Sewing Stitch

When I first started cross stitching, after a very long break from it (like 35+ years), I pretty much picked up where I left off except I started using linen instead of aida. I had always done the “stab stitch” and I’m not sure that’s the right name but I would go underneath the fabric with my needle in my right hand and poke the needle up the correct hole. Sometimes it took a couple of pokes to get it in the right hole. Then I’d bring my right hand back to the top of the fabric, pull the needle through, poke it down the correct hole, alway using my right hand while holding the Q-Snap, or the hoop or frame with my left hand.

If I were using a scroll frame in a stand, I’d keep one hand under the piece, push the needle up with that hand, then pull it through with the other hand and poke it back down with that same hand.

Since I wasn’t having to move either hand from above to below the fabric, and vice versa, it went faster.

I was aware of the “sewing stitch” – again, I may not be calling it the right name. I’m using the needle and floss to make a stitch kinda like I would if I were hand sewing across a piece of fabric. I never could get the rhythm quite right and I never “got” that I should flip my fabric upside down when going back across because I always needed to go right to left. That may not work for everyone but that’s how I sew so I figured it should be how I stitched. In my head, it seemed to intuitive and simple but, put the needle and floss in my hands and I just couldn’t get it.

I think it was Friday when I was stitching and I hadn’t even been trying to make the sewing stitch but . . lo and behold, I had done several letters using that method. I didn’t want to get too excited because I felt like it was kind of like a fluke and I might never be able to do it again.

There was hardly any stitching over the weekend but when I picked it back up on Monday, the sewing stitch came so easily and it’s so much faster to stitch using that method. My right hand makes all the stitches. It stays above the fabric. I am not twisting my needle so much which resulted in the thread getting kinked and getting knots.

It’s one of those things like I tell quilters, knitters, those trying to plan a menu, etc. – just keep at it and some day you’ll look back and wonder what was so hard.

Chad and I were talking last night and he was talking about Addie having little self-confidence and even the things she wants to do, she tries them once and if it isn’t easy for her, she wants to give up. I keep telling her that if she could see my first cross stitching or the first things I knitted, she would see that my first projects were nowhere near perfect. I told Chad I would pay attention and be careful to talk about (without making it obvious) how most of us have to work at things to be really good at them but if we never start out doing not so great work, and stick with it, we’ll never be good at it.

That was exactly how it was with my sewing stitch. I’m so glad I seem to have that down now and I think it will make a huge difference in my stitching speed, as well as give me an example to use when talking with Addie.

Now . . if I could just figure out how to get more hours in my day!