Needlework is a great way to take your hands in a useful business and at the same time pass the time. In this article, we’ll talk about embroidery, namely how to cross-stitch paintings.
What do you need to have?
If you want to create a masterpiece with your own hands, you need to have a certain supply of auxiliary equipment. So, to get a picture embroidered with a cross, you need to stock up on the following elements:
- Canvas. This is the fabric on which the pattern will be embroidered. It should be said that it can be completely different (dark or light, the cell on the canvas can be small or large). Her choice depends on what exactly I want to get in the end. If the picture is completely sewn up, that is, even the background will be embroidered with a cross, it is better to take an ordinary white canvas (besides it will be cheaper), otherwise you can take a fabric of any suitable color. The most common version of high-quality canvas - "Aida" of the 14th account.
- Threads. This is also an important nuance, because the appearance of the finished work depends on their quality. Mouline thread should not be cheap (in this case, it will most likely be a fake), the color should not fade from washing or fade in the sun. You can also embroider with acrylic threads (they are much cheaper), but their color scheme is much narrower than in mouline thread. And, of course, the quality is lower by several levels.
- Needle. It can be either ordinary or special, embroidery (it differs in that it does not have such a sharp tip as a regular one).
- Scheme. A very important element by which embroidery will be created.
- Hoop. This auxiliary element may not be used, but there are people who are much more comfortable working with it. Its purpose is canvas tension for more convenient work.
- Frame. It will already be needed at the stage of registration of the picture. You need to choose a baguette based on what is shown on the canvas. It is also good to order glass with an anti-glare effect, so when viewed from anywhere in the room, the image will be clear and the rays of the sun will not shine.
About sets
If you do not want to buy all this separately (choose the color of the threads, choose the canvas), you can purchase everything in one set. From this picture, embroidered with a cross, will not change at all. Moreover, often the masters who prepare the sets for sale more accurately and competently select the color gamut of threads with which the work will be embroidered.
What to consider
Before you sit down for embroidery, you need to decide what kind of picture should be embroidered with a cross. You should think not only about the picture. It is important to decide what size the finished work should be. Large paintings, respectively, take longer to embroider. You also need to consider the number of thread colors - the more there are, the more difficult it is to embroider. The embroidery of parts that consist of many different shades will greatly complicate the work. If there is no ready-made kit, and all the elements for embroidery are selected independently, you must first correctly calculate the size of the canvas (just use the fabric calculator), iron it so that the fabric shrinks. The edges of the canvas also need to be pre-processed so that they do not crumble (for this it is enough to draw a brush over them dipped in PVA glue).
rules
In order for the picture embroidered with a cross to look perfect, you need to follow simple rules.
- Forget about the nodes. The tip of the thread is hidden under the finished stitches. At the same time, you cannot hide dark threads under light ones; on the contrary, you can.
- You can start work in different ways: from the center; from the place where the largest number of threads of the same color; from the place where the darkest threads are used, gradually moving to lighter tones.
- The place of work of the craftswoman should be well lit. In the evening, it is better to use several fluorescent lamps.
- The working length of the thread should not exceed a maximum of 50 cm, ideally if it is 25-30 cm. So the thread will not be confused. No wonder there is a saying: a lazy seamstress has a long thread.
- If a large picture is embroidered, and work is not done every day, it is better to lay out the canvas into squares. For this, a special water-washable marker is useful.
- How can I speed up the work process if embroidered cross-stitch paintings are being prepared? Schemes in this embodiment can be crossed out. More precisely, those squares that are already embroidered. This will significantly speed up the process of finding the place where the work was completed.
- For those who work on the hoop: after work, the picture needs to be removed from the hoop so that the canvas in the places of fastening does not stretch and does not deform.
- The wrong side of the picture should be perfect: you need to avoid long broaches, correctly hide the ends of the threads.
This is not a complete list of all the rules, but if they are followed, we can say with confidence that the work will never be spoiled in the final version.
The algorithm of work on the example of a simple picture "Cherry"
So, how to embroider pictures? What is the best place to start and what sequence of actions would be appropriate? So, first of all, you need to work with the canvas. Before embroidering it must be ironed, you can also steam. The fabric in this case will shrink, and the finished picture after ironing is not deformed. In this case, you will need three colors: green, red and yellow. If you want, the background can be sewn up in white, in which case you will also need white threads. Next, proceed to the process itself. On the canvas, you need to find a center and start working from it. If there is no picture in the center according to the scheme, we start work from a nearby object (after having counted the required number of crosses from the center of the canvas in the corresponding direction). Since it is better to embroider from top to bottom, we will work first with leaflets. Next, a twig is embroidered, only then - cherries. It is worth remembering that all crosses should “lie down” in one direction, in which case the drawing will turn out beautiful. After the work is ready, it is surely ironed and framed.
How to evaluate the picture?
If the craftswoman does the work to order, she also needs to know how to properly evaluate her work. What determines the price when embroidered cross-stitch paintings are sold? And the scheme (i.e., their complexity), and the number of crosses, and the color scheme - all this must be taken into account. There is also a certain formula that will help calculate the cost of work. So, for this you need to add a few elements:
- The number of crosses multiplied by the price for one (approximate calculation for today: 50-70 Russian cents for one embroidered cross).
- Amount spent on materials (canvas, threads).
- Additional data (cross scatter, runtime, circuit complexity).