The crooked cross stitch

[formergothardite]

I'll try and get a picture of this soon. So right after Christmas I had this delusion that I could cross stitch and I was going to make one Christmas ornament each month so by next Christmas I would have 12 new ornaments. Years from now when I am long gone my great-great-grandchildren would hang these on the tree and marvel at my talent. So I found 12 easy cross stitch patterns that supposedly could be done by small children, got all the supplies and sat down to work.

 

Step 1: threading a needle. That shit is hard. 15 minutes later I finally have that thing threaded.

 

Step 2: I was supposed to center this thing or something, but I got rather frustrated with that step so I kind of skipped it.

 

Step 3: start making rows of x. This was tedious.

 

Step 4: have an actual child come over and point out that Santa's body is crooked. Ponder ripping it out. Realize that I suck at this and then give up.

 

Step 5: try to ignore it sitting over there in the corner a constant reminder of yet another thing I have failed at.

[Bethella]

I'll try and get a picture of this soon. So right after Christmas I had this delusion that I could cross stitch and I was going to make one Christmas ornament each month so by next Christmas I would have 12 new ornaments. Years from now when I am long gone my great-great-grandchildren would hang these on the tree and marvel at my talent. So I found 12 easy cross stitch patterns that supposedly could be done by small children, got all the supplies and sat down to work.

Step 1: threading a needle. That shit is hard. 15 minutes later I finally have that thing threaded.

Step 2: I was supposed to center this thing or something, but I got rather frustrated with that step so I kind of skipped it.

Step 3: start making rows of x. This was tedious.

Step 4: have an actual child come over and point out that Santa's body is crooked. Ponder ripping it out. Realize that I suck at this and then give up.

Step 5: try to ignore it sitting over there in the corner a constant reminder of yet another thing I have failed at.

Were you using an Aida/even-weave fabric? This almost always takes care of the crookedness. Also the easiest way to center something is to fold the fabric in fourths- the middle point is the center.

[formergothardite]

Not sure this is fixable without ripping it out.

[CrankyCatLady]

If you really want to center it, do the folding thing and then run a straight stitch up and across the folds to make a grid. It helps. Cross stitch can be tedious. I used to do it (haven't since I have small, pesky children) and it's fun, but the instant gratification is low with cross stitch.

[Bethella]

Not sure this is fixable without ripping it out.

It's hard to tell based on the picture. If you're using the holes in the fabric for each stitch they should be even; if that isn't the problem I suspect that the issue is your tension (unequal tension on the threat and/or not enough tension on the fabric)

[formergothardite]

Who knows with my actual problem is, but I think I'm not going to rip it out, I'm just going to start over again. Maybe. I think what I did was make some extra stitches and that is what threw the whole the off.

[Caribou]

Step 5: try to ignore it sitting over there in the corner a constant reminder of yet another thing I have failed at.

You haven't failed!!

Honestly, I swear it has something to do with Christmas ornaments. I started cross-stitching just before my son was born and got really quite involved with it. I loved making baby announcements for friends, scenes for children's rooms, seasonal pictures, and couldn't wait to see a project through to completion and framing.

One day I decided, like you, to do 12 Christmas ornaments. For some reason, I found doing them tedious, boring and a chore rather than a relaxing hobby. So I put them aside until I was more into the whole Christmasy-feeling mindset.

I finally finished the 12 ornaments last October when I was laid up at home recovering from a hysterectomy- 23 years after I started them. They looked great on the tree.

Don't give up.

[OkToBeTakei]

Not sure this is fixable without ripping it out.

Am I allowed to laugh?

(Even though) I cannot sew.

[formergothardite]

You may laugh. It doesn't look anything like Santa's body, does it? :lol:

[OkToBeTakei]

You may laugh. It doesn't look anything like Santa's body, does it? :lol:

Well maybe you were going for Santa fetus. It's very colourful? (see I can do encouraging :D)

[formergothardite]

That's it! I'll switch to making fetus Christmas ornaments.

I would love to make something like this:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/catesish/15-awe ... terns-2gyn

But I really don't see that happening anytime soon.

[OkToBeTakei]

That's it! I'll switch to making fetus Christmas ornaments.

I would love to make something like this:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/catesish/15-awe ... terns-2gyn

But I really don't see that happening anytime soon.

They are AMAZINGLY cool. Hey you can do it. Don't know why I'm laughing at yours I would have given up at the thread the needle bit :lol:

[thekate]

That's it! I'll switch to making fetus Christmas ornaments.

