I never laugh .. well, almost never, when people are trying new things. I don’t remember when I first learned to cross-stitch or sew but I do remember re-learning to knit in about 2004 and I wished I had three hands! I was holding the needles in my knee or under my chin and things weren’t going so well.
Vince started his little cross-stitch project. He just said “I know why people think this sh** is relaxing. You can’t think of anything but trying to get this needle in the right hole!” He is so funny.
He asks questions that all beginners ask and I told him that since he’s never sewn before, he also has to learn to hold the needle, make stitches without pulling the thread out of the needle . . it’s harder for him than it would be for someone who at least knows how to sew on a button. I think he really wants to do this. Things may change after an hour or so.
He’s been working for a long while and he brought it for me to make sure he was doing it right.
I asked to see his pattern. It’s a pink background and it’s supposed to be solid. I said “Your stitches and tension look great but why did you leave an empty space between each crossed stitch?” He said “I didn’t know I did” and even after showing him the pattern vs. what he had done, I’m not sure he really believes that there’s an extra stitch in there.
He bought a 6″ hoop. My friend, Judy, told me she uses an 8″ hoop because older, fatter fingers don’t cooperate with the smaller hoops. Since Vince is using a kit, that’s the size cloth that came with it and I don’t think there’s any size hoop that would work with it that would allow his fingers to manipulate within the hoop so he’s just holding his fabric in his hand. We don’t have any other fabric here. I went downstairs last night and looked around to see if I could find my cross-stitching box, but so far, I haven’t found it.
Ruth says
I have to say, regardless of the pattern, Vince is making great cross stitches. I once taught a class for beginners, and one teenager did her cross stitching too tight and insisted that she “already knew how to do cross stitching”! He hasn’t quit yet either.
Linda B says
I think he is doing a great job! He will learn all the tricks in no time. With him being an engineer and they are sticklers for details, he will be very good at it. I think a hoop makes cross stitching so much easier too.
Donna Williams says
Looks great! He’ll be speeding along in no time.
Diana says
Going great for a first timer. My hubs did a lot of needlepoint (something called “long stitch”) many years ago, they were large pieces, kits, we still have them all framed, Most of the pieces are hot air balloons, air planes, stuff he was interested in. Also if you need to use a small piece in a larger frame or hoop, (since I restarted about a year or so ago I find I like qsnaps instead of hoops-you can get the fabric tighter), You can sew any old fabric scraps (you might have some of those, to the borders of the cross stitch cloth just to increase the size and you can cut them off when you’re finishing. its just to make it bigger for hooping in a larger size.
Judy Laquidara says
I ordered a a-snap for myself. They had them at Hobby Lobby but he wanted a hoop. I hadn’t thought of sewing fabric around it. Thanks.
Nancy Hager says
I never used a hoop. I did use a wooden frame on larger projects. The kinds you stretch canvas on. The quick clip plastic ones might work for him. The other thing I did was find center then stitch across and down center with a single thread that I would pull out later. Then I only had to count from center to find my position and had a point to orient from. That might help Vince. I am a software engineer. It is just the way my mind works.
Liz says
Depending on how the chart is set up, if there are reference lines every 5 to 10 stitches, you can always copy the same pattern in the fabric, like Nancy suggested for the center lines. I vaguely remember getting some canvas that had colored lines which helped to complete the pattern.
Kathy Rockey says
My Dad was a very manly guy and as long as I can remember he hooked rugs. A burlap kind of fabric was stretched onto a frame and he used a little gizmo that fed thin strips cut from old wool clothing and very rarely, yarn, into the fabric from the back side to make a pattern. We had the rugs at the doors and in the bathrooms and we wore all but one of them completely out. I really wish I had asked him who taught him to do it, but I just thought all Dads did that sort of thing and it wasn’t unusual. Go, Vince.
Romonia Dinkla says
I have started sewing borders on the smaller cross stitch fabric to make it big enough for my hoop that I want to use. I used a twill weight or similar to the cross stitch fabric. I lay the cross stitch fabric on a larger square of twill, top stitch close to the edge and then cut the twill away from the middle. This way there isn’t large hump where a seam would be.
Kathy C. says
great job! I never use a hoop even on my largest projects. I roll the sides and will sometimes clip them so they don’t unroll.
Nelle Coursey says
His tension is great! He is doing a good job!
Karen says
Judy, tell Vince he can stitch “in hand” without a hoop. I recently did a project like that and also did the “sewing method.” It went much better for me and I ended up with a nice sampler to send my nephew and new niece-in-law. I think I watched videos from Priscilla – the stitching housewives.
Judy Laquidara says
He hasn’t been using a hoop. He has one but just hasn’t used it.