Suzie Perry

This third and final article in this mini-series will walk you through the actual steps of stitching and finishing your project. Carefully producing that professional look we all desire when creating something for show.

One of the most important rules to follow when cross stitching is to make sure every stitch looks the same: neat and tidy is a great way to describe the look you want here.  Often beginners will want to pull their floss as tightly as possible but this is not the case when looking for a professional and tidy outcome. You will want to pull your floss firmly into place but if you are seeing holes at the entrance and exit of your needle you are pulling your floss too tight and this will result in a sloppy look and can even cause some fabrics to tear.

As you are stitching always be consistent and use the same manner of stitching. There are several ways to go about this: you can use what is referred to as a 1,2,1,2 meaning you are /, \,/,\ and crossing each stitch as you make it to produce a full line of X, X, also make sure as you are stitching that your X's are all equal size.  Another method is the 1,1,1,1 then 2,2,2,2 or /,/,/,/ then \,\,\,\.  Either method is acceptable, as long as you stick with one or the other you will produce great stitches that lie nicely against the fabric and always look similar.

As you are stitching you will want to watch your floss for knotting or twisting.  If you floss is getting too twisted which is natural from the flow of the stitches your stitches will not lie flat and will look rounded due to the twisting of the floss.   If this problem occurs undo any stitches that appear rounded or twisted and then let your needle and floss hang so it will naturally untwist.

Hoops are a great way to hold your fabric in place and give you a nice surface to work with.  If you are using a hoop make sure not to pull the fabric too tightly within the center of the hoop, you do not want the fabric to be tight like a drum surface as it will stretch out the fabric and can deform your finished product.  Also when using a hoop for a project that will take you more than one sitting to complete be sure to always remove your fabric from the hoop when you are finished for the day.  This will ensure that there is no extra stretching and also leave you less ironing to do at the end of the project.

When you are working on any cross stitch project, no matter large or small, you want to be sure to keep consistent with the ways your X's are formed, the project will flow much nicer if you keep them all in the same direction.  The best step in a professional look is to be sure to keep your X's going in the same direction (i.e. /,\,/,\).

As you are working with a cross stitch project you will notice that you will have the tendency to make small jumps with your floss to avoid knotting and restarting constantly.  This is fine as long as you are sure to keep your jumps with the floss as small as is practicable, do not use large jumps with floss as it can often be seen through the fabric, plus it can catch and cause your floss to tear or catch throughout the life of your piece.

Finally once you have practiced these steps throughout your cross stitch piece you will have a great finished product.  Once you have finished the stitches and are ready to look over your work there are a few things you will want to do.  The first is to trim any and all stray threads from the back of your work.  The second is to wash your piece, usually by hand unless it is an item you will regularly wash in a machine, to remove all oils and spots from the surface.  Once you have completed these finishing touches you are ready to frame or finish the quilting of your cross stitch.

If you follow all the guidelines in the three parts to this series you will have no problem producing a professional looking quality piece of art with all your cross stitch projects that will fill you with pride.  The only rule left to follow is to thoroughly enjoy your work.