Needlepainting tips part 8: Importance of correct direction

Before we begin, an important announcement!

I did a sale on my Etsy store : everything was 15% off by the end of March. Hurry up to buy, besides, your stroller already has my design!

Now back to the topic :)

When working with long and short stitches, one of your main goals is to get the right sewing direction. By the time you get to it, the surface of your seam will be smooth and the mixture will be homogeneous.

Here are two examples. What do my long and short stitches look like on the left these days and where should I focus on stitches? On the right, I fabricated my disoriented channel of graduates, where I could easily flash in the wrong direction.

To better understand my point, here are both examples, including the "guide lines" drawn on the line.

Look at yourself first and try to see the difference in sewing. Look at my seams in both examples.

Much of this improvement should now be related to exercise. But even if you're a beginner and don't have much baggage for long and short stitches, here are some tips for you!

1. Draw guides

First, you can draw a landmark to the right of the base fabric. Often, embroidery design authors will already give you sewing instructions on their patterns. But you can draw it yourself.

I usually draw it myself with a regular pencil, because it gives me more freedom - I can draw as many landmarks as I need. And sometimes how I "feel" the shape will be slightly different from how the author sees it, so I can draw it separately. And I also think it's legal. If your idea of ​​a “scratch” of sewing is different, I encourage you to be brave. It will be easier for you to work, because otherwise you will have very little difference between what you see in the diagram and what you see in your mind.

2. Learning to sew

As you gain experience, you will probably start to choose only one thing: draw guide lines or make guide stitches. However, you can use both first. The more detailed your knitting "plan" is, the less confused you will be in the direction of knitting.

Then start filling in the gaps between the guide stitches. You can make guide stitches for each row of long and short stitches.

Another way to create guided sewing is to use running knitting as a guide. It works well. In addition, it will definitely be more convenient to work in 1 color. And if you plan to use different colors to create a blending effect, this can be a problem.

Alternatively, there's nothing wrong with using long, short stitches as a single color fill, or if your mix is ​​more "vertical" and you don't have a problem scattering multiple colors here and there.

3 Pull the working thread to find the correct direction

If you do not know where to insert the needle to place the stitch in one of the previous rows, you can pull on the working edge of the thread, and then thread the needle to the desired place.

I use this method all the time, like the norm. And that's why I don't always draw landmarks on the material. This way of pulling the yarn is enough.

However, this can happen in different situations. This method is best for situations where you need to arrange the stitches in a straight line. But there may be some curves in the shape, maybe round or oval and then this method will be less useful.

However, it's still a good habit to develop and use!

So here is the last heart with the "correct" side layer.

How do you feel about the work of others?

Here I am not using guide lines, but just working with lines. At first glance, it may not be so bad. But if you look closely and try to continue stitching the lines of your mind, you will see how some of them are forced to intersect. Which is not very good.

When you start working in the second row, the problem becomes clearer. Can you see how the sewing direction changes?

Well, at least I didn't go down without explaining myself first. Take a closer look at the seam on the side to understand how it differs from another heart.

I mean, it's not that bad. The shape is complete and has color. If you look at it from afar, you won't see any problems. But there is still room for improvement.

So hopefully today's tips will help you on your next project! Check out all previous posts under the Needle Drawing Tips brand for more tips!