded needles. Whenever I'm ready to stitch...so are all my threads.

I also highlight each square on the chart as I stitch so I know in seconds where I'm at.

#2. Hi Elaine, can't imagine anyone having trouble finishing a project, but here goes with some of my tips. I get up at 6 AM, so I can have a couple hours to myself, before the phone starts ringing and the chores of the day begin. I also stitch every time I sit down during the day, and in the evening after dinner, so I keep my handiwork close at hand, not in a closet or drawer. Too much work to go get it.

I'm pretty organized, in that I don't often have more than one project going at a time. And the closer I get to the end the faster I work.

I do use magnet boards to mark my pattern, and often clip a short (3/4") piece of thread and glue it down to the pattern at the color key, so if the cat runs away with the thread I have a sample there to match.

If I do have more than one project, and I am a quilter too, so sometimes have that staring at me, I set times to work on each so that they get done. I think if you really have a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) you must concentrate your efforts on one at a time. Then go on to the next. Good luck, Virginia

#3. When I do a project, I start from the top and work down. I complete a whole row at a time so I can see my project appear as I work it through and it eliminates many errors. This involves having many threaded needles going at one time but I finish faster because the needle with the color I need is at my fingertips.

#4. I had to laugh when I say Elaine's dilemma about how to get through a project. It hard to give any good hints when you really don't know the issue, but I might guess that part of it is that she has found so many projects that look wonderful, that she just has "too many plates on the table!" If you have too many projects then it does feel like you will never complete them. While it’s nice for variety, its a habit that doesn't lend itself to finishing anything. So my hint would be to first decide if you are stitching for the pure joy of stitching or are you stitching because you want the finished product. If the answer is the first, well, then there is no problem. Stitch a little here, and a little there...just have fun. If the answer is the latter--the first thing to do is decide what project you want to finish, and put everything else away. Don't look at anything else, and don't buy anything new. Keep out only the thread needed for your current project so that you don't have to hunt for the correct colors every time. Keep the thread neatly wound on some sort of bobbin. Keep the project where it is easily on hand near where you are likely to spend your spare time. I don't know how much this advice will help, but I too find myself working on several things at once, and then it does feel like you never finish. Putting other projects aside, suddenly I can see progress in one!

I keep small kits and charts and a pair of scissors and a pack of needles in my car to stitch on while I'm stuck waiting someplace. Placed in a heavy duty zip lock bag - there's always something to stitch *if* I need to kill some time!

I also work on more than 1 project at a time. Usually a larger and more difficult design and a smaller, quicker, simpler one. I switch between the 2 to avoid 'burn out' from working on just the 'hard' one. It sounds weird, but I find that I actually get twice as much done because I don't get tired of working on the one, put it to the side and then not go back to it for weeks. When I do get frustrated, I switch to the 'easy to stitch' one, and then I go back to the harder one. Lizzie Kate and Waxing Moon Designs are GREAT for finishing fast!

I also thought you'd get a kick out of this - I've only stitched 1 Lavender & Lace Design - the "Angel of the Sea". I had to have SURGERY because of stitching it! LOL It was the cause of my first round of 'trigger' finger and my surgeon recommended I NOT stitch anything so large and so complicated again! *grin* Of course, now that I've had the release done on most of the fingers of both hands, the L&L charts I've been collecting for years are starting to look REALLY good to me!

#6. One thing that's helped me to stitch more effectively is to *give* myself a full hour of stitching every day. No television, no music, no distractions. It's amazing how much television, radio and such can distract us! Or how much we can get stitched in that one hour when we don't have those distractions! If an hour is too long.. try 30 minutes.. Just set that time aside and let the needle fly!

I have made of the L&L twice on some and have found that rotating is the best for me. I work about 4 or 5 hours on one and then change to another. I find working on one piece until I have made several stitches and it starts making me tried I pick up something else and work on it. And in the end I have several things all finished at about the same time.

#8. I can relate to Elaine's comment! I usually tackle large detailed projects and have found this technique to work for me. When stitching, I move across my pattern in grids of 10x10 squares or stitches (which is usually how the pattern is marked with darker lines anyways). Start at the top (or bottom), and work all of the stitches (except for beads/backstitching) in that 10x10 grid before you move on to the next 10x10 grid. You can move across, up, or down, depending on the layout of your design. I should note that I also use the Pako needle holder that can hold up to 50 threaded needles for quick color changes and the magnets for parking threads to carryover into the next "grid". Why does this make the project go faster? I spend less time debating with myself over where to start, where did I leave off, and which color should I start with. You have to stitch the whole design anyways, right? And as I mark off each 10x10 grid, I can applaud myself for being 100 stitches closer to a finished design.

