Fabric – The piece provided will allow for a margin of 6-7 cm. surrounding the design area. The edges can be prevented from fraying whilst the work is in hand by hemming or taping.
If you prefer an alternative fabric to that offered with the kit - any of the fabrics we stock can be provided, but may cost more and a cutting charge of £2 will be added.
Needle – A size 26 tapestry needle is included.
If stitching a large sampler it is possible to wear a needle out, which may snap, so for these kits we provide two needles.
Threads – A generous thread allowance is provided in lengths of 30” to 36” giving a working length of 15” to 18” when cut in half.
Where possible the number of lengths will be added to the colour key to assist sorting.
We don’t pre-sort threads because of the time involved. Wherever possible a colour which occurs in several shades will be defined as Dark, Medium, or Light. However, in a kit containing up to 20 shades, descriptions will be made e.g. greens which have a bluish tinge will be described as “aqua” and greens with a more yellowish tinge might be described as “moss” or “olive”. Where there is only one blue in the skein it will simply be called blue, even if it is a dull slate blue!
Sort threads in daylight, separate out the most easily identifiable colours first and by a process of elimination the task will become easier.
Usually 2 strands are required but wording over one thread might be worked using one strand. The 2 strands will lie more smoothly if gently pulled apart and reassembled after they have been allowed to untwist. The ends of the threads which look blunt and are least frayed are the ends which are threaded through the needle, which will also allow the fibres to lie smoothly when stitched. Letting the needle hang frequently will also untwist the thread as you stitch.
The folding in half of a single thread to use the loop-at –the-back method of starting to stitch is not recommended for areas of solid stitching but can be useful for small details like a bird’s eye.
The sampler picture – Colour reproduction, in print or photographically often doesn’t do justice to the true colours of the fabric or threads which are carefully chosen for their muted tones.
Referring to the picture can help you to understand the chart where dense areas of symbols occur.
The chart – The symbols on the charts represent a cross stitch in the colour indicated by the colour key. The symbol allocated to a colour may vary with different sampler designs.
Back stitch and eyelet stitches are used in some designs. No ½ or ¼ stitches are used, ever.
Instructions – Stitching advice is a guide only as experienced stitchers will have their own methods.
THINK AHEA- Work the main repeating stem on the border surrounding the design area in half cross stitch initially to establish the correct position before completing all the details. This also applies when positioning wording D |
