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Archive-name: crafts/cross-stitch/part1 Posting-Frequency: monthly Part 1 of 4 - Counted Cross Stitch Frequently Asked Questions version 1.10 Changes from version 1.09 to version 1.10: PART 1 ~ Section "2.2 Selecting the Thread/Fiber" - added a part on "Changing Skin and Hair Tones" ~ Some small one sentence tweaks in a few sections. PART 2 ~ Section "4.3 DMC and Designers" - new section ~ Section "4.4 Publishing Designs in Magazines" - new section ~ Section "5. Entering Competitions" - small update PART 3 ~ Section "7.1 Ordering Supplies By Mail and Phone" - 17 new entries and 6 updates! ~ Section "8.1 Magazines" - updates ~ Section "8.2 Magazine Index" - update ~ Section "8.4 Videotapes" - update ~ Section "11.1 Competitions and Exhibitions" - added some UK shows. ~ Section "11.6 Creative Sewing & Needlework Festival and Conference" - this is a new section. ~ Moved organizations out of Section 11 and into a new section - "12. Organizations" ~ Section "12.5 Embroiderers' Association of Canada" - new section. PART 4 ~ Appendix "A.1 Types of Evenweaves" - complete reorganization. ~ Appendix "A.2 Fabric Colors Compared to DMC" - this is a new section. ~ Appendix "B.6 Conversion - Old J&P Coates to Other" - new section. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX COUNTED CROSS STITCH Frequently Asked Questions For the Internet's Usenet News Group rec.crafts.textiles.needlework Version 1.10 February 18, 1995 Kathleen M. Dyer kdyer@crl.com Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Kathleen M. Dyer. Permission is granted to redistribute this article in its entirety for noncommercial use provided that this copyright notice is not removed or altered. No portion of this work may be sold, either by itself or as part of a larger work, without the express written permission of the author. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX PART 1 ------ About This FAQ 1. Introduction 2. A Cross Stitch Project From Start to Finish 2.1 Selecting the Fabric - Aida vs. Linen 2.2 Selecting the Thread/Fiber When You Might Want to Select Your Own Thread Changing Skin and Hair Tones 2.3 Preparing the Fabric 2.4 Setting the Floss Color 2.5 Hoop or Hand? 2.6 Making the X 2.7 Fractional Stitches 2.8 Stitching On Linens and Evenweaves 2.9 Where to Start Stitching 2.10 Number of Strands 2.11 The "Right" End of the Floss 2.12 Cutting the Floss 2.13 How to Start the Thread Running Under Loop Method Knotless Waste Knot Waste Knot 2.14 Carrying Threads Over 2.15 How to Keep the Thread From Twisting and Knotting 2.16 How to End the Thread 2.17 Using Variegated Floss 2.18 Where Am I? 2.19 Backstitching 2.20 Beads 2.21 Signing and Dating 2.22 Cleaning and Storing 2.23 Mounting, Matting and Framing PART 2 ------- 3. Equipment 3.1 Needles Needle Size Needle Finish 3.2 Needle Control 3.3 Hoops, Scroll Bars and Such Stands Hoops Scroll Bars Q-Snaps Stretcher Bars 3.4 Magnifiers and Lamps 4. Selling - Original Designs or Finished Products 4.1 Comments on Selling Finished Products 4.2 Craft Business Mailing List 4.3 DMC Editorial Project Bank 4.4 Publishing Designs in Magazines 5. Entering Competitions 6. Other Stitching Techniques 6.1 Assisi Work 6.2 Blackwork 6.3 Counted Thread Work 6.4 Drawn Thread Work 6.5 Duplicate Stitch 6.6 Hardanger Embroidery 6.7 Pulled Thread Work 6.8 Shadow Embroidery 6.9 Waste Canvas 6.10 Silk Gauze PART 3 ------- 7. Finding Supplies 7.1 Ordering Supplies By Mail and Phone 7.2 Crafts Information Service 7.3 Needlework Stores 7.4 Finding Charts 8. Books, Magazines and Videotapes 8.1 Magazines 8.2 Magazine Index 8.3 Books and Pamphlets 8.4 Videotapes 9. Creating Your Own Charts 9.1 From a Photo - Do It Yourself 9.2 From a Photo - Mail It Off 9.3 Use a Computer - Original Design or From a Photo 10. Computers and Cross Stitch 10.1 Discussion Groups and BBS's 10.2 Computer Software For Cross Stitch 11. Activities and Events 11.1 Competitions and Exhibitions 11.2 International Cross Stitch Round Robin 11.3 The Spirit of Cross Stitch Festival 11.4 The Creative Festival 11.5 I Love Needlework Fair 11.6 Creative Sewing & Needlework Festival and Conference 12. Organizations 12.1 EGA - Embroiderer's Guild of America 12.2 Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework 12.3 American Needlepoint Guild 12.4 Embroiderers' Guild 12.5 Embroiderers' Association of Canada PART 4 - Appendices -------------------- A. Fabrics A.1 Types of Evenweaves 100% Cottons Cotton Blends 100% Linens Linen Blends Miscellaneous Blends Afghan Fabrics A.2 Fabric Colors Compared to DMC B. Floss and Fibers B.1 Fibers to Use Other Than Floss B.2 Calculating the Amount of Floss B.3 Color Names/Conversion - DMC/Coats/Anchor/Marlette/Medicis/Au Ver... B.4 Color Names/Conversion - Madeira/Au Ver A Soie/DMC B.5 DMC Organized By Color Family B.6 Conversion - Old J&P Coates to Other ============================================================================== About This FAQ ============================================================================== Welcome to the "Counted Cross Stitch Frequently Asked Questions" document for the Usenet news group rec.crafts.textiles.needlework on the Internet. Although this document is focused on counted cross stitch, people who do other forms of needlework may still find some useful information in it. The lists of suppliers and magazines include several that deal with many types of embroidery. The hints and tips contained here have been collected from the many people who have been kind enough to share their wisdom with the net. In fact, this is an attempt to represent the collective wisdom of the stitchers who post to rec.crafts.textiles.needlework. Although efforts are made to make sure that the information in this FAQ is correct, this document is provided as is, with no warranties or guarantees of any kind either expressed or implied. No endorsement or value judgement is expressed or implied. Please send comments and corrections to me. Kathleen M. Dyer <kdyer@crl.com> (home, preferred address) <kdyer@netcom.com> (home, second choice address) <kdyer@llnl.gov> (work, if all other addresses bounce) ---------------------- Where to Find the FAQ ---------------------- If you have a copy of the FAQ that is over a month old, it may be out-of-date. The latest version is available in the following ways. The Counted Cross Stitch FAQ is posted around the 15th of each month to the newsgroups rec.crafts.textiles.needlework, news.answers and rec.answers. Part 3 is available in HTML format for use with WWW browsers at the Counted Cross Stitch WWW Home Page: <ftp://ftp.crl.com/users/ro/kdyer/xstitch.html> Plain text versions of the entire FAQ are available: By WWW at the Counted Cross Stitch WWW Home Page: <ftp://ftp.crl.com/users/ro/kdyer/xstitch.html> Anonymous ftp at ftp.crl.com: <ftp://ftp.crl.com/users/ro/kdyer/faq/xstitch_faq.1> <ftp://ftp.crl.com/users/ro/kdyer/faq/xstitch_faq.2> <ftp://ftp.crl.com/users/ro/kdyer/faq/xstitch_faq.3> <ftp://ftp.crl.com/users/ro/kdyer/faq/xstitch_faq.4> Anonymous ftp at the official Usenet FAQ archive: <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/rec.answers/crafts/cross-stitch/part1> <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/rec.answers/crafts/cross-stitch/part2> <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/rec.answers/crafts/cross-stitch/part3> <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/rec.answers/crafts/cross-stitch/part4> Email from the mail server at the official Usenet FAQ archive. Send email to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with a blank subject line and the following lines in the body: send usenet/rec.answers/crafts/cross-stitch/part1 send usenet/rec.answers/crafts/cross-stitch/part2 send usenet/rec.answers/crafts/cross-stitch/part3 send usenet/rec.answers/crafts/cross-stitch/part4 If all other avenues fail, I am perfectly happy to email the FAQ to anyone who requests it. It will be sent in four sections totaling over 50 pages. Just send email to me (kdyer@crl.com) requesting a copy. Please note that the ftp.crl.com server which allows you to access both the Counted Cross Stitch WWW Home Page and the archive can become quite busy. If you have trouble connecting, try again in a few minutes. ---------- Thank You ---------- Thanks to the folks who have given permission for their messages and postings to be quoted directly. The names are given where quoted. Special thanks to those people who read the draft of this document for their time, care and suggestions-- Lisa Balbes <balbes@osiris.rti.org> Caren B Pelletier <caren@engin.umich.edu> Heather Keal <G390KEAL@EXODUS.VALPO.EDU> Gillian Cannon <gillian@kaiwan.com> Amelia J. Scott-Piner <jill@super.org> Janice Liedl <jliedl@nickel.laurentian.ca> Liz Bell <lbell@austin.ibm.com> Mary Otto <Mary.Rita.Otto@att.com> Patty Andersen <pandersn@silver.sdsmt.edu> Marina Salume <quiltnut@marny.Corp.Sun.COM> Randy Freeman <randy_f@verifone.com> Stella Nemeth <stella.nemeth@solar.org> ============================================================================== 1. Introduction ============================================================================== Counted cross stitch has few, if any, rules. The main one is to enjoy yourself. You may follow or ignore any of the tips listed in this FAQ and still be a "real" cross stitcher. The first part of this document is a tutorial. The rest is essentially a collection of lists--catalogs, events, floss conversion, etc. Any commercial products or services are listed as a courtesy to the reader. No endorsement or value judgement is expressed or implied. ============================================================================== 2. A Cross Stitch Project From Start to Finish ============================================================================== ------------------------------------------- 2.1 Selecting the Fabric - Aida vs. Linen ------------------------------------------- Generally, people first learn to do counted cross stitch on aida and learn to stitch on linen as they become more experienced. Judging by comments in this news group, most stitchers who know how to work on linen wouldn't go back to aida under any condition. As always though, this is a matter of personal preference. Some very experienced stitchers prefer aida. First, the traditional rule--stitch on aida using a hoop and stitch on linen "in the hand". In actual practice, people do whatever works best for them. See section "2.5 Hoop or Hand?" for a discussion of the "in-the-hand vs. in-a-hoop" debate. See section "3.3 Hoops, Scroll Bars and Such" for more information on the equipment itself. Linen isn't as stiff as aida. This can be a plus or minus, depending on your own preferences. The difference in stiffness isn't usually a factor if the fabric is worked in scroll bars or stretcher bars. Aida is worked with one X per square, while linen is generally worked over two threads. This means that a 28 count (28 threads per inch) linen produces the same size picture as a 14 count (14 squares per inch) aida. See section "2.8 Stitching On Linens and Evenweaves" for a more detailed explanation of stitching on linen. Fractional stitches (1/4 and 3/4) can be much easier to do on linen. On aida, the needle needs to punch through the middle of the little square in order to complete the stitch. This can made somewhat easier by using a small sized needle (#26). No "punching through" is needed on linen, as the needle simply goes between the two threads. See section "2.7 Fractional Stitches" for a more detailed explanation of fractional stitches. Some people find it easier to see the holes on linen while