If you set a goal to stitch at least 1 "grid" every day, you will be surprised at how quickly your project will work up.

P.S. I've been stitching for many years, and came upon this "trick" when I stitched the Blue Delphinium picture from Silver Lining...there are so many blue shades and greens in that picture I was afraid to stop stitching for fear I wouldn't know where I left off.

Just a note to tell you that I am a newcomer to your newsletters and absolutely love all of them. They are informative, make you feel like you are a friend and you have so much to offer.

1. Buy a bunch of needles and thread them all for one project and push that needle through the color it represents. Then when needed especially if needed only for a few stitches you can do them immediately so you don't have to count as much.

2. Measure double the length of thread needed (only if 2 strands are needed) and fold it in two pulling thread through the loop on the wrong side of material to make neater finish.

3. Good lighting, right height of chair and a place to leave unfinished project to be accessible when needed even if it is only for a very short while at a time.

4. Mini-goals-- give yourself an estimated little goal to finish so much of your project for a certain period of time example: finish the strip of blue on the dress tonight before going to bed.

5. Discipline yourself to do just a couple of projects at a time. It is good to have a couple since sometimes if you hit a period that is not as interesting in a pattern, you do so much of it and move on to the other project and come back doing the same thing and soon both are more advanced without the stress. But making sure not to start too many projects. Remember you store that energy in your body until it is finished so to prevent stress only a few projects at a time and then you move on to a new one. If too many are started you have no new ones to go to so it makes it not so interesting.

Roz, it is so nice to read your newsletters also since it shows us there are other ones who love to nice things too. I was looking for Hardanger patterns and could only find a few and I must say that your site and your work are beautiful all of them.

Pierrette J. (from Canada, who would like to be able to go to your retreat but have to forgo it this year)

Finally in tears, she phoned me. I went over to see just how much she had accumulated. Oh my...

I then made arrangements with the area Senior Centers, Women's Shelters to come and pick up a box. (There were 22!)

After that, I suggested that she never buy another one, until the first was completed.

11. Here are some of the things I do that "keep me going" and more importantly finishing projects. I usually work on two pieces at a time -- one small and one large -- one intricate and the other more simple to work. I make sure I like everything I do now. I have done things on special request from family or friends and if I don't like it, it's torture to stitch -- my advice, if you don't like it turn it down.

I now use floss bags for my fibers and put them on a ring in the order they appear on the chart. When I first started, I used old paperback books to separate the threads. I put the chart symbol in the upper right corner of the page and it worked very well.

When I'm starting a piece I find a time to concentrate on it and I do all the preparations before I begin stitching (binding the edge of the fabric, sorting threads, reading instructions and studying the chart). It's worth the time and lessens frustrations. If there are many colors and frequent changes, I use a needle park. It's wonderful to not have to frequently re-thread.

I guess the best advice of all - don't start too many projects or you'll get frustrated and not finish any. Do something for yourself too - if you love to stitch you should have some of the results around to admire.

One way that may seem workable is to start a rotation of your stitching projects. First, decide which ones will go into the rotation. For practicality's sake set the number fairly low, like 2 or 3 projects to start with. Set a time limit (for instance 2 hours each Tuesday evening) for yourself and devote that time to one of the rotation projects. Then do it. The following Tuesday night, either return to the project you were working on the previous week, or spend your stitching time with your next item. Gradually your time invested will pay off and you will see items getting completed. That's great because then you can add another piece to your rotation!

May I suggest also that before you sit down to stitch , put all effort into locating and having ready your needles, magnifier, flosses, fibers, scissors. Thread your needles beforehand as well. This way you can spend the time productively stitching. You'll feel the time was well-spent.

You may also realize while taking stock of your unfinished items that maybe one or two of your projects no longer interests you. That's ok. Put it aside; give it away to charity or another stitcher.

