A Handful of Tips

March 14, 2011

Originally posted 2007-09-08 10:49:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The bad thing about publishing a book is that you end up with more stuff on the same topicv AFTER the book is written.

So I’m sharing with you a handful of the tips I’ve discovered recently.

– Do you have problems figuring out which end is the top when you are plying a thread? I do. But you can tell easily, even if the colors are pretty close throughout the thread. The end whicvh is bunched up is the bottom end. I use this tip all the time when working with hand-dyed threads.

– If you are a leftie and find doing Basketweave from the upper right corner to the lower left corner hard — switch and work from the lower left to upper right.

– You can stitch on a frame on in your hand, but never do both on the same piece. The difference will be obvious.

– The eyes of needles are punched out, so one side is smoother than the other. If you are having tr4ouble threading a needle, flip it over, you might be using the rough side.

– I ALWAYS have problems telling how many threads are across in an area. But you can tell if it’s an odd or even number easily. Are the first and last threads both the same (over or under)? Then you havr an odd number of threads. Are they different? Then you have an even number of threads.

– If you don’t want to use tape on the edges of your canvas, fold down 3-4 threads on ll sides and tack through the dobled (and smooth) edge.

– Plastic drawer liner, cut into 1″ x 2″ patches, makes a great needle puller.

– Bent tip scissors, like manicure scissors, let you clip threads extremely close to your stitching.

– The last stitch of a Rhodes Stitch is ther most visible. Either begin your Rhodes one stitch AFTER the stitch you’d like to have on top. Or add that final stitch AFTER all the other stitching is done.

Related posts:

  1. Tips for Stitching Efficiently
  2. Tips for Stitching with Silk
  3. Needlepoint Tips
  4. Tips from Rhapsody Stitchers
  5. Storage Tips for Kreinik Spools

2 Responses to A Handful of Tips

  1. Judy Harper on September 15, 2007 at 12:30 pm

    I ALWAYS teach lefties to do basketweave from lower left to upper right. Never saw it the other way!

  2. Excuse Me, Your Back Is Showing on April 24, 2010 at 10:04 am

    [...] A Handful of Tips [...]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

New Cyberclasses with Art Needlepoint

Beginning in February 2012, I have several great classes coming up with Art Needlepoint, suitable for stitchers at any level. The projects are large and small. One focuses on threads but the others emphasize stitching. Contact me for the schedule & for more information.

Support Nuts

Keep this blog ad-free by supporting it through your donation. Monthly donation of $5.00 gets complementary pattern (changes monthly).

Learn about the services I offer in-person and through email at ThumbTack. fabric arts Blog This Here Online Marketing
Add blog to our directory.