stitching, others find the aida easier. The "look" of the cloth in the background can also be a consideration when selecting a fabric. Both texture and color should be considered. Aida is generally less expensive. Whether you choose to work on aida or on linen, always buy the best quality cloth you can afford. The amount of time invested in a cross stitch project can be quite large, and is far more valuable than a small savings up front. Also make sure to know the fiber content and if the fabric requires any special care. See section "A.2 Types of Evenweaves" for information on fiber content. A possible source of high quality but inexpensive linen is at antique shops. You may be able to find cloth with a hand tatted or hand crocheted edge, allowing you to do a joint project with someone who isn't alive today. -------------------------------- 2.2 Selecting the Thread/Fiber -------------------------------- When You Might Want to Select Your Own Thread --------------------------------------------- Commercial charts suggest which type and color of thread to use. Kits even supply the thread for you. However, there are times when you want to select the thread yourself. Situation: The floss supplied in a kit is of poor quality. If you are lucky, the chart supplied with the kit lists color numbers and a brand name. This doesn't happen very often, at least with kits that supply ugly floss. If there is no list, try to get a color card for one of the big-name brands of floss such as DMC or Anchor. Look for one which includes thread samples. Match the colors from the kit with the colors on the card as carefully as you can. Do it in natural light, if possible. Write down the numbers of the colors you need on the chart next to the correct symbol. Buy whatever floss you don't have on hand and start stitching! If you already started the picture with the old floss, rip it out or get new cloth and START OVER. If you can't find a color card, take the bad floss with you to your local craft store and do the matching there. Be careful, because the lighting in most stores can make the colors look wrong. Situation: You created the chart yourself. If you are experienced enough to create your own chart, you are probably experienced enough to select fibers. Consider using the many new types of fibers which are now available, such as metallics and hand painted silks. See section "B.1 Fibers to Use Other Than Floss" for some hints. Always keep in mind the final use of whatever you are stitching. For example, don't use a non-colorfast silk for a baby's bib. Situation: You want to use a different brand of floss than suggested. Some charts supply color number information for two or three manufacturers' floss. If not, try to find a floss conversion chart. Commercial ones are available. Even better, there is a "DMC-Anchor-J&P Coats" conversion chart in this FAQ. Look for section "B.3 Color Names/Conversion - DMC/Coats/Anchor/Marlette/Medicis/Au Ver A Soie". Situation: You want a different texture or finish. Consider using the many new types of fibers which are now available, such as metallics and hand painted silks. See section "B.1 Fibers to Use Other Than Floss" for some hints. Always keep in mind the final use of whatever you are stitching. For example, don't use a non-colorfast silk for a baby's bib. Situation: You want to use different colors than suggested. If it is a geometric design or a simple picture with no shading, replace the colors anyway you like. More care must be taken for complex pictures. Compare the values of the old set of colors and the new set to make sure they are the same. You can do this by looking at the threads through red glass or cellophane, or by photocopying them in black-and-white. Changing Skin and Hair Tones ---------------------------- At times, you may want to change the skin and/or hair colors of a figure in a chart to make it look more like a particular individual. Although some charts print alternate floss colors, this is still rare. The _type_ of chart most likely to give multiple colors for hair and skin is one with a wedding theme. Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum, the designer of the Lavender & Lace, Butternut Road, and Told in a Garden designs, has alternative skin colors on some designs. Lists for Asian, African American and Native American are also available from her offices in Maine. Included below, with the very kind permission of Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum, is a quote from a post she made to rec.crafts.textiles.needlework... Keep in mind that you are going from light to dark, this is a color range. Going up or down the scale will lighten or darken the range. DMC African American: Skin...... - 3772 + 632 E 632+898 Lips in 356 and outline features in the 632+898 blend Eyes and brows are outlined in 3371 Hair... Most designs have 4-6 hair shades...the darkest 2-3 shades I make 310 black. Then use 3371 for one or two shades and the lightest symbol with 3031 Native American Skin....light to dark 950 3773 407 3772 632 Hair...light to dark 3781 3031 3371 310 By finding the colors asked for on a design and laying them out light to dark you can match the shades you want to replace them with. Make a new legend for your replacement colors. -------------------------- 2.3 Preparing the Fabric -------------------------- The following suggestions are quite conservative and cautious. It seems safest to list many things that a stitcher might want to be aware of. You are then free to use or ignore whatever you choose. Trim off any selvage edges. Cut the fabric to size for the project. Allow an extra 3" to 4" on _each_ edge. Pre-rinse very dark or very red fabrics to make sure the color will not run. Rinse until the water is clear. If there are folds, make sure they will come out. Rinse and/or press the fabric. Prepare the edges to keep them from fraying. Some of the options: ~ Use a sewing machine to do a zigzag stitch. ~ Use a serger to serge the edges. ~ Fold the edge of the cloth over and baste it by hand. ~ Do a whipstitch by hand, to overcast the edges. ~ Use Fraycheck or masking tape, but then allow another half inch (1/2") all the way around so you can cut off the chemically tainted fabric when you are through stitching. Chemicals of any sort may cause deterioration years later. ----------------------------- 2.4 Setting the Floss Color ----------------------------- Floss is much more colorfast than it used to be, but some people prefer to be very cautious when using black or dark colors in heirloom quality projects. Below are a couple of postings about the topic. From: Gillian Cannon <gillian.cannon@solar.org>... I take my blacks and dark reds, purples, etc., and put rubber bands where the paper bands are, and shake the skein in a glass of water that I've put a quarter of a teaspoon of white vinegar or salt in so I can set the colors. Rinse in clear water after shaking in the mixture until it runs clear, then I lay the skein (still in the rubber band wrapping) on top of a thick terry towel, then roll and press to remove the extra water. I then just lay it on a surface until it dries. It's really easy and eliminates a lot of problems. From: Mary Rita Otto <motto@cbnewsf.cb.att.com>... ...You want to set the color on the floss before you start the piece. This is only necessary for some of the colors - most will not bleed. But here is the procedure. Take the floss out of the skein wrappers. Wet it with cool water. Lay it on a white paper towel to dry. If it is going to bleed/run that will be evident on the paper towel. If it does show signs of running, then rinse it with cool running water until the running stops and the paper towel it is set on shows no further signs of color. Soak the rinsed floss in 1 QT cool water and 1/4 cup white vinegar. Let it soak for about 20 minutes. Rinse again with cool water and dry on a paper towel. If you have a finished piece you should exercise caution when first washing the piece. Rinse the piece with clear water and watch for signs of running. If a color does run, continue to rinse the piece in cool running water until the bleeding stops and the water runs clear. In most cases, it is not necessary to use the vinegar water soak. I consulted several expert stitchers and teachers on this, and they all admitted that they think the soaking is a waste of time, and just deal with the bleeding with the cool water rinse at wash time. The quality of dyes used currently is very good, and colors running is very uncommon. I only do a rinse and soak for heirloom quality work using intense red colors (like DMC 666). I've never had a problem with other colors, or a serious problem with the red, either. But that may vary with the quality of the local water supply. The extremely cautious will avoid even the vinegar soak, opting instead for only the cool water rinse. This is done to ensure that absolutely no vinegar residue is left to damage the floss. ------------------- 2.5 Hoop or Hand? ------------------- First, the traditional rule--stitch on aida using a hoop and stitch on linen "in the hand". In actual practice, people do whatever works best for them. Most who like their fabric taut _do_ tend to avoid hoops in favor of scroll bars or stretcher bars when working on linen, as hoops may damage the fabric or leave marks. See section "3.3 Hoops, Scroll Bars and Such" for more information on the equipment itself. See section "2.8 Stitching On Linens and Evenweaves" for a more detailed explanation of stitching on linen. For the purpose of this discussion, let's use the word "bars" to refer to all those things which can be used to hold the fabric taut--hoops, stretcher bars, scroll bars and Q-Snaps. Some people find it easier to control the tension of their thread with one method, some find it easier with the other. The most important thing to remember is to do what works best for you. Advantages and Disadvantages of "in the hand": ~ Stitching can be done with the sewing method, which requires less motion on the part of the stitcher than the stab method. The sewing method can be much faster. ~ No worries about squashing existing stitches or leaving hoop marks. ~ The project is much easier to transport without the weight and bulk of bars. ~ Some people like the feel of the fabric in their hand. It's part of the enjoyment. ~ Some people have trouble controlling fabric and floss without bars. Advantages and Disadvantages of Bars: ~ Can keep the fabric taut, for those who prefer this. They can be used with the fabric loose, for those who like the sewing method. ~ More of the fabric is immediately visible than if it were draped over a hand. ~ Most bars can be used with lap stands or floor stands. The stands allow "two handed stitching", where one hand is kept above and one hand below the project. Good quality stands are like fine furniture, and keep the current project on display. ~ People who have trouble holding projects for long periods of time also may find stands useful--they help avoid or reduce effects from tendonitis, arthritis and cramping. ~ Hoops can distort existing stitches and leave marks on the fabric. These problems can be avoided by using stretcher bars, scroll bars and Q-Snaps. ------------------ 2.6 Making the X ------------------ One of the few rules in counted cross stitch is that all the stitches should go in the same direction. It doesn't matter if the bottom half goes "/" and the top goes "\", or vice versa. Just make sure that _every_ stitch in the project is done the same way. (And to be perfectly honest, there are exceptions to this rule, such as 3/4 stitches.) The direction a person first learns to stitch seems to be a