I would love to make something like this:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/catesish/15-awe ... terns-2gyn

But I really don't see that happening anytime soon.

Well now I have to try cross stitching again.

[quincygal]

hey now we've reached my thing!!! To formergothardite & anyone else trying to be inspired, check out subversive crosstitch's website. That stuff is awesome & I swear I've done like half her stuff as gifts for friends. It rocks & the designs are small/easy/quick!!!!!!

Yeah, I have 2 birth samplers I haven't finished (the kids they were for initially are all in grade school) and a garden scene I started like 20 years ago. Someday I will finish them. I outsourced my son's birth sampler to my sister who didn't center it correctly, but I love it anyway:) here's the link

shop.subversivecrossstitch.com/collections/all-kits/products/welcome-tiny-overlord

[CrankyCatLady]

Steotch is pretty awesome, too. steotch.com I especially like the Rapper's Delight sampler.

[Loveday]

hey now we've reached my thing!!! To formergothardite & anyone else trying to be inspired, check out subversive crosstitch's website. That stuff is awesome & I swear I've done like half her stuff as gifts for friends. It rocks & the designs are small/easy/quick!!!!!!

Yeah, I have 2 birth samplers I haven't finished (the kids they were for initially are all in grade school) and a garden scene I started like 20 years ago. Someday I will finish them. I outsourced my son's birth sampler to my sister who didn't center it correctly, but I love it anyway:) here's the link

shop.subversivecrossstitch.com/collections/all-kits/products/welcome-tiny-overlord

I spent years and years cross stitching; I still have file cabinets full of magazines and pattern books, drawers full of supplies (I have enough Aida fabric and DMC floss to last me through to the nursing home stage), and at least a dozen finished pieces waiting to be framed (that shit's expensive! :o ). But my last completed project--Harry Potter!--was done over ten years ago, and I haven't been able to finish anything since.

After seeing this website, though, I may have to pick up my needle again. :lol:

[ADoyle90815]

I spent years and years cross stitching; I still have file cabinets full of magazines and pattern books, drawers full of supplies (I have enough Aida fabric and DMC floss to last me through to the nursing home stage), and at least a dozen finished pieces waiting to be framed (that shit's expensive! :o ). But my last completed project--Harry Potter!--was done over ten years ago, and I haven't been able to finish anything since.

After seeing this website, though, I may have to pick up my needle again. :lol:

I've also done cross stitching, with the last project being a blanket for my niece, started before she was born. Thanks to these sites, I might just get back into it, as I have the fabric and DMC floss available.

[littlehouse]

I actually just finished number 7 on the doctor who list! It is from an etsy selller called pixel people. Steotch is awesome, I did the jiggle bells batman smells last year.

Could it be your count is off?

[formergothardite]

My count and probably everything else is off. :lol:

[Curious]

My count and probably everything else is off. :lol:

I have trouble tracking on patterns sometimes because my eyesight is not that great. I've solved the problem when doing xstitch (which this thread makes me want to dig out my supplies and start a new project), by making a photocopy of the pattern and then coloring in each square (stitch) after I make it. it's a slightly tedious step when you first start doing it that way, but once you get in the habit, it gets to be routine and since I started doing it (many years ago), my count is never off and I don't spend lots of time ripping things out or trying to figure out why I'm a stitch off here or there.

[quincygal]

OMG steotch is hilarious! Just checked it out & felt the need to post the link on FB:) Thank you!!!Eleventy!!

[Isis]

I used to do cross-stitch - my first attempts were awful, I didn't understand that you seperate the thread into strands so I was trying to pull all 6 strands thru each hole...

I'd recommend trying to make sure that you "cross" in the same direction each time, it makes for a neater project in the end...

[Violet]

I can't cross-stitch, or knit or make things according to a pattern....I think it's because I'm rubbish at following instructions!

[formergothardite]

I used to do cross-stitch - my first attempts were awful, I didn't understand that you seperate the thread into strands so I was trying to pull all 6 strands thru each hole...

I'd recommend trying to make sure that you "cross" in the same direction each time, it makes for a neater project in the end...

How many threads am I supposed to be using? :oops: I might have been using six threads.

[ladyamylynn]

You may laugh. It doesn't look anything like Santa's body, does it? :lol:

Sitting here doing the quiet giggle at my desk at work...