Just my thoughts...thanks Roz and Sue for considering my comments. I fully enjoy the newsletter each week.
Shelley

Instead of stitching the entire pattern, I pick a section and only stitch that. I am currently stitching one pattern where instead of 40 pages for the entire thing, it is now 7 pages. It will still take a while, but not as long as 40 pages would take.

One great time saving technique I use is also doing tent stitch, which if Elaine does not know what that is, is just doing half of the cross instead of a full cross stitch, going from left to right. I stitch on 25 count fabric, using 2 threads over 1 square, and the coverage is excellent.

I realize that if Elaine stitches on any other count fabric, this may not work, but it allows me to stitch twice as much in the same amount of time it would take to do a full cross stitch.

14. When I started using a floor stand, I found I stitched more quickly. With the project on a floor stand, I can easily utilize the two-hand method (dominant hand on bottom, other hand on top). It took a little practice, but once I got the feel of it, it's now second nature.

15. I too have projects that could last 150 years :) or so my husband says. I have come to philosophy of "just one stitch is better than no stitch at all." By this I mean that I sit down to stitch just one stitch and when I look up 1/2 hour later, more than one stitch has been done and I'm a little bit further along on the project. If I hadn't taken that approach, nothing would be getting finished in my stitching stash. Hope this help my fellow needleworkers.

Happy Anniversary! You don't look a day over 18. (I had to leave this in! – Roz)

A couple of suggestions for finishing more stitching: I am most productive when I have other people to stitch with.

We are fortunate here in Colorado Springs that we have a great shop called Needle Nutz. One of the owners, Meg Seddon, keeps the shop open every Tuesday night until 8 p.m. and a group of us have UFO night from 5:30 on. We stitch and solve the world's problems and welcome newcomers. The basic four have been together at least five years. I think shops in other towns do the same thing.

Another help to my stitching is an online group called Chartmakers that started in 2000 to stitch the designs of Kathy Barrick-Dieter and Anne Brown in round robins. We've done three rounds together and formed some wonderful friendships. It helps when someone out there is depending on you to get your part done. There are several online bulletin boards where interested people can find stitchalongs (everyone doing the same piece together) or a round robin group looking for a member.

17. I have the same problem as Elaine since I work full time, attend to a choir and then I have to share time with my family and boyfriend. What I do for large, beautiful projects is never ever put away my project, I have a spot where everything is ready just to sit and stitch and most important it is in a place where I always have it on sight. I have the commitment to stitch every night something, sometimes just a few stitches, sometimes I can sit for longer periods, but this way I've been able to finish a lot of pieces and by the fact that I always run into it I get excited to see the progress and then I can't go to bed without putting some stitches to it. When they're done I always think that one can do wonders in minutes, plus it keeps my sanity of mind. When I have a small project I always carry it around so when I have to wait, I stitch!
Hopefully this will help Elaine.
Have a great day.
Cornelia

18. With regard to Elaine Rowe's dilemma -- using the half-stitch helps. I also work 2 projects at a time - switching from one to the other every few days. I've found that the projects go faster because I'm not working with the same colors & design all the time. One other thing that I've found many stitchers don't do, is to pull all of the threads (I have them wrapped on spools) before I start a project, put them in order by number, and keep them in a box by the chair where I stitch. This way I know exactly where a particular thread is and don't have to hunt.

19. The answer is so easy, I can't believe you didn't already suggest it. Just do what I did: give up cooking and cleaning! Where are your priorities?

20. I am an avid stitcher (counted cross stitch) and have to admit that it became somewhat of a compulsion. I'd see the kits at the store and was compelled by the colors of thread and had to have them. I spent hundreds of dollars and many hours. I was in my 20's when I began. I was recovering from knee surgery and had to sit a lot and was bored. Once I was mobile, I was addicted. I did complete several stitcheries and have many of them hanging in my house. As years went by I eventually realized what style I'd like to decorate my house in and most of the kits I'd never started didn't fit.

I also realized how time consuming it is to do these projects. I had to be realistic and figure I'd actually never have time to do them all. I subscribed to the www.flylady.net too and followed some of their advice. In the process of de-cluttering my home, I decided to get rid of the kits that just didn't fit my life any more. I donated them to a hospice thrift store.

I've whittled down to only keeping the ones that really matter to me. I've completed the Celtic Christmas and am currently working on Celtic Summer.