regional thing. The only reason it _might_ be of importance is if you choose to do a very complex chart from another country. Some complex charts with many fractional stitches or other embroidery stitches exhibit a subtle bias, assuming that the X's will be done a particular direction. Stitchers who use the traditional method complete each X as they go: XXXXXXXX Stitchers who use the Danish method do the bottom stitches first, and complete the X's as they return: /////XXX Many people use a mix of the two methods. They may use the Danish method for most stitches, but do the occasional isolated stitch as a complete X. Another school recommends doing rows with the Danish method and columns with the traditional method. This causes the thread on the back to make vertical lines. Apparently, some antique samplers which were done in the traditional method survive today because the X's hold the fabric together. The "one-X-at-a-time" approach works well when stitching over one thread, rather than the usual two, as it helps stop the thread from disappearing behind the fabric. Many people find the Danish method to be faster, and to result in less confusion about current location. Choose a method which you like, preferably one which results in neat backs. While a neat back isn't _required_ for a good looking front, it usually helps. ------------------------- 2.7 Fractional Stitches ------------------------- Fractional stitches (1/4, 1/2 and 3/4) are simply cross stitches with missing arms. They are used to provide a rounded look to a picture (1/4 and 3/4), or an airy look (1/2). Fractional stitches (1/4 and 3/4) can be much easier to do on linen. On aida, the needle needs to punch through the middle of the little square in order to complete the stitch. This can made somewhat easier by using a small sized needle (#26). No "punching through" is needed on linen, as the needle simply goes between the two threads. A 1/4 stitch is done by coming up from one corner of the square and going down in the center. A 3/4 stitch is most often done by stitching the short arm first, like a quarter stitch. It is completed with a 1/2 stitch to make the other two arms. Note that this is an exception to the rule that all stitches must go in the same direction, as the long arm of the 3/4 stitch may go either "/" or "\". There are some occasions where people choose to do the 1/2 stitch first and anchor it down with the 1/4 stitch, in order to achieve a certain effect. Frequently, a 1/4 stitch and a 3/4 stitch share a single square. This means that a decision is left up to the stitcher. Which side is the 1/4 and which the 3/4? As in just about every other area, this is up to you. Here are some different methods. Each provides its own distinct look. ~ If there is a backstitch dividing the two sides, stitch two 1/4 stitches and let the backstitch divide them. ~ Determine which side is in the foreground of the picture, and make that side the 3/4 stitch. (An exception might be made for very small details.) The backstitch, if any, can lie on top of or outside of the long arm. ~ If neither side is in the foreground, make the 1/4 stitch in whichever of the two colors "gets there" first. Fill in the 3/4 stitch as you come by with the second color. ~ Make two 3/4 stitches. Sometimes a pattern calls for an entire area to be filled with 1/2 stitches rather than full cross stitches. If there are no definite instructions, it is up to you to decide which direction the 1/2 stitches should go--the same as the bottom half of a full cross stitch or the same as the top half. "Bottom" half stitches are more intuitive for some people. "Top" half stitches tend to blend into the background more, which might be the effect you want. Sometimes the picture itself makes a direction obvious. For example, 1/2 stitches used to represent feathers in a wing should probably slant the way the feathers themselves would. ---------------------------------------- 2.8 Stitching on Linens and Evenweaves ---------------------------------------- People tend to use the terms "linen" and "evenweave" interchangeably in casual discussions. Evenweave fabrics are composed of linen, cotton, man-made fibers and blends. To save typing, I'll use "linen" below to mean both linen and evenweave. For a look at the "aida vs. linen" debate, see section "2.1 Selecting the Fabric - Aida vs. Linen." For information on the fiber content of different fabrics, see section "A.2 Types of Evenweaves." First, the traditional rule--stitch on aida using a hoop and stitch on linen "in the hand". In actual practice, people do whatever works best for them. See section "2.5 Hoop or Hand?" for a discussion of the "in-the-hand vs. in-a-hoop" debate. See section "3.3 Hoops, Scroll Bars and Such" for more information on the equipment itself. Linen is generally worked "over two" threads. This means that a 28 count (28 threads per inch) linen produces the same size picture as a 14 count (14 squares per inch) aida. Experienced stitchers of linen recommend starting next to a vertical thread. This is easier to explain using a picture. If you start your X's like "/", then... | | | | Y --------------| |--- --------------| |--- | | | | | | | | | | | | Where X means start here! | | | | | | | | -----| |------------ -----| |------------ X | | | | | | | | (ASCII art adapted from a post by Janice Liedl <jliedl@nickel.laurentian.ca>) Come up at X and go down at Y (or vice versa). If you start your X's the other way, like "\", then... X | | | | -----| |------------ -----| |------------ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------| |--- --------------| |--- | | | | Y | | | | Reasons for starting next to a vertical thread: ~ Starting next to a vertical thread makes it easy to tell when you have mistakenly gone over 1 or 3 threads. ~ The hole next to a vertical thread is slightly larger. ~ Stitches started next to horizontal threads sometimes don't look as nice, and can roll under. Many people on this news group have recommended 32-count Belfast linen as a good fabric for a beginner. It has a nice weave density. ------------------------------ 2.9 Where to Start Stitching ------------------------------ You're finally ready to make that first stitch on a new piece of fabric. What's the right location in which to start? The center of the cloth? The upper left? The lower right? While the design itself should be centered, where you start stitching that design isup to you. Here are some different schools of thought. ~ Let the design itself determine the starting location. Each design has its own best place to start. ~ Start in the middle. It makes it easy to be sure everything is centered. The center of the design is often more interesting to work on. ~ The starting location depends on the direction you stitch. Try to have your needle come up through the hole with the fewest existing stitches and down through the hole with the most. For example, someone who stitches like this: //////XXXX should start at the upper left corner of the design. XXXXXXXXXX //////XXXX ------------------------ 2.10 Number of Strands ------------------------ The number of strands of floss to use is, as with most of counted cross stitch, open to individual interpretation. Traditionally, a certain amount of the background cloth should be visible. However, some people prefer a full, covered look. A very common choice is to use two strands when working on 14 or 18 count cloth. If in doubt, try a few stitches on a scrap of the fabric you want to use, to see if the "look" is what you want. ----------------------------------- 2.11 The "Right" End of the Floss ----------------------------------- You may have read posts which talked about "the right end," "direction of the thread," or "Z-twist and S-twist." First let's talk about what it means, then we'll look at why you should (or shouldn't) care. From: Noeline McCaughan <noeline@styx.equinox.gen.nz>... Just to make things a little clearer -"Z" and "S" are used to describe the twist in a yarn - any yarn regardless of what fibre it is spun from. Just take a piece of thick yarn and hold it up in front of your eyes. If the twist goes from top right to bottom left it is called "Z" (the slant of the twist equaling the slant of the downstroke in the letter). If it slopes from top left to right bottom it is of course an "S". To find the right end for a six-strand length of floss: ~ The end that comes out of the skein is the right end. ~ If the floss is already cut, hold the two ends in one hand, between the thumb and forefinger. Allow about one half inch from each end to stick up. Now tap lightly down onto both ends at once with your other forefinger. The end that spreads more, or "blossoms" is the "right" end. To find the right end for a single strand of floss, hold it up and run it between your thumb and forefinger. The direction that feels smoother is the right direction, and the top is the right end. Some people find it easier to separate a strand when it is removed from the right end. They have less problem with tangling. So, now you know how to find it. Why should you? Unfortunately, this is one of the few topics in counted cross stitch that people tend to get religious about. Even the professionals don't agree. The two main schools of thought: ~ The needle should be threaded with the right end. The stitches lie better, and knots are less likely to happen. It is bad form to stitch without paying attention to thread direction. ~ If it takes a magnifying glass to see the difference in the stitches, keeping track of the right end of the thread is a waste of time. Besides, the loop method of starting stitches (where by definition one strand is the right way and one the wrong) can help keep the back of the picture neat. ------------------------ 2.12 Cutting the Floss ------------------------ Floss should be cut about 18"-20" long, or twice that if the thread will be doubled for the loop method. Some people like to use one arm length when doubling. See section "2.13 How to Start the Thread" for more information about the loop method. Metallics, or any fiber with a very rough surface, should be cut somewhat shorter. It helps prevent fraying. Most people prefer to separate the floss into individual strands and then recombine them. There is less twisting and knotting, and the stitches lie flatter. To separate a thread from the others, hold onto the top end of the thread between your thumb and forefinger. Pull down on it with the other thumb and forefinger, taking all the other threads with you. It looks like a knot will form. Have faith. Everything comes out just fine. ------------------------------ 2.13 How to Start the Thread ------------------------------ And now for a strong suggestion--DO NOT KNOT THE THREAD. An exception _might_ be made for cross stitch on clothing, towels and the like. ~ Knots can create lumps and bumps on the front when the picture is mounted. ~ Knots can catch the floss. ~ Knots can lead to uneven thread tension and distorted fabric. ~ Knots can pop through to the front, especially on a loosely woven fabric. ~ Knots are harder to undo if you make a mistake. ~ Knots make the back look messy. A good general rule is that a neat back means a better looking front. So, what is it you _should_ do? There are several methods listed below. Many people use more than one, letting the circumstances determine their selection. As a side note, see the section "3.1 Needles" for information on what size and type of needle to use. Running Under ------------- Run the thread under 4 or 5 of the stitches on the back, if they are right next to where you want to start. You may choose to whip stitch around the second or