Patterns Tips
Read these 4 Patterns Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Cross Stitching tips and hundreds of other topics.
Signing Your Work
To discreetly personalize a work, add your initials and the year. Use a backstitch at the edge of the design with a floss color that is readable, but blends in with the design. Do not mat over it, but instead allow it to be seen! It's always fun to look at your finished pieces and know when it was completed.
More detailed information could be added to the edge of the fabric where it will be hidden after framing. This information may be found years and years in the future and could be helpful in identifying when and who did the needlework.
Adding Words
Add a name, a date, or words to any pattern to personalize it. Search through pattern books for an alphabet that has an appropriate size and theme for the piece.
Try Modifying a Chart (a Bit!)
When beginning to make changes to a chart or a kit, start small. Change the colors of the border or the back stitching, then move on to changing colors in the design.
Poor Quality Floss
If the floss in a kit is not the quality you were hoping for, you can replace it. If the kit includes the color codes, it will be very easy to translate them to a better quality of floss. If not, you will need to match the colors as best as possible in natural light.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Jennifer Mathes, Ph.D. |