I've got the materials for Celtic Autumn and Spring. I've also completed another Lavender and Lace design, one of the early angels, Angel of Light or something.

My advice is to be realistic about what you can actually finish. I've felt a huge sense of relief in parting with the kits I'll never have time for. I never noticed the pressure I'd felt for having these heaps of kits that I was supposed to do. It is possible to do a little each day and make constant progress and actually get somewhere or, unload some of what you've bought and only do the ones you really love.

21. I have a Thomas Kincaid design I'm working on with lots of foliage and color changes. It was moving soooooo slow. I ordered the Pako needle organizer and the little square stitch guide with the red crosshairs on it, also from Pako. The combination of the two doubled the speed with which I was able to stitch. It eliminates so much time not having to constantly thread and re-thread the needle. You can put down the one you were using, and pick up the next. With the Pako stitch guide, you don't get lost in the design or have to continually search the design to find the right place to begin again.

22. I have been using the John James Petite needles and I feel like they save me time. As each stitch is made the needle does not travel quite as far through the cloth, there is a quicker turn around time because the needle is shorter and it also takes less time to come back through the cloth. I also think you save time reversing the needle to make the next stitch.

I didn't really think about this when I was first using the needle. Anyone who has cross stitched for years has an inner idea of how long it is going to take to finish a motif, color or area. At some point, I noticed that I was consistently getting more accomplished with each sitting than I expected. That is what made me think about what might have caused it and came to this conclusion. www.nordicneedle.com/go.mv?ID=7045

23. I do many types of stitching. At times I get bored with the project I am working on and start a new one. (I usually have a bunch of unfinished ones in a box.)

About once a year I gather up all the unfinished ones and make it my goal to finish them all before I start something new. You would be surprised how quickly you can get them all done if you get a new really neat project to do when the unfinished ones are completed! There have been times that I am quite happy I dug them out because I then realize why I started them in the first place. I keep the new project out where I can see it to give me the perseverance to finish my unfinished ones.

24. Dear Roz, I had a little giggle to myself when I read the newsletter. Will you please tell Elaine she is not alone, I think most stitchers have the same problem

Two suggestions when our u.f.o.s {that is what we call them} get out of hand some friends get together and have a day just stitching u.f.o.s. Another friend does one color at a time I haven't tried it. Hope this helps.

25. I find that discipline is the most helpful when trying to finish a large project. Set aside a definite period of time each day for stitching. Even 1/2 hour will show progress. Have all your stitching materials in one place, i.e. needles, floss, chart. A plastic bag for each project saves time. Then you don't have to look for things before your stitching "session". If you make a copy of your chart you can mark the completed section of your graph with a highlighter. Then, when you come back to your piece, you will know exactly where to begin again.

26. This is a tip for Elaine Rowe. I have quite few projects started and what I have done is I work one for about a week and then switch to another one and work on that one and switch again...usually on Sunday is my day to switch. I don't go back to the first one until I have worked on all the others first. Also, a friend of mine has started a Procrastinator Group... we can only work on stuff that's been sitting around and we need to finish.

27. Only enough for 150 years!!! I am 63 and need to live at least 300 more years to complete all my projects but next week I'll need 305 years, etc. because me and my x-stitch buddies just keep buying stuff.

Suggestion, just relax and do what you can and do not become obsessed with what needs to be done. It will depress you. Half the fun of being a x-stitcher is buying patterns that in the back of our minds we all know we will not get done. But, what fun there is in buying the pattern and materials and knowing that if the urge hits you at 2 a.m. to do such and such project - you can!!!

28. I don't know what sort of design Elaine uses, so this may not be of any great help to her, but I have one suggestion.

Personally I HATE cross stitch, but I do use a lot of cross stitch designs. Instead of sticking strictly to cross stitch I do areas of the work in needlepoint stitches. If the design has a lot of background, this is particularly effective. The intricate part of the design is worked in cross stitch in order to preserve the detail and the rest in a quickly worked needlepoint stitch. This throws the features into the spotlight, makes an interesting but unobtrusive background and is far less boring to work over large areas. About a year ago I was asked to help work some new kneelers for a local church, all in tent stitch, which bored me as well, so I used this technique and, when my fellow stitchers saw the results, they began to do the same. The kneelers are now complete and look stunning. Some of them also used the same technique in their cross stitch and are very happy with the results. In fact, two have even started working counted designs in needlepoint and I have been asked to design more projects in that technique for them!