third stitch as you are running under. This helps to lock the thread in. Sometimes dark colors show through when woven under lighter colors. Check to make sure this isn't happening. A variation--if you stitch in a manner that leaves vertical lines on the back, try whip stitching or weaving up (or down) a few of these vertical stitches. This technique makes for a very neat looking back. Loop Method ----------- The loop method only works for even numbers of strands. For two strands, start with one long strand about 36"-40" long. Fold it in half. Thread the needle so the two ends are the tail, near the needle, and the "loop" is the end farthest from the needle. Start the stitch with the loop end dangling a little bit below the cloth. When the needle comes back down to the underside, run it between the loop and the cloth, and pull tight (gently). Knotless Waste Knot ------------------- Start the thread from the top side, an inch or two from where you want to begin stitching. Leave a tail of thread on the top side. When you have completed some stitches, pull the tail to the back side. Run it under the new stitches. Waste Knot ---------- This is similar to the knotless waste knot described above. One difference is that the tail on the front is knotted, to act as an anchor. It should be started farther away from the stitching point, as the tail-and-knot on the front is cut away when the stitches are completed. The remaining tail on the back is run under the new stitches. For both the waste knot and knotless waste knot, careful placement of the "knot" will cause the tail on the back to be covered as you stitch. ---------------------------- 2.14 Carrying Threads Over ---------------------------- You can carry thread over if there is no stitching between two areas of the design, but only for short distances. This means 3 or 4 squares on aida, or 4 threads on linen. The thread can be carried farther if the region between the two areas has been (or will be) filled in with other stitches. How far? This depends on the relative darkness of the colors. The carried thread should be woven under the existing stitches, but sometimes dark colors show through when woven under lighter colors. Check to make sure this isn't happening. Even under the best conditions, you probably shouldn't carry the thread more than a distance of 5 or 6 stitches. Try to plan your work so that it isn't necessary to travel very far to do the next stitch. -------------------------------------------------------- 2.15 How to Keep the Thread From Twisting and Knotting -------------------------------------------------------- Separate the floss into individual strands and then recombine them. There is less twisting and knotting, and the stitches lie flatter. To separate a thread from the others, hold onto the top end of the thread between your thumb and forefinger. Pull down on it with the other thumb and forefinger, taking all the other threads with you. It looks like a knot will form. Have faith. Everything comes out just fine. Run each separated strand of floss over a damp sponge just before using it. This makes the floss lie much smoother and flatter. Remember, some fibers, such as silk, should not be dampened. If you know which direction you tend to twist the needle, give it a little bit of a twist the opposite direction after each stitch. Try threading the needle with the "right" end of the floss. See section "2.11 The Right End of the Floss" for more information. Let the thread dangle every so often and untwist it. If you use the stab method rather than the sewing method, you can use a technique called railroading. On the top half of the cross stitch, pull the needle and thread through to the front to start the stitch in the usual manner. Then put the tip of the needle between the two threads right where they come through the fabric so that the needle is pointing in the direction it needs to go to complete the stitch, and take it over to finish the stitch. Where the needle is going to go to complete the stitch. | | \|/ o // // // <--- first half stitch // // // // // // \ <--- needle tip // \ // \--------- / \ \ / \ | <--- thread | \ | | \ | | \ | | O \ | || \ | || \ \ || \-----------\ ---------------------------\ || || || || || || \\----------------// ---------------- ---------------------------- 2.16 How to End the Thread ---------------------------- Not surprisingly, the techniques for ending the thread resemble those for starting the thread. First, the same strong suggestion--DO NOT KNOT THE THREAD. An exception _might_ be made for cross stitch on clothing, towels and the like. One good method is to run the thread under 4 or 5 of the stitches on the back. You may choose to whip stitch around one of the stitches as you are running under. This helps to lock the thread in. Sometimes dark colors show through when woven under lighter colors. Check to make sure this isn't happening. If you stitch in a manner that leaves vertical lines on the back, try whip stitching or weaving up (or down) a few of these vertical stitches. This technique makes for a very neat looking back. ----------------------------- 2.17 Using Variegated Floss ----------------------------- Variegated floss is used to create interesting effects and one-of-a-kind pictures. While you are always free to do as the spirit takes you, there are some more organized approaches. The following is one method, but is by no means the only one. For information on another, read DMC's pamphlet #15235 "Cross Stitch with Variegated Floss". Remove the floss from the skein and wind it lengthwise around a yardstick. Those of you living in countries on the metric system might have to saw a few centimeters off the end of a meter stick. Carefully cut the floss at the middle and at each end, to give you four groups of floss. Two groups should be lighter and two should be darker, overall. Combine the two lighter groups together and consider them to be one group. Do the same with the two darker groups. As you stitch the design, complete each X as you go. Do not use the Danish method. ------------------ 2.18 Where Am I? ------------------ There are many approaches to keeping track of location. Find the method that is easiest for you: ~ Photocopy the original pattern. Mark off the parts as you finish them with a highlighter or pencil. ~ Some people like to see the shapes of the different areas. For this method, photocopy the pattern if the original isn't in color. Color in the entire picture before starting to stitch, using distinctive colors for each symbol. The colors don't need to be close to the thread colors. ~ Laminate the chart with clear contact paper. Mark off the parts as you finish them with a fine tip _dry_erase_ pen. The chart can be wiped clean with a paper towel when you are through. Works on color and B&W charts. ~ Put the chart on a metal board, and use a magnetic straight edge that can be moved along the chart as you stitch. A variation on this is to use non-magnetic plastic strips on a non-metal board. ~ Use Post-It notes. Easy to move, and very portable. ~ Baste a grid onto the fabric. Some people like a 10x10 stitch grid. Others just use one horizontal and one vertical line through the center. A variation is to baste a small "ruler" near the edge of the fabric, outside the area of the picture. -------------------- 2.19 Backstitching -------------------- Any backstitching should be done after all the cross stitches in the area are complete. The number of strands is usually given in the chart instructions, with a single strand being by far the most common. To turn a corner without leaving a diagonal on the back side (up on the odd numbers and down on the even): o 7 | | | o 6 8 | | | o-----o-----o 2 1 3 4 5 Some people prefer a double running stitch to a backstitch. This is especially true if the backstitch will leave them stranded in the middle of nowhere. To do a double running stitch, go forward doing every other stitch (up on the odd numbers and down on the even): o-----o o-----o o-----o 1 2 3 4 5 6 Then come back, filling in the gaps: o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o 11 10 9 8 7 To keep the line from looking staggered, be consistent on the return trip. Always come up on one side of the stitch that is already there, and go down on the other side. For example, come up above on stitch 7 and down below on stitch 8. ------------ 2.20 Beads ------------ It is becoming more common for designs to require beads. Beading should be done after the cross stitching and backstitching. You may use beading thread, floss that matches the color of the bead, or floss that matches the color of the background fabric. Each will produce a different effect, with a light-colored thread brightening the bead's color and a dark colored thread deadening the color. The simplest method to attach a bead is with a half stitch or quarter stitch. One method to keep the beads from drooping or sliding requires two strands of thread. Attach the bead using a half stitch, coming up through the first hole, through the bead, and down through the second (diagonal) hole. Then, come back up through the first hole, split the two strands of thread around the bead so one goes on each side, and go back down through the second hole. Another technique, which is said to work well for a row, starts with the beads attached along the row with half stitches. At the end of the row, the thread is run back to the beginning by going through the beads, above the fabric. Yet another method uses a full cross stich. Attach the bead using a half stitch, then complete the cross stitch while going through the bead again. The order and direction of the two half stitches determines whether the hole in the bead points side-to-side or top-to-bottom. ------------------------- 2.21 Signing and Dating ------------------------- Should you sign and date your work? If it is intended to be entered in a competition, possibly not. Find out the rules first. Otherwise, go for it! Be proud of your skill. Signing can make a piece more valuable, as the years go by. Samplers usually incorporate the stitcher's initials and the year into the design. All other designs require a little more creativity on the signer's part. Some people use permanent ink and sign on the edge, where it will be hidden by the mat or frame. Personally, why would you want to hide this interesting and valuable information? Most people find a way to stitch their name/date with teeny letters, over two threads. Try out some variations on scrap cloth, until you find a look you like. Note--A teacher once recommended that one not abbreviate the year. Stitch "1994" rather than "'94." She said this was particularly important as we approach a new century. Remember, all those things stitched in the 1990's will be from the previous century in 2001. There are several things you can do to make a signature visible but unobtrusive. For example, use a thread color that is only a shade or two darker than the fabric. Or incorporate the signature into a shadow, using the shadow's color. Or put it below an object, using the object's color. Or figure out a way to make it part of the design... --------------------------- 2.22 Cleaning and Storing --------------------------- Obviously, when it comes to cleaning cross stitch on bibs, towels, clothing and napkins, do whatever it takes to get the piece clean. If this means throwing it into the washing machine with detergent and bleach, so be it. However, the heirloom-to-be deserves special treatment or it may become the heirloom-that-never-was. Here are some suggestions that are very conservative and cautious. It seems safest to list many things that a