Page 36 - The World of Cross Stitching (February 2020)

Your Questions Answered

QUICK
Friendly advice Q&A

We asked our Facebook fans for their top tips on

producing beautiful blackwork – here’s what they said…
I ’d love to stitch the
butterfly trio by
Paula Milne: Feel free to Francine Von Lewis: Kay Nettina: I always start Durene Jones that I saw
experiment, because if you I have previously always used in the upper-left corner and on the Win It page of the
don’t like a colour scheme, 14-count aida, but recently then work my way down and July issue (282). Can I buy
then blackwork is one of the I’ve switched to 16-count. across. It makes it so much the charts somewhere?
easiest to change. I’ve done it Always try to go over the easier to keep count. Carol Hefner,
on both aida and evenweave back of stitching rather than via email
and they both look lovely. having gaps on the fabric, Joanne Milner: I like to
Katirel says: Durene
as the thread will be visible work on 16-count aida and has her own Etsy shop*
Tracey McRobbie: through the holes. use a size 26 needle. I tend where you can get
Be patient, count, recount to choose my own colour downloadable PDFs of
and count some more. The Claire Fisher: Get your schemes. It’s a great way to
her charts. The designs
detailed look of this stitching counting head on and check use up my stash of threads! you seek are: ‘Butterflies
technique is wonderful. every stitch. It is so easy to
In Flowers 1 - Swallowtail
make mistakes and they do Find us on Facebook And Orange Tip’,
Barbara Chapman: I love show up, so be patient. and join in with the ‘Butterflies In Flowers 2 -
blackwork but rarely do it in chat. If you’re lucky, Purple Emperor And Large
black, as I like it to tie in with Trijntje Huppel: I love your tip might appear
Blue’ and ‘Butterflies In
the room it’s planned for. My blackwork and I have made here! Just log on to Flowers 3 - Peacock and
pal did a Victoriana lady for some with different colours. www.facebook.com/The Orange Sulphur’. Enjoy!
her mum and hated it when The last blackwork stitching WorldofCrossStitching
stitched, so I did the same I did was a design of Lesley and hit ‘like’ at the top
one in maroon. Teare’s called ‘Anemone’. of the page!

TECHNIQUE FOCUS

Starting out If you choose to start KNOW-HOW Beautiful bluebells
at the corner of your fabric Find this pretty springtime
Q What is the difference between instead, this means you will need scene in issue 255 (June, 2017)
starting a piece off in the middle or
to calculate how much extra space to leave
at a corner of your fabric? Thanks!
around the first stitch yourself, which you love the ‘Snowy
Jo Earl, via Facebook run the risk of getting wrong and ultimately I Woodland’ design in

Fiona says: I’d always recommend not having enough space on the fabric to issue 287 (Dec, 2019) –
A
starting off your stitching in the centre complete your design. You may not even I was wondering if there is
of your fabric, as this should ideally be realise this is the case until you reach the a summer version?
where you’ll start from on the chart as well. opposite side of the fabric! It would also Jurga Yasmine,
This ensures you won’t run out of space to be difficult to position your work exactly via Facebook
stitch the design as long as you’ve cut the central on the fabric too, making framing or Hannah says: This set
fabric to the correct size (we always list this other potential making up possibilities more of woodlands has been
in the Shopping Lists for our projects in The difficult to execute. very popular! There’s a
World of Cross Stitching) or if you are using springtime version called
Starting out
pre-cut fabric from a kit.
For the best results start ‘Bluebell Woods’ which
When starting off, fold your fabric in half in the centre of your fabric can be found in The
exactly vertically and horizontally – where World of Cross Stitching
the two creases meet in the middle is where issue 255 (June, 2017) and
you start stitching from, finding the closest a vibrant ‘Autumn Woods’
stitch in the middle of the chart as indicated in issue 272 (Oct, 2018).
by the central gridlines, and then working Whilst not specifically
your way outwards. Our charts have handy summery, the spring
arrows to show this, but other pattern woodland features pretty
manufacturers may use different methods to florals and may just be
illustrate the centre of a pattern. what you’re looking for.

36 The World of Cross Stitching www.cross-stitching.com