Thank you for your site, which I love, and for your prompt and efficient mail order service,

29. Lack of time is a reality for most of us, plus feeling guilty that, when we do have spare time we are doing something for our own pleasure, rather than making that special dish for dinner, volunteering at the local school, etc.

My solution is to cross stitch in the evening while listening to NPR news programs, or while watching television. There are few programs so visual that one can't easily just glance up every once in a while to look at the "action." (I do NOT stitch during the Fox program 24 -- I don't want to miss those choice looks Chloe gives Edgar!) The longest time spent on any piece (a large design with many color changes) was two years.

30. I have a cardinal rule at my house - No starting a new stitching project until the last one is complete. However, that won't help this lady with her line-up of UFO's.

The ladies in my online stitching community have a method that seems to work for them: They choose 5 or 6 projects and then work on one of them each day of the week, in rotation. Pretty soon, one by one, they all get done. This lady should start with the ones that are close to finishing, so she gets some finishes under her belt and feels that great sense of accomplishment.

I don't know if the will help you, but when I cross stitich I thread a needle for each color the project calls for. I didn't have to keep threading needles all the time.

32. I find the best hint for me is to scan my pattern and enlarge it. I then pencil out the stitches I have worked. This came about after trying to stitch a lovely little design of a young girl covered with a patchwork blanket. Started the piece one holiday and then put it away. When I came back to it didn't have a clue where to start or where I had finished off. Now I always know exactly where I am.

I read your tips on projects, and wanted to share this. I am working on a cross stitch piece that calls for 100 colours of thread. Originally, I had 25 colours arranged in plastic thread bags on 4 separate circle clips, but I found myself spending too much time looking for the right clip, and then for rolling through 25 plastic thread bags to find the colour I needed.....So, I covered a shoe box with a pretty fabric, then I filed each of my 100 plastic thread bags in the shoe box. I put tab dividers to mark the 100, 200, 300, 400 categories and so on. Now, when I work on my project, I simply open my beautiful box, and pull out the plastic pouch as if it were a file in a file cabinet. This has saved me so much time. Of course, I replace the pouch before I move on to the next colour. The other benefit is that the thread box is so pretty that I leave it out. I've covered many boxes for friends. I got the pattern for covering shoe boxes from a Martha Stewart book called "Good Things for Organizing".

When I start a large project that seems extra-difficult to me for me to count and keep track of, I copy the chart and I highlight what I've stitched with a highlighter. It's important not to mark it out, because I find I need to see the color code on what I'd stitched.

This really helps a lot where there are a lot of little items with the same color and that aren't identical.

Another tip for big projects is that I occasionally stop the bit I'm doing and count across in two directions, horizontal AND vertical, to determine if I'm at the right count. I usually just count from the nearest stitch to where I want to move, next, but find that occasionally checking in the other direction helps me make sure I'm really in the right spot. Of course, this matters more or less, depending on the project, and more or less based on one's own ability to kind of make up for it if it's off.

35. Not only do I have dozens of 'want to make' Hardanger projects and some started projects, but I am also a quilter with too many UFO's and want to do projects to count. Our quilt guild this year is having a UFO game of sorts...at show and tell time we are giving points (two of us are keeping track and making the rules for how the points are awarded) for any and all UFO's that get finished. They had to be started before the 1st of the year. Prizes are to be awarded next January. But the best way to get UFO's crossed off your list was mine---I bagged up 20 of the quilting kind -- no one else I know does Hardanger or some of them would have gone too-- and gave them away at a meeting as a challenge to see what someone else could do with them. The next month someone else came with bags of stuff for people.. who knows what March will bring! The best thing is they are gone and we aren't looking at them or them at us and we are free to make another UFO.

36. Let me begin by saying I do not sew. I ordered some items as Christmas presents for my wife and started to receive your newsletter. I really enjoyed the suggestions sent in to help Elaine Rowe finish her projects.

As I said I don't sew but I do enjoy woodturning and flat woodwork. This same topic comes up many times in the turning forums. I like to think we pursue these interests because they are enjoyable. Unless you are turning

(sewing) for production why the big hurry to complete a project? Enjoy each step and don't worry if it takes 10 minutes or 10 weeks. When it is complete, it's complete.

