where to start stitching

I am just getting back into embroidery after all long absence. I have
learned a lot from the group and from books are articles, but I still
have a question. In embroidery, particularly counted cross-stitch,
where do you begin? I understand you mark the middle of the piece, but
do you start at the top, at the bottom, in the middle, or one color at a
time? Thanks so much for the assistance!!


--
Sue Seibert

http://www.ralphandsue.com

"'You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you,'"
said the Lion."--C. S. Lewis, The Silver Chair

Whichever you please! It depends on the piece for me. For band
samplers, I'll grid my way out to the edge of the stitching, then mark
the side borders and start at the top. Otherwise, I generally start in
the middle, because it requires less work.

Meredith

Sue Seibert wrote:
I am just getting back into embroidery after all long absence. I have
learned a lot from the group and from books are articles, but I still
have a question. In embroidery, particularly counted cross-stitch,
where do you begin? I understand you mark the middle of the piece, but
do you start at the top, at the bottom, in the middle, or one color at a
time? Thanks so much for the assistance!!

You can start a design anywhere. Pick the spot that makes the most
sense to you. It may not be the same place on each piece. For example,
I start solidly stitched pieces in the upper left corner (by counting
three times up and out from the middle and then making certain I will
have the desired amount of unstitched fabric around the edges). On some
pieces I stitch the border first and then go back and fill in the
center. On others I do just the opposite. Occasionally I'll pick my
favorite motif or band on the chart and start with that.

The only really critical steps when starting a project are to check and
recheck the size (and count) of your fabric to make certain you will
have enough and to double check the stitch count and fabric calculations
on your chart just in case there is a printing error. Other than that,
just jump in wherever you feel comfortable!

Sue Seibert wrote:
I am just getting back into embroidery after all long absence. I have
learned a lot from the group and from books are articles, but I still
have a question. In embroidery, particularly counted cross-stitch,
where do you begin? I understand you mark the middle of the piece, but
do you start at the top, at the bottom, in the middle, or one color at a
time? Thanks so much for the assistance!!

--
Brenda

You can start anywhere you darn well please!

Since I did a lot of kits, where I wasn't sure how much border fabric they were
leaving, I just got in the habit of starting in the middle. In the early days,
the charts were not always marked every 10th grid, so it was too time consuming
to count the full length of the chart in each direction three times for
accuracy, then figure out what count the fabric was (which also wasn't always
indicated on the kit), do the math to find the ultimate dimensions, find a
ruler..... Unless the center is badly mismarked AND the fabric is extremely
scanty, starting in the middle avoids any unpleasant surprises. (I have had an
unpleasant surprise starting in the middle, with Happy Things, where the fabric
allows barely 1/2" on each side, and the center was mismarked by 8 rows. I had
one row of Aida left to frame with. However, given that the same chart had
almost *no* grid lines -- clearly a 10th generation photocopy -- there was no
way I was going to be able to count the size and identify the correct center.
And written complaint to the company that I could not read the chart got no
answer, so I just winged it and swore never again to buy a Patsy Moore/Happy
Things kit.)

I generally pick one main color that goes near the center square, and lay out
the bones of the design. Then I can work out from the bones without having to
do nearly as much counting (e.g., it's often "follow the existing line with
rows of 4 stitches")


--
Finished 9/24/04 - Quilt Show
WIP: Fireman's Prayer (#2), Amid Amish Life, Angel of Autumn, Calif Sampler,
Holiday Snowglobe

Paralegal - Writer - Editor - Researcher
http://hometown.aol.com/kmc528/KMC.html

Sue Seibert had some very interesting
things to say about where to start stitching:

I am just getting back into embroidery after all long absence. I have
learned a lot from the group and from books are articles, but I still
have a question. In embroidery, particularly counted cross-stitch,
where do you begin? I understand you mark the middle of the piece, but
do you start at the top, at the bottom, in the middle, or one color at a
time? Thanks so much for the assistance!!

You'll get a wide range of answers, many including variants on "do
what works best for you or for the design you're doing" :-).

Personally, I tend to start near the middle and work one color at a
time. That way, I only have to remember one symbol at a time. :-)

--
"The universe is quite robust in design and appears to be
doing just fine on its own, incompetent support staff notwithstanding.
:-)" - the Dennis formerly known as (evil), MCFL

Well, I sure feel better, because I tend to start in the middle, too,
and to work one color at a time. Thanks so much for all the answers.
The "do what you think best and are most comfortable with" seemed right,
but I just wanted to hear from people who know. Thanks again!


--
Sue Seibert

http://www.ralphandsue.com

"'You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you,'"
said the Lion."--C. S. Lewis, The Silver Chair

Hi Sue

I don't believe there is a cut and dried, hard and fast rule, each
person does what they are most comfortable doing, and each of us have
our reasons for doing it OUR way.

I work from the top left corner in horizontal rows, regardless of the
number of color changes I have to make per row. A also use the same
type of stitch, especially on long runs of the same color, so that I
don't end up with thin areas caused by stitching down and back method.

The front of my work looks as it should, like cross-stitch, hi hi....
But the back usually resembles corduroy due to the number of color
changes I am usually faced with doing photo-charted cross-stitch which
has a lot of confetti stitches.

Working in horizontal rows means you are not forever hunting for the
holes, they are always open and in the clear on the bottom to top
stitch with no dangling threads in the way.

TTUL
Gary

Sue Seibert wrote in message ...
I am just getting back into embroidery after all long absence. I have
learned a lot from the group and from books are articles, but I still
have a question. In embroidery, particularly counted cross-stitch,
where do you begin? I understand you mark the middle of the piece, but
do you start at the top, at the bottom, in the middle, or one color at a
time? Thanks so much for the assistance!!

I nearly always start in the middle, just so I'll feel more comfortable
that I haven't grossly miscounted. I just feel more comfortable "growing"
the picture out from the middle, but that's me. Whatever works!

Lynne

On Tue, 09 Nov 2004 23:34:38 -0600, Sue Seibert
wrote:

In embroidery, particularly counted cross-stitch,
where do you begin? I understand you mark the middle of the piece, but
do you start at the top, at the bottom, in the middle, or one color at a
time?
Very rarely do I mark the middle of the piece, since I normally start
at the bottom left or the bottom center. With the color there appears
to be the most of in the region (that gives me something to anchor
everything else to). Sometimes I turn the chart upside down and work
from the top toward the bottom for a while.
Darla
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