Hello hello! If you're disgusted with the cold temps and snow, raise your hand. Damn. We received about 8" on top of the ice and it is back to frigid. Which means, brats in house. They're being very good today and all are using the litter box. Bud thinks the objective is to cover his doodoo with a mountain. That cat can dig for a half hour until every speck of litter is in a neat foot high pile.
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Does it bother you to see carry overs through the linen, even if they are minor? Do you hide them before taking to a framer? Have you ever been disappointed after framing, not realizing how prominent they were?
This sampler I sold recently is on a fine (sheer) linen. I offered to mount it for framing since she has no where locally that she could trust and was concerned about the sheerness.
The cross over threads are only one or two stitches but because of the linen and brightness of the floss, it still bothered me. I have no acid free tissue paper to use so I shredded some muslin and with needle and tweezers, pulled it through those areas.
I fray the ends so there isn't a harsh line, but with the muslin being so soft and thin that would not be an issue anyway. The mounting board is the color of the muslin and will blend it all, completely hidden. You can't see any threads between the numbers now but before there was a purple line visible between them.
The gold (wool) and gray threads are not as noticeable from the front, it's only the very obvious that I hide. Does it bother you? Do you do this? Or do you think that those threads are part of needlework and should be visible?
When I worked for a framer, many customers were so upset when seeing the finished piece because of the carry overs showing. I don't think they laid the piece on a white backing to check, not realizing the mount board would bring out the contrast.
I'm just curious. I'm assuming that threads over a very short span are not a concern to anyone. The majority of my samplers, especially the early ones, are all on unbleached or darker linen. It wasn't until I used a lighter fabric that this bothered me. And it shouldn't!
My other question (and also from a reader) - What do you use to keep your place on a chart, especially a fancy border or design? How about when you end your stitching for the day, do you have a method to mark where you left off?
I still haven't found my new sampler chart even though I saw it a few days ago. Actually considering a big one, too. Still not feeling much love so it may be a bad idea.
Stay warm!
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13 comments:
Hi Marly: We are having below zero temps again, we are lucky today no winds, brrr I am so sick of winter.
I do not carry over I am so anal about this, I fear what people will think, only my stitching buddies.
I use a small very small strip of paper it has a sticky back they are from the post it line, they truly help when I am doing the same color for a long time, that way I do not have to recount every time I start a new line with the same color thread.
I hope you stay warm, I would kill my cat if she did not use the box, we were afraid she would not she was a stray we found in the field the momma cat died at the hands of coyote.
Blessings
Catherine
Uh ... I start and stop threads for each letter most of the time. Not sure, but would guess this is because of hearing (reading?) some authority say that carrying across the spaces between letters was *W*R*O*N*G* - like perhaps lightning would strike. But I feel justified in continuing to do it when I see old samplers with really long carries of very dark threads - I just don't like the look.
Favored placeholder? Small-sized sticky note, sometimes with a penciled arrow pointing to a specific square.
Stay safe and warm, and I hope the brats don't terrorize you too much.
Hello to you from very cold Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario. I so very much enjoy your blog and your life stories. As to threads showing to the front, I once wrapped red floss with white floss so it didn't show as much. You certainly are more patient than I was, pulling apart the muslin and tucking it underneath those threads. Years ago I saw a sampler in New Brunswick that a young child stitched and you should have seen her long carry overs of threads! I'm surprised the adult who may have been supervising her didn't make her remove stitches and do a better job.
On a complicated piece I do not finish crossing my last stitch before I quit for the evening. I also use a magnetic board. If there's one colour being used for a while, I mark down the symbol and number so I don't get too confused.
Maria S.
I've only had one sampler come back from the framer and I was sad about ends showing from the back. I don't know if I'm just usually tidy and was messy with that one or if maybe the linen was the show through kind or what. So interesting that you worked for a framer once! So you know how to frame then? Very cool!
Long before I ever learned to stitch I bought quite a few antique samplers and they almost always have carried threads showing through the linen. I didn't think anything of it. When I was a baby my mom stitched a picture of cat from a stamped linen kit and she too carried threads for miles. I never considered that it wasn't okay until the day that I walked into my first needlework shop and decided right then and there when I saw the models to start stitching. There was a finished model hanging on the wall with fair ribbons attached to it and since I had never stitched before I asked the lady working what criteria was used to determine if needlework was "good" and worthy of the ribbons. She told me the most important things were even tension and threads not showing through the linen. She grabbed a WIP and showed me the back and it was extremely fine, practically looked like the front. She pointed out that there were no knots, no carrying threads, no loose tails, etc. Very intimidating for someone who was planning to pick up a needle for the first time! So I went home and attempted to stitch the "correct" way. That was about ten years ago and to this day I still feel like the Stitching Police will knock on my door if I carry a thread so I don't do it. On the other hand it doesn't bother me at all to see it on the work of others. Putting the muslin under the theads is a great tip. I wish I would have thought of that when I had the cat picture framed.
When threads are coming over a big space between two motifs I will start again on the next part.
With ending my stitches for the day I will look for the end of the motif so I can start the next time with a new part.
Stay warm and enjoy your stitching.
Greetings Truus from Holland
I don`t carry threads on sheer linen, esp dark ones. Likely that is one of the reasons I don`t like sheer linen, lol! My favorite is Lakeside 40 ct, and I only carry over a couple stitches anyway, so never really had the problem...
Marly, I have used your muslin tip on some of my pieces. I will carry over 1-3 stitches if the fabric isn't sheer. I'm not a big fan of the sheer linen to begin with. You were very kind to offer to mount the sampler for the woman. Stay warm!
As a newbie to stitching on linen I really appreciate the knowledge that you Marly, and your lovely stitcher friends pass on. Thanks also for the smile. At least Bud shovels into the box and not over all four sides like our Ted.
I never use linen you can see through for that very reason. I love the heavier fabrics like lugana and some belfast. We are lucky to be wintering in Phoenix. Love the warm temps. Stay warm.
This is a wonderful tip. I remember it from an older post of yours. I never would have thought of it, so thank you!
I usually carry over on the letters. I don't use real light linen so that has never been a problem.
I learn alot from your blog. I am not the neatest of stitchers, I think I enjoy the process of stitching and the end result is fine for me but definitely wouldn't win any prizes! We have a cat that doesn't cover in the litter box, but pretends to cover outside the box. Sometimes his "brothers" cover for him.
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