37. I often find myself deciding in November to make 10 Christmas ornaments for various people. You can guess how that turns out.

Try deciding in January what you want to make and then on the 24th and 25th of each month, work only on Christmas items. You'll be surprised what you can get done. I do a similar thing for birthdays--work on an item for a specific person on each day of the month that would correspond to their birthday.

Obviously this won't work for large, detailed projects, but for those smaller gifts and UFOs, it works well. (Besides, we all know once you make progress on it, you'll pick it up and work on it other days as well!)

Always having projects together and in my stitching kit or in some kind of carrying bag also helps. Then when you do have some spare time or waiting time, you have something to work on and don't waste time looking for fibers or needles or scissors. I find that waiting time is great for those small projects we all have or for almost finished projects where you don't have to do tedious counting or change colors every two stitches.

The greatest motivator is finishing a project--it's amazing how that always fires you up to begin another!! Happy Stitching!

38. I noticed as I was reading today's newsletter that one woman had had to have several surgeries for trigger finger. I, too, was facing that problem, but with my thumb. I really didn't want to face having surgery on my dominant hand so I tried a "home remedy" that has really helped (and my physician approved). I bought one of those salon-style therapeutic hot wax treatment "tubs." The salons use them to make the skin on your hands nice and soft, but I dipped that hand every night before going to bed for about 6 weeks and my thumb is no longer "triggering." And, as a side benefit, that hand is nice and smooth. LOL.

39. There are 4 weeks in a month (sometimes 5) - so why not have 4 projects on the go. Week 1 - stitch on project 1. Week 2 - stitch on project 2. Week 3 and 4 each have their own projects. Keep rotating as the months pass by. Week 5 can be a small project or an extra week on one of the other 4 projects, or a UFO (unfinished object week). As a project is finished a new one takes its place in the weekly rotations.

40. A tip I heard through my needlework guild was to pick 4 or 5 projects. Stitch on the 'top' one then the next time you stitch, stitch on number 2. Next stitch on number three, etc. As you finish one you can add another project. This helps to keep you from getting bored with any project because you know the next time you stitch you will be working on a different project. Happy Stitching! Take Care! Linda

41. I have made many L&L (Lavender and Lace) angels-plus others! I scan and print the chart, then as I work, I mark the squares done with a red pen so I can always tell where I am!
Jerre in NC

I can get the entire cross stitching done on a project, but it takes me forever to do the outlines. One I have almost finished is a long, but not too tall, scene of barns and trees in winter. I need to do all those bare limbs.

Just single stitches with one thread, but I have to carefully plan where the stitch starts and ends. Not at much fun as "building" the barns, and snow banks, and little sheep.

I also have a problem finishing up a project, because it's been so much fun watching it come to life, I don't want to let it go. I can frame the stitchery and put it on my wall, but I just never seem to get around to doing that. I have a whole banker's box of projects I've finished stitching, but haven't framed. I would rather start a new piece than take the time to frame a finished one. After all, there's only so much time in a day.

As for keeping several projects going at one time, I always have something going in a different medium -- cross stitch, rug hooking, knitting or crochet, sewing, scrap booking, card making, or whatever has just caught my eye and looks like it would be fun to try.

43. When I have to stop to rethread my needle with the same color floss, I make my last stitch a half cross rather than a full cross stitch. Then it is easy to see where to resume when I get more floss in the needle.
Pepper

Elaine doesn't say what her usual method of cross stitching is, but if she usually stitches with a handheld hoop or other restraints, making her cross stitches one at a time, via the "stab stitch" method, there are several ways she could increase the rate per hour of her stitches:

1. Use the continental, a.k.a., Danish method, for areas where there are blocks or lines of a single solid color. Making the first leg of the crosses all at once, then doing the second leg on the return trip, I find to be about 10 percent faster than making the crosses one by one.

2. Get a floor stand for that hoop and learn to stitch two-handed, with the dominant hand held above the work, the second hand below. This takes some practice, but once mastered is at least 50 percent faster, since one no longer is taking the time to move a hand from above to below the work and back again.

3. Forget the hoop and stitch in hand using the sewing method, i.e., holding the needle more or less parallel with the cloth, moving the needle in and out in one motion, as one does in sewing a hem. This moves along at least twice as fast as the stab stitch method, as only two motions instead of four are necessary to complete a stitch. It is also very useful on big projects like afghans and tablecloths in that the need -- and time -- to take precautions to guard against hoop marks is eliminated.

