Even in the age of information technology, when many people preferred the virtual world to real objects, cross-stitch among the female half of humanity remained popular. This article discusses cross-stitching for beginners according to the finished drawing, as well as tips and ideas.
The hoop is one of the important tools
The hoop is a clamp for the canvas (canvas, fabric) for easy embroidery. What are they like? Most often, two rings, between the edges of which the canvas is clamped. Hoops come in different diameters. If a beginner needlewoman decided to take a serious interest in embroidery for a long time, then it is better to buy several sizes of hoops.
Even cross-stitching according to the finished pattern provides for the size of the finished work. For example, if it is written that the size of the future embroidery is 30x30 cm, then the hoop should be chosen with a diameter of about 30 cm. No need to be afraid that the canvas may not be fixed. Especially for this, in ready-made kits, the material is provided with an allowance of about 10 cm.
Ready-made kit or just a circuit?
Immediately it is worth saying that cross-stitching for beginners according to the finished pattern without threads in the set is undesirable. The fact is that the beginner has no idea what kind of thread is needed for this embroidery. After all, even an experienced artist or weaver may not notice the smooth transitions of color. How can you immediately distinguish between a very dark green and dark green? Yes, there are those colors in the set that are easy to confuse. For a beginner, factories make the perfect sets:
- a scheme for embroidery with symbols of each color (on the side of the scheme there is a transcript of these symbols with the color number in the palette);
- canvas of the right size with allowance;
- special embroidery needle (not in all sets, you need to look at the company);
- threads (floss or wool) in the right amount (they are fixed in a palette under the corresponding number).
As a rule, on the back of the pattern are recommendations for embroidery. They need to be carefully studied so that then there are no problems in the process of work and at the end.
Not every new needlewoman will notice an important thing: you need to embroider in 2 threads, and not in 6, as it might seem. If there are few places on the site where the desired color is required, then you can cut a short thread and fold it in half. So it will be more reliable, the end of the thread from the eye will not fall out.
Where to start?
The recommendations in ready-made sets are most often the same: it is better to start embroidery from the center. Drawings are either solid or non-solid (irregular in shape, with spaces). The first can start from any angle, not just from the center. But the second will have to start from the center and move in any of the four directions.
Patterns for embroidery are conveniently invented. A palette (10x10 cells) is indicated in them, along the edges are numbers (indents) from the edge or center (most often the first). It is necessary to determine the direction. When this is done, you can start from the very edge.
You can consider the example of embroidered bears in the photo above. In the center there is a mark where it is better to begin. But you can start from the border of some "big square". Embroidering here is highly discouraged from the very edge of the pattern. Take, for example, the coordinates of the intersection point (30; 30) and move towards the coordinates (40; 40) or (20; 40). Mostly the color is light brown with the symbol (x). We select two long threads and insert into the needle. In order, we embroider, as indicated in the diagram. So do with other colors.
What schemes to choose for a beginner?
It will be a big mistake if a beginner chooses a large scheme. It is better to start small to make sure that the chosen hobby is correct. This needlework, unfortunately, like many, has a serious drawback: you can spoil your eyesight. Those who are so poor and also have insufficient lighting need to take a small embroidery with a large canvas.
Cross-stitching takes a lot of time, so you should decide on the time of the lesson, for example, 2 hours a day, with breaks of 10-20 minutes after half an hour of embroidery. Cross stitching for beginners according to the finished pattern should bring joy, not torment, so it is not recommended to give in to the temptation to buy a very beautiful set 50x50 cm in size. This is already for those who have mastered elementary embroidery.
The scheme with a bear, presented in the previous section, is ideal for a beginner: it has a small set of threads, a simple scheme. The price, as a rule, for such sets is small.
Canvas with a pattern or set?
In stores, there is often a canvas with a pattern for embroidery. Threads need to be selected independently. It is immediately worth noting that this is disadvantageous. Mouline thread is expensive, and only a standard skein is sold. No one will cut off the right amount. The second problem will be the choice of thread colors. It is easy to make a mistake in this case. Why? When the embroidery is ready, it turns out that some color is too bright and out of place, it spoils the whole pattern. And the embroidery will look ugly.
Everything is provided in the finished set, but the price is reasonable. It is only important to look at what is in the package. Instead of floss, there may be woolen threads, which are not very suitable for embroidery. They can get confused even with careful handling.
Ideas for finished embroidery
When the embroidery is ready, I want to give it to someone or use it for business. There can be a lot of ideas, depending on what cross-stitching was with patterns: a solid picture or an irregular shape, what sizes. What can you think of? It could be:
- a picture in a frame under glass;
- handbag, case, postcard;
- box, chest, pillow;
- bedspread or napkin.
It is important to process the edges of the canvas so that they do not bloom over time. If you intend to wash this thing in the future, then the threads in the embroidery should be firmly fixed from the very beginning, and at the end, put dense material on the back.
What can be said at last about cross-stitching for beginners in a finished picture? The work is quite lengthy, but fascinating. It is imperative to provide good lighting and a convenient place, and then needlework will bring a lot of pleasure.