stitcher might want to know. You are then free to use or ignore whatever you choose. While you are stitching: ~ Always wash your hands before stitching, and keep them clean while you work. Don't use hand lotion before stitching. Keep your hands out of your hair, off your face, out of the popcorn, away from the pizza and far from the chocolate bar. ~ No smoking near the project. ~ Watch out for ink from highlighters, and toner from photocopies. ~ Cross stitch projects, especially those in scroll frames, make very nice cat beds. You may choose to view any fur that works its way into the project as part of the design. If not, try using a sticky lint remover or tweezers. ~ Don't store linens or fine fabrics in plastic for the long term. The plastic can trap moisture and, over time, release chemicals. However, storing projects in plastic while they are in progress can help to keep them clean. This is assuming it takes less than 5 years to complete the project :-). ~ If you want to store a project-in-progress for a more than a few days, roll it rather than fold it. Wrap it in cloth, preferably white. ~ If you use a hoop, remove the project after every stitching session. ~ Put your project in the hoop or bars backwards. This prevents the front of the design from touching anything when the bars are set down. It also provides more room on the back of the project for ending threads. ~ Try not to hold on to the project in a way that leaves your hand touching the front of the fabric. For example, fold any extra fabric forward and hold the project there. Some people like to use a layer of tissue or white flannel on top of the project, with an opening in the center to stitch through. These can be fitted into a hoop, and provide something to hold onto. When you are done stitching: ~ Always launder the project when completed. No matter how often you wash your hands before stitching there will be skin oils left which may cause stains and damage later on. ~ Avoid anything which cause the project to have long term (many year) exposure to chemicals. For example, don't use Scotch Guard. ~ Do not dry clean, if at all possible. The chemicals can be gritty and may have long term effects. If the piece is lost at the cleaners, you will only be reimbursed for the cost of the materials. Some fabrics and fibers (wool and silk) may require dry cleaning. If this is the case, go to a very reputable cleaner, and have a long talk about the best way for them to do the cleaning. ~ Hand wash each piece individually in cold or lukewarm water. Use something which is pH balanced and has _no_ whitening agents. This means something like Ivory Snow, Orvus paste (also used for washing horses and cows), Quilt Soap (which is Orvus soap packaged in small containers for people who don't need a gallon of it), Treasure Wash, etc. Do not use Woolite, strong detergents or chlorine bleach as they may make the colors bleed. Let the project soak for several minutes. Rinse thoroughly, but don't scrub or wring. If the colors run, repeat the process until the water rinses clear. Some people include vinegar in the water when handwashing, to help prevent the colors from running. ~ Remove the piece from the water and place it on a clean, white, terry cloth towel. Roll it up like a jelly roll, to remove the excess water. While still damp, lay it face down on a couple of towels and iron with a dry iron at the wool or linen setting until it is dry. Try not to move the iron back and forth. You may use a pressing cloth, in fact you _should_ use a pressing cloth if there are metallics. The process of ironing until dry prevents uneven drying and puckering of the cloth and threads. Let the project air dry another 24 hours before framing. When catastrophe strikes, all the tips listed above should be ignored. Just do what you have to. People on this news group have used detergent, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, Goop and ice to remove soda pop, rust, mold, vomit, catsup and bleeding dyes. Tyrie J. Grubic <telilah@teleport.com> reported a cleaning method that was discovered at Cross Stitch Corner in Bellevue, Washington, when attempting a last-ditch, nothing-to-lose stain removal: Anyway, it works, does *not* damage the piece at all, does not cause any bleeding of colors, etc...Here's the method: First of all, store the Goop in the fridge. Goop kept at room temperature after being opened will break down in a few months and be useless. Do *not* use this broken-down version on your piece. On a clean, flat surface, spread out the piece, backside up. Cover it in Goop. Lather it on. On any especially dirty places, or any places where the stitching is dense, place it on the front side as well. Leave it for 30 minutes. If you won't be able to get it back in 30 minutes, put it in a plastic bag, but leave it open, or it will get moldy. Do not leave it in the bag very long. Using cold water and a mild liquid soap such as Woolite or Ivory, rinse the goop out. Continue rinising in clear, cold water until the water is clear. From there, continue as recommended earlier and press between clean, white towels. ------------------------------------ 2.23 Mounting, Matting and Framing ------------------------------------ Not all cross stitch needs to be framed like a picture. Cross stitch can be found on pillows, linens, clothing, box lids, jewelry, light switch plates, and so on. While you may not think the twenty little holiday ornaments you finished late last night have great value, this is not your decision to make. Fifty years from now, they may be someone's pride and joy. And you don't want to be the person who messes up someone's priceless collection of late twentieth century needlework, do you? If you _are_ going to frame your project, here are some suggestions. They are very conservative and cautious. It seems safest to list many things that a stitcher might want to know. You are then free to use or ignore whatever you choose. If you take your work to a shop to get it framed, ask the people there if they do conservation framing. Make sure they are aware of the following issues. ~ Don't do anything which cannot be undone several years later. ~ Avoid anything which cause the project to have long term exposure to chemicals, metal or acid. ~ Cut any selvage edge before framing. ~ Zig-zag each edge, or stitch unbleached muslin to each edge. ~ Use acid free foam core or acid-free white mat board as a backing. These are available in framing stores, art supply stores and office supply stores. Have it cut at the store, or use an X-acto knife at home. Make it 1/8 inch smaller than the frame you will be using. Avoid normal cardboard and paper, as they have high acid contents. The acid can damage fabric over time. Do not use sticky board. The chemicals can damage your fabric, and the glue can provide lunch for bugs. ~ Center the piece on the backing. Fold the extra fabric to the back and tuck in the corners. The fabric on the front should be taut but not stretched. You may want to use straight pins pushed into the edge of the backing to temporarily hold the fabric in place. Use unwaxed dental floss, quilting thread or some other strong thread to lace the fabric to the backing. Lace the long edges first, sewing from the left to the right and back to the left, somewhat like lacing a shoe with only one end of the shoe lace. Keep the stitches about an inch apart. Make sure the thread is evenly tight. Repeat the lacing for the short edges. Remove the pins, as even rust-free pins will rust over time. ~ If you use matting, make sure it is acid-free rag matting. Consider using acid-free rag matting even for double and triple matted pieces, where not all of the matting is touching the fabric. The regular matting ages much faster, and it releases fumes. ~ Should you use glass? Like everything else, it's up to you. On the one hand, glass can protect against dust and pollution. On the other hand, it may trap moisture and cause mildew. If you use glass, make sure it does not touch the needlework. Spacers or matting are good for this. Regular glass is O.K. Standard non-glare glass is bad, as it actually lets more ultraviolet light in, and may release chemicals. Conservation glass or UV glass is very good, but expensive. Figure out how much the project is worth to you, and be willing to pay accordingly. Archive-name: crafts/cross-stitch/part2 Posting-Frequency: monthly Part 2 of 4 - Counted Cross Stitch Frequently Asked Questions version 1.10 Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Kathleen M. Dyer. Permission is granted to redistribute this article in its entirety for noncommercial use provided that this copyright notice is not removed or altered. No portion of this work may be sold, either by itself or as part of a larger work, without the express written permission of the author. ============================================================================== 3. Equipment ============================================================================== ------------- 3.1 Needles ------------- Needle Size ----------- Counted cross stitch should be done with tapestry needles. They have blunt points and much larger eyes than sewing needles. The larger the size number, the smaller the needle. One traditional rule says you should use a 22 needle if the fabric is 14 count (14 threads per inch) or less, a 24 or 26 needle if the fabric count is 16-18, and a 26 needle if the fabric is finer than 18. Most people ignore this and use whatever they like best. The size/amount of thread used can also determine the best needle size. The usual "rule" holds--find a size (or sizes) _you_ like. Needle Finish ------------- Some people tend to lose the finish on their needles. Besides being ugly, this makes the needle more difficult to use. Special finishes, such as gold and platinum, are available. They cost more but tend to last much longer. For the ultimate in stitching luxery, you can buy a solid gold needle for around US$40. Keep trying different finishes until you find the one that works best for you. Platinum needles will be harder to find in the near future. At least one supplier is known to be discontinuing the manufacture of platinum needles, as the process was too harmful to the environment. -------------------- 3.2 Needle Control -------------------- Even though chair arms are very convenient for holding needles, such use can cause other members of the household to acquire a more inimate acquaintance with the tools of your craft than either they or you desire. A pin cushion is an obvious solution. Needle safes also work well. These are small, flat cases lined on the inside faces with magnets. Needle safes can cost from US$5 for a small plastic one to more than US$30 for a good, handcrafted, wood-and-brass box. People have also had good results with magnetic paperclip holders, which are available in any place that sells office supplies. --------------------------------- 3.3 Hoops, Scroll Bars and Such --------------------------------- First, the traditional rule--stitch on aida using a hoop and stitch on linen "in the hand". In actual practice, people do whatever works best for them. Most who like their fabric taut _do_ tend to avoid hoops in favor of scroll bars or stretcher bars when working on linen, as hoops may damage the fabric. See section "2.5 Hoop or Hand?" for the "in-a-hoop vs. in-the-hand" debate. The discussion in this section assumes that you _have_ decided to use a hoop or the like. TIP--Put your project in the hoop or bars backwards. This prevents the front of the design from touching anything when the bars are set down. It also provides more room on the back of the project for