4. For picture projects that call for covering virtually all the ground fabric in cross stitch, consider using half-cross instead, using twice as many threads in the needle as you would for full crosses in order to get equivalent coverage. The thing will be done in half the time. (Note: Mounting the fabric on stretcher bars or in a scroll frame is pretty much essential here, as half-cross when worked in hand distorts the ground fabric terribly, necessitating expensive blocking.)

45. My rule for getting stitching projects done is no watching TV unless I'm also stitching. With baseball season starting soon, that means a lot of stitching time! (If only I could be motivated to include exercise in this mandate...) As for unfinished projects, I've found you can't be afraid to say, "What was I thinking when I started this thing" and just get rid of it. If you don't like it anymore, your decor changed, the occasion has passed and isn't likely to come around again, throw it out, give it away, just don't let it sit there staring at you and making you feel guilty.

Another needlework hint - when I need to match a color for something but it's not possible to carry the item or a swatch with me, I find the closest floss colors and put it in my wallet. For example, I've been looking for accessories to match my new bath towels, which are just a shade lighter than DMC 3811. It's saved me from buying rugs that were too blue or too green. Another example - I needed matt board to match a cross stitch piece I had given my brother. He was returning it to me for mounting and finishing, but since I was going to the frame shop sooner, I took along the key floss colors instead and was able to find a very good match.
Kaye Simonson

46. Just a quick note to thank you for sharing tips from other needle artists! Like so many, I have multiple 'ufo's, so I've adopted two particular hints. On my cross-stitch, I have basted ten-thread grid to match the chart spacing, so I don't lose my place. In the afternoon, I brew a cup of tea, set my timer for an hour, settle into my sewing chair, and stitch my heart out! Wonderful therapy--

Love your newsletters, catalogs, and service! One year, I'll make it to a retreat, too. Or, at least, visit the store...
Karen

47. My stitching tip is to think of your stitching as something you do for yourself and allow yourself time to enjoy it, guilt-free! It is good therapy and healthy for your mind. Like walking is good for your physical fitness, stitching is good for your mental fitness. In a hundred years from now, what will others remember about you – that you kept a clean house, or that you left a memory and heritage of beautiful stitched pieces for future generations to enjoy and appreciate? This is where putting the year and your name or initials on your heirloom pieces are important.
Anne

48. Hello. My name is Marla Hunt. I was reading the newsletter concerning the creases in fabric that are difficult to remove. My mother was a grand seamstress. We wore many clothes handed up and down the line of cousins. Most of them needing altering in one way or another. Seams had been pressed and washed in dozens of times. She would adjust the seams and take a mixture of white vinegar and water and dab it on the crease...then put a damp dishcloth on it and lightly steam it dry until it disappeared. It worked beautifully.

49. In the newsletter one week there was a tip for removing creases from fabric.
I have another one - I got it from a quilting magazine. Downey Wrinkle Releaser is wonderful for taking creases out of fabric, especially the fabric fold. I even used it to remove wrinkles as I putting a covered photo album together this past weekend. Even though I had ironed the fabric, as I was adhering it to the photo album it would get big creases in it. I just sprayed it with the Downey Wrinkle Releaser and pulled it a little and the crease was gone. I think it also works on clothes we take from the closet that the little creases pop up but I haven't tried that yet.
Linda
Kingston, PA

50. I have been enjoying the hints supplied by your customers in the newsletter, and thought I'd contribute a couple of really basic ones.

The first is a help for needle threading. Most stitchers know that the needle's eye is wider on one side than the other, and that is the side the thread should go through. However, don't try to push the thread through the needle. Instead, push the needle onto the thread and you will find life is suddenly a whole lot easier.

The other tip helps to deal with those pesky loopy knots that appear frequently in your thread when you are sewing or embroidering. I have read lots of complicated advice on how to deal with them. Actually it is very simple. When one of those little devils pops up, put the tip of your needle into the loop, take hold of the thread where it comes up through the material and pull gently on the needle. The knot will slide up. Remove the needle, pull gently on the other end of the thread and the knot will disappear. (If it doesn't, I don't want to hear what you say.)

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