Backstitching: A Love-Hate Relationship

It's a complaint I often hear from stitchers: I hate backstitching!!!

I can certainly sympathize; I often find myself growling at a needle that keeps splitting stitches or moaning that it's plain boring. But every once in a while I find myself backstitching and enjoying it.

How could I like a thing that is universally derided in the stitching world? The answer has finally dawned on me: the type of backstitching makes all the difference.

Take the above piece, Lavender Blossoms Heart by The Sweetheart Tree, as an example.  The stitcher is required to backstitch through an area that has already been cross stitched. While there's no doubt that the backstitching truly enhances this work, I loathe it. I moan and groan and curse the designers who think that I would want to spend my precious free time torturing myself in such a manner. And then I finish the backstitching and bless the aforementioned designers for their beautiful patterns. (No, designers, you just can't win!)

Now take this piece of work: Blueberry Heart by The Sweetheart Tree.

In this piece, the backstitching is the design, so there's no need to stick a needle into a hole that eight threads have already taken up home in. It's simple and pleasant with a beautiful result. Even the backstitching near the cross stitched blueberries is mere outlining, which isn't complicated. This is the kind of backstitching that I like; I find it very relaxing.

The outcomes in both kinds of backstitching are gorgeous, but I don't think I will ever be convinced to like the first type of backstitching- it's just too frustrating for me!

 Speaking of backstitching, I had to make a change to my Around the World SAL. There is a section in Part I that calls for backstitching around some ray stitches and Norwich stitches. The backstitching color was meant to be Flower Color #6: light yellow in my scheme. However, since the ray stitches were metallic brown and the Norwich stitches dark yellow, this color combination was...

...this.

Revolting, no? So I switched the backstitching to Floral Color #7, which is dark brown in my piece.

Sweet relief!

I sewed up my first needleroll- Merry Christmas by Down Sunshine Lane. It's much skinnier than I expected, but I'm still pleased since it was my first.

Finally, the winner of my giveaway! Please give a loud congratulations to...

Tracy!

Congratulations! Please email me at Anne.Sans.Tete@gmail.com with your address, and I will send you the Pretty Pinks frogging needle & scissor fob set.

The mistake in the Around the World SAL? The Lazy Daisy flower on the left was off by a half of a stitch! It's been frogged.

Best Stitches & Wishes,

Ringing in the New Year...

...with a couple of finishes!

On New Year's Eve, I finished my first cross stitch gift for my husband for our first Christmas as a married couple. I'm waiting to give it to him in person, as we spent this holiday season with our respective parents.

He likes the lines and shapes in Brittercup Designs patterns, so I stitched Christmas Cat Tree from the 2012 Just Cross Stitch Christmas ornament issue.

The only change I made was to substitute Kreinik #8 001C with Mill Hill Magnifica 10001 beads.

Shortly after New Year's, I finished my Merry Christmas Needle Roll by Down Sunshine Lane.

The pattern says "Merry Christmas" in the middle, but I decided that a simple "Merry" would suit me better.

I can't find this pattern anywhere online; I received it as part of an exchange on Chatty Stitching Exchangers. I really enjoyed stitching this- and it's my first needle roll!

Lastly, I finished the Pinn mini keychain that I started in 2011. All I needed to do was the backstitching on the boy & the back piece; it took me a year & a half to do an hour & a half's worth of work!

Best Stitches & Wishes,