ending threads. Stands ------ Most of the following items may be used with a stand. Some people like the stands, as they can then do "two handed" stitching. This is a method where one hand is always above the cloth and the other is always below. People who have trouble holding projects for long periods of time also may find stands useful--they help avoid or reduce effects from tendonitis, arthritis and cramping. There are lap frames which straddle the lap of the stitcher. The bigger stands are floor models and may take up a great deal of space. Some of them come with chart holders, lamp holders and even magazine racks. One side benefit is that stands are usually in plain view with the current project highly visible, ready to be complimented and begging to be worked on. People with cats may find that felines appreciate stands too, to the sorrow of the stitcher. Hoops ----- Standard hoops are made of wood or plastic. They are inexpensive and widely available. While most are circular, there are some oval shaped ones. A variation on the hoop consists of a plastic outer ring and a metal inner spring/ring. Common complaints about hoops: ~ Having to move the hoop as stitching progresses can be a nuisance. ~ A hoop placed over existing stitches may distort them. ~ Marks, stains or creases may be left in the fabric. Make sure your hoops are clean. Plastic hoops can be washed in the dishwasher. Remove the hoop when you are not working. Scroll Bars ----------- A set of scroll bars consists of two wooden scroll bars and two spacers. The fabric is attached to the scroll bars (which look like dowel rods). The spacers hold the scroll bars apart. They may be attached with wing nuts (cheaper) or with wooden knobs (more expensive). There are several methods for attaching the fabric. A bar may have a strip of heavy-duty material stapled to it. The fabric for the project is then basted on, using a strong thread such as quilting or carpet thread. Another style has a slit in the bar into which the edge of the fabric is placed. A third style uses a groove in the bar and a tube or rod to hold the fabric in the groove. Scroll rods and spacer bars are available in many sizes. Select a scroll rod size that is slightly wider than your fabric. Any fabric longer than the spacer bars is rolled up onto the scroll rods. Much more of the project is "in-range" than with a hoop. Tension is not even in the horizontal and vertical directions, but this isn't too noticeable if the scroll tension is kept very tight. It is possible to purchase a basic set of scroll bars quite cheaply, so you can experiment and see if you like them. Suggestions--Mark the center of the scroll rod, to make it easier to center the fabric. When attaching the fabric to the scroll rod, work from the center and work out to the edges. Q-Snaps ------- Q-Snaps (also called Q-frames) are a recent development. They consist of four pieces of white PVC plastic pipe, about 1" in diameter, which are joined at the corners to form a square or rectangle. The fabric is held onto each side by a shell of PVC plastic which snaps down over the pipe. Q-Snaps are sold in packages of four sides, in lengths of 8 inches, 11 inches and 17 inches. They are then assembled by the user to form, for example, an 8x11 inch rectangle. People who use them like their versatility. The fabric creases caused by hoops doesn't seem to occur. The tension is even in both the vertical and horizontal directions, unlike scroll bars. Stretcher Bars -------------- Stretcher bars are made of wood. They are sold in packages of two sides. I have seen them in lengths from 4"-40". The sides are assembled to form a square or rectangle. With stretcher bars, the entire project area is visible at all times. Some people prefer to use stretcher bars only with stiffer fabrics, such as canvas, but other stitchers like them even for soft linens/evenweaves. The edges of the fabric should be prepared in some way to make them stronger and to stop them from fraying. Basting, hemming or binding tape are recommended by different people. The fabric is then attached to the frame with quilting tacks or staples. Start at the center of each side and work out to the edges. The fabric should be taut, but not distorted. The tension is even in both the vertical and horizontal directions, unlike scroll bars. -------------------------- 3.4 Magnifiers and Lamps -------------------------- Good lighting, of the proper strength and color, can make a world of difference in the ease with which you can sort thread colors or see those teeny holes in the fabric. While natural lighting is the best, most of us don't want to limit our stitching time to daylight hours. Below are some extracts from postings about this topic. From: Gillian Cannon <gillian.cannon@solar.org>... Fluorescent lamps (tubes) come in different colors, just as do incandescent lamps. Designer Warm White in a fluorescent lamp will give you true "daylight" colors. If you do not get the correct color of incandescent lamp (and they are harder to get true colors from) you will have major color changes. This is information from my daughter, the interior designer, and her technical notes on lighting... Also, as I originally mentioned, the heat is a large factor from incandescent lamps as well as the focused light which, in conjunction with a magnifier, can cause fires. From: Gillian Cannon <gillian.cannon@solar.org>... There has been some discussion on several conferences about light bulbs (technically called lamps) for use with cross stitch or other work that requires "true" colors. After consulting with a lighting expert here are his suggestions: Fluorescents can give the closest to "natural light" of any artificial source. For circular fluorescents (e.g., for use in Dazors), the Design 50 has 5000 Kelvins and is closest to natural daylight. The Designer Cool White is also close to natural light but is not available in circular form. The second best artificial light is halogen, with the Daylight lamp, which is 6500 Kelvins. The poorest form of commonly used artificial light is the incandescent lamp, but you can get "color corrected daylight" bulbs at a lighting specialty store. Magnifiers can also be a big help. There are inexpensive types which clip onto glasses. Another kind hangs around the user's neck and is braced against the chest. "Around the neck" pluses: ~ Inexpensive ~ Portable "Around the neck" minuses: ~ Can be uncomfortable if you have a chest that is (ahem...) not very flat. ~ Your light source may reflect back off of the magnifier. This seems to be a problem only with artificial lighting. ~ Little control over the distance from your eyes to the lens. Dazor brand lamps are lamps with magnifiers incorporated. They are generally considered the top of the line in magnifiers for crafters. The lamps come in white, black and cream. Dazor pluses: ~ Different lenses for different magnification levels. ~ Choice of fluorescent or incandescent bulbs. ~ Floor models have weighted bases, so the arm can be extended without tipping the lamp over. ~ Bases come with wheels (optionally). ~ There are models (without bases) which can be clamped onto scroll stands. Dazor minuses: ~ Very expensive ~ Very heavy ============================================================================== 4. Selling - Original Designs or Finished Products ============================================================================== ------------------------------------------- 4.1 Comments on Selling Finished Products ------------------------------------------- The consensus in this new group is that it is difficult to sell good quality, handmade items at a price that reflects the time spent making them. Most stitchers view their work as a labor of love, and distribute their items as gifts. A few people stitch models for craft stores in exchange for a small amount of money and/or a discount on supplies from the store. An even smaller number of people manage to establish themselves as artists, designing their own patterns and displaying the models in galleries or special niche market auctions. Below are some extracts from postings about this topic. From: Marina Salume <quiltnut@marny.Corp.Sun.COM>... ...In general, there is no market for needlework like this, unless you can establish yourself as an "artist", which means you'd have to design your own patterns and make them in very limited editions. You'd either get a gallery to represent you or make things on commission. Take a look at magazines like FiberArts and Ornament, they show lots of this type of work, altho not many people are working exclusively in cross stitch. (i've seen things done in millions of French knots tho, which seems similar). There is probably a market for reproductions of antique samplers, tho. Since the real antique ones sell for hundreds of dollars, if you can make good copies you can probably sell them in antique shops. Quick ornaments are sold everywhere, here you are competing with things made in mass quantities in the Orient by women who work for pennies a day. However you can probably sell these at craft shows or shops. From: Louise Vrande <lvrande@world.std.com>... I tried selling cross stitch pieces--I designed them, worked them, finished them, and went to crafts shows (small ones) to sell them. No one was very interested. At least, not in paying for the work. They admired it, as if it were a museum display. Others said, well, I do cross stitch myself. Never mind they didn't have and couldn't get these designs! At one show I did, a "customer" pulled her younger companion away from my booth, saying "No, that stuff is handmade. It's too expensive." Isn't handmade the point? And, given the hours that went into producing each piece, it was not expensive. From: Gillian Cannon <gillian.cannon@solar.org>... I have a friend who is a professional stitcher--she stitches both cross stitch and needlepoint on commission for clients. She charges $1 per square inch (the client provides the materials). Right now she is working on a large needlepoint canvas that's 18 count or so. It will take her about 3 months to do (I don't think she will be working on it full time however. She rotates her stuff so she doesn't get stale on any one.) When she is done she'll get about $400, which is slave wages. I stitch as a labor of love--for my family and friends (and I'm finally gonna sit down and do something for myself--an enormous Cross Wing chart of wildflowers that will be about 38" x 23" on 30 count linen). Somehow, if I get paid for something it all of a sudden becomes "work" instead of "fun" and is a pain to complete. Quick ornament types usually take at least several hours to complete. If you can get $5 for the finished item, you will be lucky. However, I do not know what your financial situation is or how you value your time. All I can say is that you can make a whole lot more (and at home as well) doing computer input, etc. From: Mary Rita Otto <Mary.Rita.Otto@att.com> I created original designs for a niche market, and sold them through art auctions. I designed things for techie-types, and sold them at Science Fiction convention art shows. They sold very well. I made what I consider to be good money -- that is, more than double the cost of the materials on pieces which didn't take a lot of work. It was a ego stroke to know that people were willing to bid against each other to get my stuff. On the other hand, I was sorry to see some of them go. I guess art is like that. --------------------------------- 4.2 Craft Business Mailing List --------------------------------- A craft business mailing list was created by Teri Miller early in January, 1994. If you