Why needleworking?
Many people ask that. Most look at the work you do and say 'I haven't got the patience to do that!'
It depends on what you expect from your hobby. Needlework is an archetypal 'pastime' - and produces something beautiful, detailed and rewarding at the end. But more than that, it's a supremely relaxing hobby, where you can't (and shouldn't) go at it like a bull at a gate; instead, allow the process to slow you down to the speed of a needle passing through fabric.
If you're constantly impatient to see results, needlework is probably not for you - it's far too slow, unless you restrict yourself to very small projects.
If however you spend too much of your life buzzing around, and need to slow down, and indeed relish the journey perhaps more than getting there (process over product), you may well take to this like the proverbial duck to water.
You'll have plenty of time to think about other things while you're doing it, but watch out for the inevitable lapses in concentration - which can land you with a lot of unpicking and re-work!
I want to start needleworking. What do I need?
Here's a brief list of items that you will need, aside from the fabric and threads identified by the app:
- Needles: these come in a variety of sizes, and your local craft shop will be able to advise. The fabric-count will to some extent determine what size needles you'll need. Tapestry and cross-stitch require different types of needle.
For cross-stitch, you may want to use smaller-sized blunted tapestry needles, which more easily pass through the holes, rather than splitting the canvas. If you like to work with your fabric taut, you may prefer to use the sharper (and easier to thread) Chenille needles - although these can go through the fabric close to, as well as through the holes, so greater accuracy is required; also, they are very sharp - expect to draw blood on occasion!
Do buy spares - they do wear out, snap, and you can lose them - a possible nightmare scenario, especially if you have children or pets around!
- A hoop (or a tapestry frame): this enables you to maintain tension across the fabric while you're working, and prevents your work from puckering that would occur if you didn't use one
- A good sharp pair of scissors or 'snippers' (also known as stitch cutters): to cut your threads
- A tin, basket or other container: to keep all your materials together - this should be deep enough to hold the folded canvas while it's being worked, and a little wider than your hoop, to accommodate it when it has fabric around it.
- A good light to work by - especially if you're working at night. Although quite expensive, the daylight lamps sold in many good craft stores do give an excellent (if initially somewhat cold) light.
- Fine highlighter pens - to mark off the areas of the chart that you've completed. Don't get broad ones - they're not precise enough to mark off individual squares or rows. Get two colours: one to mark the squares you've completed, and the other to highlight the ones you marked as completed, but haven't really!
Optionally:
- A magnetic board to hold the chart page you are currently working on
- A two-hole hole-punch to create the holes in your thread-card
- A laminator to laminate the thread organiser cards - fairly low-cost, but means they will likely last the entire duration of your project
- A plastic bag to keep unused replacement threads within your container
- An overlocker, or sewing machine with this facility - to keep the cut sides of the fabric from fraying. This is a significant expense: it may be worth asking at your craft-shop, or wherever you purchase your fabric, if they can do this for you once they have cut the fabric to size. You may find that they offer this as a service for a small additional fee
OK, so how do I start? What do I need to know?
Details of techniques, practicalities and general know-how are outside the scope of this Help document; please seek assistance on the web. Try entering "cross stitch basics" or "tapestry basics" into your favourite search engine. You should find plenty of helpful advice.
What if I notice I've gone wrong?
Firstly, identify exactly where you went wrong, and then unpick your work back to that point. This may sound harsh, but if you soldier on, you will compound the mistake and have to make many further decisions about how you're going to 'fudge' other parts of the picture to work around it. Unpicking and rework is a sound habit to get into. To minimise having to do this, frequent checking and counting of stitches between one colour and another are highly recommended practices - to help detect mistakes before they become too difficult to undo. This is why cross-stitch is often referred to as 'counted cross-stitch'.
Can I wash my finished work?
The fabric can become quite grubby through handling while being worked. This is normal - your hands have natural oils on them, and this adheres to the fabric, and over time dirt will adhere to it. Moisturisers and hand-creams can also contribute to this.
For cross-stitch, you can wash the finished work. Modern stranded cotton is colour-fast. It's recommended that you carefully hand-wash in warm water, using a gentle detergent. Wrap in a towel (preferably not a brand-new one) to soak up the bulk of the excess moisture (don't wring it out!), and lay out flat indoors to dry. Iron gently on the wrong side when nearly dry. This process will restore some of the stiffness the fabric had when new, and bring up the lustre and colours of the worked thread. If you're working on a set of images, though, it may be better to leave this until all images are complete, and wash and press them together, as they may get dirty again while you are working on the other images.
For tapestry, it's not recommended. Unless very careful, the wools used may shrink, and the whole point of using a frame to maintain the tension of the canvas while working would largely be lost.
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