fiber arts!

Discussion in 'Make It So' started by jacktrash, Jun 3, 2015.

  1. latitans

    latitans zounds, scoob

    (i think there might have been a fiber-arts-questions thread somewhere but i can't find it so *shrugemoji*)

    so i'm making a cross stitch sampler for my friends' wedding, and i'm really excited!! i've never really been a "crafty" person, but i really enjoy cross stitch, and it makes me feel good to be able to make this kind of gesture for them. i also think they'll get joy out of the thing i'm planning to make.

    but i've never designed a piece on this scale before, so i'd appreciate some tips! basically, i'm planning to have a running flower border (the flower is the state flower of the place where we all met) surrounding a central text passage followed by their names and the date. i may add some other embellishments, i haven't decided yet. i have graph paper, but i'm a little worried about my design skills and ability to make the final product look proportional and good. right now i'm thinking it'll fit in a 12-inch hoop on 18 aida, but i'm not sure. also, the text passage isn't in an english script so there aren't font patterns online, but i thiiiiink it won't be too hard to wing it?
     
    Last edited: Aug 13, 2018
    • Like x 1
  2. Everett

    Everett local rats so small, so tiny

    Shawl(ette) complete

    20180814_125245.jpg in the pic it wasnt actually done, but all that had to be done was binding off thr last 20 stitches or so. i had to switch to a different lilac purple yarn in a slightly thicker weight which stands out, but i can always do a single crochet border around the rest of the border so it looks intentional
     

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    Last edited: Aug 14, 2018
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  3. seebs' mom

    seebs' mom Yes, really!

    I contemplated making my own cross-stitch design a whole back, though I never did it, but I think I found some programs that would take a graphic and turn it into cross-stitch sized squares. You might look for something like that.
    Failing that, what I would try is making my design onscreen, blowing it up real big (a section at a time), overlaying it with a grid of small squares of a size to match a single stitch, and then filling the squares with the color that best matches what is in that square of the design.
    It'll probably take longer than the actual stitching.
     
    • Like x 1
  4. rats

    rats 21 Bright Forge Shatters The Void

    oh ive been doing a crapton of embroidery lately, ill set a reminder to post some pics for when i get home
     
    • Like x 1
  5. Re Allyssa

    Re Allyssa Sylph of Heart

    This is basically what I would do before I learned about the programs that actually work well. I found it really relaxing and it gave me more control to define where the color boundaries are.

    I have a grid paper section that I transparently paste over the picture I want, then zoom in and get to color editing. Fun fact, the eraser in MS paint at the biggest is pretty much the same size, so you can just change the secondary color and use that instead of trying to fuss with the paint brush...
     
    • Like x 1
  6. latitans

    latitans zounds, scoob

    I’ve actually just been using physical graph paper, and I’ve also got paper patterns (the type that you get in old magazines) for the floral borders. I’m more nervous about, like, making sure that everything fits together correctly? If that makes sense. Like making sure that everything is proportional. I think I’m just going to write out the script part—it’s written in a language for which there aren’t ASCII characters, so I feel like trying to do it digitally would just end up being more work than it’s worth? I’m not sure though.
     
  7. Re Allyssa

    Re Allyssa Sylph of Heart

    You could also use backstitch for the script instead of cross stitch. That should give you a bit more freedom in getting all the curves right
     
    • Agree x 1
  8. Sethrial MacCoill

    Sethrial MacCoill Attempts were made

    I couldnt find any non-terrible pencil cases at walmart yesterday (thats what i get for waiting until the very last weekend before school starts), but they had some cute fabric and im always down to spend an hour at my sewing machine.

    A2A4400A-D7BC-4C4D-A95F-503C49EEE87E.jpeg AE8A9FC5-3433-4121-8C3D-9C56377AA949.jpeg
     
    • Winner x 10
  9. keltka

    keltka the green and brown one

    ok so I'm making a lace wall hanging for a friend who's Really invested in japanese culture but has been fairly good about it (as in I can be like "ok dude you're being appropriative/a little racist/a major dumbass" and he'll be like SHIT SORRY PLEASE CORRECT ME ON IT) and I do not know what lace patterns would fit japan thematically
    does anyone have suggestions or recommendations?