would like to be on the list, send email to "crafts-business-request@hustle.rahul.net". To post an article, send email to "crafts-business@hustle.rahul.net" and (if appropriate) it will be forwarded to the list. From the article announcing the formation of the list: I'm hoping that the list will host discussions of crafts businesses, including starting one's own business, referrals of businesses that are especially good or interesting, pointers to more information: basically, anything that could be considered a pointer to a business or info on starting one is great. Do you have a business and want to post an ad? If it's not excessively long or too frequently submitted, I'll forward those along, too. My impression is that at least some of the respondents were interested in talking with people who already have businesses, and mailing out their ads is a good way to make them known. ----------------------- 4.3 DMC and Designers ----------------------- DMC has a pair of programs which aid designers while promoting the use of DMC products. Freelance needlework designers may join the DMC Editorial Project Bank. For a fee from the designer, DMC acts as an agent. It submits designs to various publications and handles all the business details. Designers and publishers may join the DMC Designer Program. Members are supplied free of charge with all the DMC products needed to complete any model. For more information, contact: The DMC Corporation 10 Port Kearney South Kearney NJ 07032 ATTN: Designer Program. ------------------------------------- 4.4 Publishing Designs in Magazines ------------------------------------- The section above on the DMC Editorial Project Bank gave one specific approach to getting your designs published. Here are some other ideas. Magazines which are searching for original designs for publication will usually make this fact know. For example, the British magazine Needlework has a monthly Factfile section which gives specific instructions on how to submit design ideas. If a magazine doesn't give contact information, you will have to do a little more research. Talk to people in the trade and don't be afraid to write letters to find what you need to know. Look for startup magazines which don't already have a well established group of designers. They may be more receptive. On the other had, don't be afraid to aim high. Enter magazine sponsored design contests. No, a first place win won't give you a design job, but it will get your work in front of the public. It also gives you something to add to your portfolio. ============================================================================== 5. Entering Competitions ============================================================================== If you plan on entering a project in competition, the _best_ policy is to find out the specific rules for that competition. But for those cases where you don't decide to enter until the piece is well under way, it can help to keep some commonplace rules in mind. Below is a general list of "what judges look for" in an award winning counted cross stitch picture. ~ All stitches cross in the same direction, unless some special effect is planned. ~ Even tension. Stitches flat, but no distortion of the cloth. Make sure no line of light formed along a row. ~ Stitches not twisted. ~ Full coverage, but not bulky. Airy. ~ No knots. ~ No long carry-overs. ~ No loose tails. ~ Reverse side stitches should be vertical. (This is a subject of some debate.) ~ Clean. No wrinkles. No hoop marks. ~ Overall appearance. ~ Right and wrong end of the floss. (This is _definitely_ a subject of debate.) ~ Not judged on framing. ~ All other things being equal, additional types of stitches or a show of originality with regard to fabric or fiber may help. ============================================================================== 6. Other Stitching Techniques ============================================================================== There are many, many styles or techniques for counted thread work and embroidery. Most are centuries old, and have been in and out of fashion more than once. Any additions to this list or to the descriptions are welcome. ----------------- 6.1 Assisi Work ----------------- From: Mary Rita Otto <Mary.Rita.Otto@att.com>... Assisi Work is a form of embroidery where the background is stitched around an unstitched silouette design, which is outlined in backstitch to further define it. One particularly lovely form employes subtle shading of the background threads -- to me, it looks like a sunrise backlighting the subject. These designs can be particularly lovely. --------------- 6.2 Blackwork --------------- From: Mary Rita Otto <Mary.Rita.Otto@att.com>... I've been researching the history of Blackwork. Actually, it dates back to at least the 1300's. It was mentioned in the Canterbury Tales, in a description of the Miller's wife's nightcap. While the use of black wool (natural, rather than dyed) on white linen is one of the traditional forms, red on white was also extremely popular. Catherine of Aragon was responsible for bringing the darker fashions of Spain to England, and with them came a fashion trend for blackwork in court clothing (as opposed to peasant clothing like the miller's wife was wearing in the 1300's). Only some blackwork is reversible. Reversible work is confined primarily to border patterns. The reversible patterns were worked in double running stitch, sometimes overcast to smooth the lines and hide the holes between the stitches. Other embroidery in the classification of blackwork are repeating "diaper" patterns used as filling stitches, and outlined in chain, split or stem stitch. These were worked on a plain ground fabric, not necessarily an even weave. Interestingly, a technique was developed using starched cheesecloth over the plain fabric to regulate the stitch length, much like the modern use of waste canvas. From: Gillian Cannon <gillian.cannon@solar.org>... ...It was brought to England by Catherine of Aragon, I believe, and came into popularity through the paintings of Hans Holbein (it is also called "Holbein" work) and because lace could not be imported from France because of the war. The blackwork gives the look of lace to a garment's sleeves, collar, and other areas. ------------------------- 6.3 Counted Thread Work ------------------------- From: Mary Rita Otto <Mary.Rita.Otto@att.com>... This is the descriptive category for stitches worked over a counted number of threads. It includes traditional sampler making stitches such as long-armed cross-stitch, Italian cross-stitch, four sided stitch, Queen stitch, nun's stitch, herringbone, and "countless" ;^) others. Cross-stitch is only one of the many counted thread stitches. Eileen Bennett of The Sampler House is a leading authority on this traditional sampler making stitches. ----------------------- 6.4 Drawn Thread Work ----------------------- From: Mary Rita Otto <Mary.Rita.Otto@att.com>... This is a technique which is enjoying a resurgence. It involves the removal of some of the threads from a section of the fabric. One of the more interesting techniques is to remove the horizontal threads and to work twisting patterns (called leno work) in the remaining vertical threads. This creates a lovely lacey effect. Linda Driscoll is a leading designer of Drawn Thread samplers and provides excellent instruction in the techniques in her publications. Drawn Thread Work is traditionally worked in white on white (or ivory on ivory) and is sometimes called "White Work". Such monotone samplers are often displayed by mounting them over a piece of colored linen to highlight the open work areas. Interesting effects can be achieved using color with the technique, though. Needleweaving (one of the techniques) can be used to create, for example, a row of Christmas trees in openwork. Gold threads were used in some historic pieces worked in this technique. ---------------------- 6.5 Duplicate Stitch ---------------------- Duplicate Stitch is a technique for embroidering on knitted objects so that the resulting design appears to have been knitted in. It is done as a series of V's, to match the V's in a standard stockinette weave. While regular cross stitch patterns may be used, it is important to remember that the resulting design will appear squashed. -------------------------- 6.6 Hardanger Embroidery -------------------------- Hardanger is a Scandinavian counted thread technique, performed on a special evenweave cloth called (logically) Hardanger. Traditionally, it is done on a 22 count (22 threads per inch) cloth with a matching color cotton thread such as Perle. Hardanger embroidery bears a resemblance to Drawn Thread Work, but it emphasizes box shapes rather than long rows of stitches. ------------------------ 6.7 Pulled Thread Work ------------------------ Pulled Thread is a very easy technique which creates complicated looking patterns. Probably the hardest thing for a cross stitcher to remember is to PULL HARD. From: Mary Rita Otto <Mary.Rita.Otto@att.com>... Pulled Thread is one of my favorite techniques. It is, like it says, a technique where the embroidered thread is pulled tightly. This distorts the threads of the fabric, creating holes between the stitches. It makes a nice, light, lacey effect. I find that a border of double backstitch, pulled, makes a lovely accent around a stitched piece. It is simple to work. For someone who would like to experiment with this simplest of pulled thread techniques, I recommend the pattern leaflet from Sal-Em for their table linens which shows the rose design. This was my introduction into the technique. The instructions were very clear, and the stitch is easy to do. I was very pleased with the results of my first effort. (Hey, I went on to make 4 placemats and 4 napkins, so that says something!) Pulled Thread is, apparently, a Danish technique. There are a lot of different patterns for pulled thread, either as a border or a filling stitch. It tends to have a lighter effect than either hardanger or drawn thread, and does not require the cutting of the fabric threads. ----------------------- 6.8 Shadow Embroidery ----------------------- From: Stella Nemeth <stella.nemeth@solar.org>... ...This is both a very old form of embroidery and something that is just making a comeback. It was popular in the last century and again in the 1930s and is just beginning to make a dent in the heirloom sewing world... It is embroidery done on a semi-transparent fabric like organdy. The idea is that you can see the threads on the back as a sort of colored pastel shadow. On the front, all you can see is what looks like backstitches outlining the elements of the design -- usually leaves, flowers and big bows. On the back the thread produces a herringbone pattern out of the crossing threads which almost, but not quite, fills in the elements being embroidered. Modern shadow embroidery sometimes has surface embroidery on it as well in the form of french knots for flower centers and bouillon roses. ------------------ 6.9 Waste Canvas ------------------ This is not so much a different stitching technique as it is a way to do counted cross stitch on non-evenweave fabrics. Waste canvas is a special type of evenweave fabric which comes in a variety of mesh sizes. The fabric is unusual in that its threads are held in place with starch. The waste canvas is used by basting it onto a non-evenweave fabric, such as the front of a sweatshirt. This provides a grid for doing counted cross stitch or other counted thread stitches. Once the stitching is complete, the waste canvas is removed by dampening the canvas to remove the starch which binds its