I tend to stick to really small cross stitch projects that I can complete relatively quickly. There are a couple of bigger cross stitch projects on my list, I have the supplies for them, but I have never gotten very far, either because I made a mistake early on or I just don’t have the stamina for such a large project (and if I don’t keep working on it consistently I get lost when I try to pick it back up).
Crewel Ghoul (what a great name, right?) has a great post all about ways to make stitching big projects a little easier. From getting things organized before you start to tricks to make keeping track of where you are in the chart easier, this is all good advice that will probably serve stitchers well on smaller projects, too.
And I’ll admit it’s probably all stuff I already knew. Like marking out grid lines on the fabric that correspond to the grid lines on the chart. I know that I should do this, and even did a little of it on one of the big projects I was trying to stitch, but it’s boring, so I didn’t do as much of it as I probably should, thus leaving plenty of room for still getting lost in the pattern.
She also has good tips for planning when to stitch stitches of the same color at the same time. I don’t mind a messy back to my project, but I also don’t want to waste thread in the name of efficiency, so this is something I struggle with.
You should really check this post out if you have trouble with large projects, or if you shy away from large projects because you need more of a battle plan. This might just be enough motivation for me to pull those big projects out of hibernation!
[Photo: Crewel Ghoul.]
