Today has been the best stitching day.
I can’t remember if I already mentioned this or not. I’m old you know! 🙂 There are multiple ways to cross stitch – probably more ways than I even know. The way I had always done it before was “seek and poke” (and it has other names), where you’re poking the needle up through the bottom, then back through the top, then back up from the bottom. There’s the two hand method and I do like this one. One hand is on top and one hand is on bottom. This most often is done in a frame or hoop on a stand because . . we only have two hands. If we have to hold the hoop in one hand, we likely can’t stitch with that hand . . or I can’t. My left hand . . poor thing .. has had to learn to get that needle in the hole. It does better on the bottom, with the right hand on top. But, honestly, my preferred method of stitching is “in hand”, which means holding the fabric in my left hand and stitching with my right hand. That has been pretty much the seek and poke method but all the stitchers who amaze me with their speed, use the sewing method, which can be done in hand or with the fabric in a hoop or frame with not quite so much tension on it.
I’ve tried it but just couldn’t “get” it. My stitches always looked rather haphazardly placed, with uneven tension. I had watched several videos. I had talked to Jo about it before. She uses this method in a hoop and she’s fast! She has a lot going on in her life and still gets a ton of stitching and quilting done.
One day last week she and I were chatting online and I was moaning about being so slow. I’ve never been super slow at anything – quilting, knitting, etc. She asked if I had mastered the sewing method of stitching. I told her I had tried it but wasn’t happy with my stitches. She sent me the link to a Fat Quarter Shop video with Stitching With the Housewives. I had watched it before but watched it again. I thought . . I am not stopping til I learn to do this and my stitches look good.
It was weird. I started doing it and it worked . . perfectly. My stitches looked good. What? Why now and not when I tried before. Pattern Keeper tells me I’ve stitched 515 stitches so far today. I think I’ll get to 700 before the day is over. This method is so fast.
As Jo reminded me, this isn’t a race and I don’t care about being faster than Jo or Denise . . I never will be. I just want to get more done. There are so many things I want to stitch and unless I speed it up, not many of them are going to get stitched. I want my walls full of samplers! I’m one step closer now that I’m able to do the sewing method.
This just proves . . never give up on the things you really want to do.
Teri says
I love the in hand method…no cost for hoops. More money for patterns.
Louise says
Will you include a link to the video Jo sent you? I have been amazed at how fast she stitches. I would love to try her method, but can’t seem to find a video to show me how to do it.
Joyce in Washington says
I bought a tiny chart and put together a kit just to get comfortable with this method. Only one thread color — Fly by Night by the Stitcherhood — so it should be simple to practice. Then I’ll go back and finish a bigger project that has been languishing.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
At first, my stitches looked weird . . like they weren’t going from corner to corner but I’ve learned to use my left hand to guide the stitches as they lay flat. It sounds like it would take more time but it’s really so much faster for me. I’m saying that just so you know that at first it will feel awkward and your stitches may look distorted or somehow not right.
Good luck with it.
Barbara says
I watched the video, and I think the sewing method is what I would gravitate to naturally. I don’t cross stitch, but I have done a lot of embroidery. I also hand sew, and I found some tricks to help speed up that process.
I can’t wait to see all your creations now that you’re stitching faster!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I think those of us who sew or embrodery do find the sewing method to be a better fit. It took me a while to get the rhythm of it and to get my stitches even but it is working out so much better for me.