Which way do you stitch (/// and then \\\ or \\\ and then ///)? Can you (or if you haven't done it before, do you think you could) change the way that you stitch temporarily if it is asked of you?
I'm from the backwards camp that stitches \\\ then ///. I suspect that years ago when I taught myself to stitch I did it the opposite way. For some reason this way is more comfortable for me. I can't explain why it is more comfortable to stitch this way or tell you when I switched. I guess I'm almost an ambidextrous stitcher, because I am able to switch back and forth between the two directions when I need to. I've participated in round robins where some of the other stitchers wanted all of the stitches on the piece to go the same direction and I was able to do that without too much difficulty.
Speaking of stitching in different directions, check out this project. It is a Bucilla kit called Tea and Thee.
Mom started stitching this and decided she didn't enjoy counted cross stitch. She started in the middle, on the left side of the rose on the teapot. She gave the project to me to finish. I thought it would be fun to make it a family round robin, so I asked my sister and her daughter if they would help me finish it. They loved the idea, but we had a small problem - Mom and Kristin cross their top stitches this way \\\. Joy and I cross our top stitches this way ///. What to do?
I finished stitching the rose backwards (\\\) then stitched the rest of the teapot and the lemon bowl my way (///). Kristin stitched the striped wallpaper her way (\\\) and Joy stitched the rest of the design her way (///). Confused yet?
The result will not stand up to the scrutiny of a magnifying glass (it is not show quality) but it looks good hanging on Mom's wall. To the naked eye it is not obvious that the stitches go in different directions, perhaps because the "backward" stitches are in specific areas. The important thing is that Mom loves how it looks and that all 4 of us stitched it. That is worth more than "show quality" to me!
6 comments:
It's a beautiful picture, and no one would be able to realize it unless it was told to them. How special that all 4 of you stitched on it.
Hugs!
Thanks for sharing. Came out beautifully! Of course your Mom Love it ; )
lol -- thread the needle & put it thru the fabric, everything else is a suggestion -- lol
Pretty kewl! Love the fact that your family members stitched on it.
I actually think that it's appropriate that different sections are stitched differently. It serves as a reminder of how many people worked on the piece and is an ode to the 4 of you! :)
Its lovely, no matter which way the stitchs are going. How nice you all worked on the piece. Bet that means something to your Mom.
What a great story. It makes me want to get my mom cross stitching so we can create a family heirloom!
I stitch the same way you do, /// followed by the top \\\ stitches. I would have a hard time making myself do it the other way around!
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