Thursday, February 22, 2018

~ Woe is Me ~

 Hello Friends & Folk ~
a little under the weather today...

my back hurts and I'm not sure if it is just from vacuuming up 
thousands of Asian Lady Beetles {click here to read more}
or if I have re-injured a pinch that I had a few weeks ago from lifting
OR I have a kidney stone {again}.

So you will find me on the heating pad if you need me.

While I'm heating up,
I have been stitching on the Daffodil Hill design...


I love the design.
I love the colors of thread I've chosen
and I love the linen I'm working on,
but...
I HATE my stitches!

Take a look at the photos below, and you'll see what I'm referring to.
I have been stitching for a little over 30 years and have never had this happen before ~ 

I posted yesterday in our Samplermakers Group on FB about my problem,
and thought maybe it was the DMC threads I was working with...



can you see to the right of the window and door,
how awful my stitches look?
fat, flat & fuzzy.


THANKFULLY
 a kind-hearted and knowledgeable member of the group
responded to my posting with this reply:

"It's because some rows are worked in rows horizontally and some vertically. Though you don't realize it, the natural flow of your hand movement affects the twist of your floss and thus the rate of damage to the thread. Work your stitches individually and you will solve the problem. .."

she then went on to say:

  "Another consideration is how you are working the two threads. Yes, there is indeed a nap to the thread and you can see if if you "pounce" the tips...one will blossom more than the other. If you work with two individual threads, be sure they are in the same "nap" direction....and the blossom is the bottom (away from the needle). If you are using one thread doubled and doing a cheat start, then you are always working one thread with the nap and the other against it. Chances of fray are more likely."

 BINGO!!!!!
 and that is exactly what I have been doing! 
for the first time ever, I have been cutting one long strand of thread 
and doubling it through my needle. 
AND on top of that I stitched this portion in every imaginable direction.
Ugh.

So there you have it.
 *heavy sigh*

I will now get back on that heating pad 
and begin this design all over once again on another piece of linen....

Lesson Learned.


Blessings from the Farm
 ~ Lori

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

So sorry you are down in your back, Lori. Do keep an eye on it. I was reading your Instagram posts and the various replies and was delightfully surprised to have learned two new things! One had to do with the varying directions of stitches...and the other had to do with stitching each cross separately when stitching with hand-dyed threads (I thought that a brilliant point). Prior to your asking on Instagram how people stitch, I had been pondering that very thing and wanted to add that I stitch each cross separately and mostly stitch from left to right (must be the writer in me). However, as I stitch the stones for my Quaker house, I vary my directions so as to give it the laid-stone effect.

Wishing you well, my friend...

Dianne said...

I must have bad eyesight!I don't see the problem. I think you should just go with the flow of what your thread wants to do. Too much stress otherwise. Take care of your back and feel better.
ps

if your stitch looked beautiful for the first 30 stay with it for the next 30!

gracie said...

Good to know. Thank you for sharing and by the way, do not send any beetles to Arizona!

NMK said...

That is crazy about the thread direction ..... sorry to hear you are feeling crummy too ...and those lady bugs are a nuisance !!!! Feel better !!! Yesterday it was beautiful warm day 75 degrees, now the ground is covered in snow again ...don't you miss New England ???? Ha !!!! This should help you to feel better !!!

Susie H said...

Sorry to hear your back is ailing you again and that those pesky Asian Un-Lady-Like Bugs are coming out in full force near you. Ugh!

Very interesting about the double-thread woes but it sure makes sense. FB friends are the BEST!

Take care of yourself ...

Jacqueline said...

Hope your back has improved and your bugs die. Thanks for the info on the threads.

Unknown said...

I've just started stitching again after many years just knitting. I may be crazy but (at least with fancy floss) I feel like there's actually a right direction and a wrong direction to the floss. I try to use a thread conditioner to avoid tangling and try to make sure when I pull them individually from the skein and them I lay them together going in the same direction. I still sometimes like a row better than another. And I always stitch left to right, then right to left with the crosses. I thought maybe I was being too fussy and that's why I'm so slow to finish projects. Feel better soon!

Unknown said...

holy cow,that explains a lot for me..thank you..hoping ya are feeling better soon..

Nancy Wethington said...

Thanks for posting this. I, too was unhappy with my stitches and this post with suggestions has really helped. Hope you're feeling better soon.

elaine allerton said...

Lori,,, feel better soon,,, with so much to do there,, you dont need that,,,,hope its not too serious,,,
the stitching solutions were interestjng,,,
Not that I have done much,,,,
But just got the woolworks magazine,,, and love , love ur cross stitch pattern,,,, so must start again,,, want to do this, ,, m
Take care,,,,♡♡

Debra said...

I have resumed cross-stitching now that my Christmas knitting/crocheting marathon is over, so I was happy to learn this helpful information! Feel better soon, Lori. I hope that rest and heat will help.

susan hemann said...

hope you feel better soon1 I know how awful pain is!!! Great instructions on floss thread.