    EDIT: I found one!!

    fake edit: on further reflection I probably should've asked my grandma, her parents were first gen immigrants and she was v into crochet so she might've inherited a couple.......damn, next time
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2018
  10. keltka

    keltka the green and brown one

    this pattern is hecking me up and I have no idea how to like
    make it easier for me to understand??

    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lumikukka

    I've considered transferring it to my own symbol code
    atm it's looking like I might just...write it out by hand?

    does anyone have any suggestions for that?
     
  11. latitans

    latitans zounds, scoob

    So I was worried about posting detailed info about my project because of potentially identifying information, but fuck it, i'm probably just being paranoid

    ANYWAY so after struggling with graph paper for a while I decided to use stitch fiddle instead, which has made things waaaay cleaner and faster. Highly recommended.

    I'm doing a few lines of a sumerian inanna bal-bal-e. I'm sticking to fairly archaic but schematized signs, and I think it'll turn out okay? If it ends up looking like a trash fire I'll scrap it and move to doing the signs in back stitch instead. but I've finished making a pattern for the first line, and it looks pretty good so far (not totally happy with the winkelhaken, but i think it's close enough).

    This is what I have so far:
    Screen Shot 2018-09-10 at 12.05.42 PM.png
    that gur3 sign was a BITCH to figure out let me tell you

    it is supposed to say ul gur3-ru-mu

    I'm not totally happy with the wedge heads of the smaller wedges, but they may look better when actually stitched. Any feedback would be very much appreciated.
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2018
    • Winner x 2
  12. turtleDove

    turtleDove Well-Known Member

    I'm about to pull open the hexapuffs I've knitted so far, so that I can stuff them and then try stitching them shut again. Hopefully I'll be able to just...properly bind them off again, but I'm not counting on it.

    Wish me luck?
     
    • Like x 3
  13. turtleDove

    turtleDove Well-Known Member

    Nine done so far, and I've managed to properly bind them off post-stuffing. I had to tie a bit of embroidery thread to a couple of them, because there wasn't quite enough yarn, but I'm making good progress!
     
    • Winner x 5
  14. turtleDove

    turtleDove Well-Known Member

    All the hexapuffs are stuffed, and I'm nearly done with redoing the bind-off to them. (Plus, adding more stuffing to the ones that are a little underfilled.)
     
    • Winner x 2
  15. NevermorePoe

    NevermorePoe Nevermore

    • Winner x 6
  16. Jove

    Jove [ destination defenestration ]

    Tunisian crocheting/afghan knitting/whatever it's being called now is the bane of my fiber arts existence, and I'm determined to master it enough to make a gradient drop stitch cowl or scarf to put in the care package I'm sending to a friend. (And also because she mailed me easily ~$300 worth of fancy yarn she didn't want anymore.) Not sure which yet.
     
    • Witnessed x 5
  17. Athol Magarac

    Athol Magarac I prefer reading posts without a lot of topics.

    While going through grandpa's old cross-stitch and mom's older-than-I-am stuff, it occurred to me that I should start signing my projects.

    Mom also had an abandoned-before-I-was-born project and I liked the trees, so I photographed the pattern before throwing it away.
     
  18. Re Allyssa

    Re Allyssa Sylph of Heart

    Oh yeah, definitely. My mom taught me to at least put my initials and the last two of the year.

    Now it's kind of developed into a signature bc I always do it the same way. It's not super unique, but like, how unique can you get with a grid structure lol
     
    • Like x 1
  19. keltka

    keltka the green and brown one

    I'm vexed at this book I borrowed from the library (sidenote: WHY DID I NEVER THINK OF THIS BEFORE THIS IS LITERALLY THE BEST THING EVER), it's got like the yarn THEY used but it doesn't specify what weight was used?? like they're expecting you to use the exact same yarn or some shit
    most of the other books I looked through included the yarn they used along with a "bulky/us 6" kind of thing?? so which is more standard?
     
  20. hyrax

    hyrax we'll ride 'till the planets collide

    in my experience, most patterns will give you a general weight/needle size, yeah, unless they're published by a specific yarn company. maybe that's what's going on here? Lion Brand yarn, for example, has a lot of free online patterns, but they all call for specific Lion yarn. but in general, a book like "25 super cool crochet patterns!" or whatever will usually tell you the weight instead of calling for one particular yarn.
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2018
    • Agree x 2
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