threads together. These threads are then removed one at a time, with tweezers. ----------------- 6.10 Silk Gauze ----------------- Stitching on silk gauze is actually closer to needlepoint than to counted cross stitch, but a person experienced with either form of needlework should have no trouble stitching on silk gauze (except possibly for *vision* difficulties). THE FABRIC is a special silk mesh originally made for the medical profession for the treatment of burn victims. Although several mesh sizes are available, the one most commonly used for stitching is 40-count. This means 40 stitches to the inch, or *1600* stitches to the square inch. The gauze is extremely expensive, at over US$300 (yes, three hundred dollars) per yard. Luckily, a little goes a long way. The gauze sold for stitching generally comes mounted in a cardboard frame, and is sold in sizes such as 5"x7". Keep the gauze in the frame while stitching, and remove it after you are done. THE THREAD is usually silk thread, although cotton floss may be substituted. Sometimes this is necessary if the correct color cannot be found in silk. Use one strand of thread. It does not need to be very long--probably 10" or so. THE NEEDLE should be small and sharp, such as a small crewel needle. THE CHART may be just about any counted cross stitch chart. Keep in mind that you will not be able to do any quarter stitches. Also, any additions such as beads will be too big. Note that we follow the counted cross stitch tradition rather than the needlepoint when it comes to filling in the background--we do *not* fill in the background unless the chart calls for it. The gauze is allowed to show. THE STITCH is a continental stitch rather than a cross stitch. This looks like a half-stitch from in front, but the back is a long diagonal. For this diagram, come up at the odd numbers and down at the even: Continental Stitch 1 3 5 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / 2 4 6 Do not carry thread across the back in an area that will not be stitched. It *will* show through. If you have trouble seeing the work area (and most people will), use a magnifying lamp and hold the gauze over a dark background. Archive-name: crafts/cross-stitch/part3 Posting-Frequency: monthly Part 3 of 4 - Counted Cross Stitch Frequently Asked Questions version 1.10 Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Kathleen M. Dyer. Permission is granted to redistribute this article in its entirety for noncommercial use provided that this copyright notice is not removed or altered. No portion of this work may be sold, either by itself or as part of a larger work, without the express written permission of the author. ============================================================================== 7. Finding Supplies ============================================================================== ------------------------------------------- 7.1 Ordering Supplies By Mail and Phone ------------------------------------------- If you are having trouble finding that special chart or fabric, try contacting one of the following businesses. All have been mentioned at one time or another by someone in rec.crafts.textiles.needlework or in its predecessor rec.crafts.textiles. As long as this list is, it is far from complete. The advertising sections of needlework and embroidery magazines are good sources for information on all kinds of businesses which cater to stitchers. Please let me know if you have any corrections or additions. Accents in Stitches 3712 Williams Blvd Kenner LA 70065 Phone: 504-469-0981 Source for some simple Judaic designs by Annette Dicken. Al Scale Enterprises 20297 Stanton Avenue Maple Ridge, British Columbia V2X 9A5 Silk embroidery floss and other supplies. The American Needlewoman PO Box 6472 Fort Worth TX 76115 Phone: 1-800-433-2231 Anne Powell Ltd PO Box 3060 Stuart, FL 34995-3060 Phone: 407-287-3007 1-800-622-2646 (For orders only) Fax: 407-287-3007 Sterling silver & gold needle tools, English hand-painted enamels from Crummles, Glenshee evenweave linen & Egyptian cotton, nostalgic "victorian" sampler patterns for counted thread, teddy bears, dolls, antique sewing tools and gifts. Catalogue available. Armorial Tapestries 160 Church Road Wembury PL9 0HR UK Phone: +44 175 286 3129 Researched and individually designed family coats of arms for counted cross stitch or tapestry. Also Traditional County Coats of Arms, regimental badges, etc. Artisan Design 2208 S. Elder Circle Broken Arrow OK 74012 Phone: 1-800-747-8263 918-455-2046 (local, international, Alaska and Hawaii) Gazelle floorstands, Lokscroll scrollframes, and Elan tabletop/lap stand, with accessories. Berry'd Treasure PO Box 9607 Rapid City SD 57709-9607 Phone: 605-342-5212 Fax: 605-342-5212 (after 6 pm, Mountain Time) A store which does mail order. Extensive collection of old and out-of-print charts, including several Bob Timberlane leaflets and a fairly complete collection of older Gloria & Pat books. Needlework supplies. Silk ribbon. Black Magnolia PO Box 80088 Ottawa, Ontario Canada KIS 5N6 The Canadian representative for the Rajmahal products from Australia, this company carries the complete Rajmahal line of art silk threads, sadi threads, and shisha mirrors. Several other lines/products are available, including the Caron Collection specialty fibers, Petals silk ribbon, and Nancy Spruance designs. Catalog available on request. Mail order to anywhere. Bretts Needlecraft Centre St Peters Road Petersfield Hants GU32 3HX UK Phone: 01730 266228 A shop which does mail order. Fibers, beads, charts, magazines. Bucilla Corporation 1 Oak Ridge Road Hazelton PA 18201-9764 Kits. Of special note--kits entitled "Made by me, Beginnings" for children. California Stitchery Phone: 1-800-345-3332 818-781-9515 Good source for Judaic designs. Also many secular designs. Kits for needlepoint, embroidery, crochet, counted cross stitch, and stamped cross stitch. Free catalog. Campden Needlecraft Centre Chipping Campden Glos GL55 6AG UK Phone: 01368 840583 A shop which does mail order. Needlepoint and cross stitch. Kits, charts, all types of fibers and fabrics. Canadiana Needlecrafts Limited Phone: 1-800-667-5841 Cartouche Phone: 1-800-716-6430 Email: <CartoucheC@aol.com> Specializing in supplying the on-line community with needleworking fibers, fabrics, books, charts and notions via mail order. Clotilde, Inc. 2 Sew Smart Way b8031 Stevens Point WI 54481-8031 Phone: 1-800-772-2891 (orders) Catalog for embroidery supplies and books. Supplies for silk ribbon embroidery. Color Charts 3808 Waples Street San Diego CA 92121 Counted Illuminations 1880 Cain Road North Collins, NY 14111 Craftmen's Studio 2727 Ring Road Greensboro NC 27405 Phone: 910-621-4994 1-800-234-2808 (orders only) Zweigart products. Creative Crafts 11 The Square Winchester SO23 9ES UK Phone: 01962 56266 A shop which does mail order. General crafts shop with large area devoted to cross stitch. Cross Stitch & Country Crafts Cross Stitch Catalog 1617 Locust Street Des Moines IA 50309 The catalog, not the magazine. Kits, supplies, frames, scroll stands, books. Adapters to allow Q-Snaps to attach to scroll stand. Cross Stitch Plus 2267 NW Military Hwy San Antonio TX 78213 Phone: 210-342-8252 This shop has a catalog for US$5, refundable with $25 mail order. For additional postage, they will ship international. Crossed-Wings Collection Rte 1, Box 234 New London, WI 54961 Phone: 414-982-7638 Designers of realistic, detailed bird charts. Some charts also include plants and butterflies. De Denne's 159-161 Kenton Road Harrow Middlesex HA3 OEU UK Phone: 0181-907-5476. Designs by Gloria and Pat, Inc. PO Box 2318 Sumter SC 29151-2318 Source of many popular designs, including the Precious Moments adaptations. Disney One Disney Drive PO Box 29144 Shawnee Mission, KS 66201-9144 Phone: 1-800-237-5751 Dove in the Window PO Box 19744 Portland OR 97219 Danish Handcraft Guild kits, publications, and supplies. Down Under Designs P.O. Box 876 McMurray PA 15317 Phone: 412-941-5031 (phone and fax) Australian and British patterns, imported to the U.S. Castles, cottages, landscapes, animals, flowers, etc. Estelle Designs And Sales Limited Phone: 1-800-387-5167 Eva Rosenstand PO Box 22 Saffron Walden Essex CB10 2XZ Phone: 0799 525703 Eva Rosenstand kits with linen or Aida. The main catalog costs 2 pounds 50p including postage in the UK. Add 50% extra for postage for elsewhere. There is a U.S. distributor. The catalog costs US$5: Eva Rosenstand PO Box 185 Clovis, CA 93613-0185 Phone: 209-292-2241 Fabric of Time 900 Meridian East, Suite 19-202 Puyallup, WA 98371-1242 Phone: 206-770-2829 Fax: 206-952-6398 Makers of the Boo-boo Stick, used to remove cut threads. Fiber Farm Phone: 1-800-527-3634 Franken Frames 609 West Walnut Street Johnson City TN 37604 Phone: 1-800-322-5899 (orders) 615-926-8853 Low cost frames. Garden Fairies Trading Company PO Box 2035 Sebastopol CA 95472 Phone: 1-800-925-9919 Store and catalog (US$4). Heirloom sewing supplies, fine fabrics, laces, ribbons, and patterns. Swatches for US$7. Gare Crafts Phone: 1-800-833-1008 Gemini III Phone: 1-800-265-8389 Glorafilia, Ltd. The Old Mill House The Ridgeway Mill Hill Village Address London NW7 4EB Phone: 081 906 0212 Fax: 081 959 6253 Designers and producers of needlework, cross stitch and embroidery kits. There is a U.S. distributor: Glorafilia, Ltd. 510 Weadley Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 The US catalog costs US$5. Gripit 125 50th St. NW Albuquerque NM 87105 Phone: 505-836-7239 Makers of the "Gripit" scroll stands. The Heart's Content Maureen P. Appleton 4440 Indian Trail Green Bay WI 54313 Phone: 414-494-9434 Colonial Samplers, original designs, available in complete kit form with linen and DMC floss, and silk gauze and Au Ver A Soie silks. Anne Brinkley miniature box kits. Firescreens, candlescreens and chests. Catalogue available for US$5. Hedgehog Handworks 8406 Flight Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90045 Phone: 310-670-6040 Costs US$1. Concentrates on historical needlework and costuming. Fancy specialty fibers, needlework tools, books, fantasy charts, costuming supplies. Herrschners 2800 Hoover Road Stevens Point WI 54492-0001 Phone: 1-800-441-0838 (orders) 1-800-713-1239 (service) Fax: 1-715-341-2250 Supplies for cross-stitch, knitting, crocheting, rug hooking, etc. Charts available mostly in kits. Some supplies such as fabric and thread. J & S Craft Stands 7166 Brooktree Way San Jose CA 95120 Phone: 408-268-0524 Jean Mcintosh Limited Phone: 1-800-665-1361 Judy Counts 2074 Rosecrest Drive Bellbook, OH 45305-1819 Charts of racing cars including NASCAR, Indy, Grand Touring Prototype, winged sprint and non-winged sprint. Also, fabrics with racing borders. As of 1992, a price list cost US$1, refunded with the first order. Karen Everson's MoonGate Design 44791 Windmill Dr Canton, MI 48187 Lynn's Treasures 17 E. Main St. Lock Haven PA 17745 Phone: 1-800-972-3852 717-748-2667 Accessories made from floral prints, with 14 count aida inserts or medallions. Purses, book covers, all sorts of bags and packs. Mardina Enterprises 1400 Village Sq. Blvd. Unit 3-106 Tallahassee, FL 32312 Marilyn's 4336 Plainfield NE Grand Rapids MI 49505 Phone: 616-364-8411 Bound book. Good source for Stoney Creek patterns, fabrics, kits, threads, books. Mary Jane's Cross 'n Stitch 5120 Belmont Road Suite R Downers Grove IL 60515-4334 Phone: 1-800-334-6819 708-963-9678 Fax: 708 963-9679 3-ring binder, approximate US$7.50 cost, refund when you order. Periodic updates. Unusual fabrics, good collection of samplers. Belfast linen. Mary Maxim USA address: 2001 Holland Ave. PO Box 5019 Port Huron, MI 48061-5019 Phone: 1-800-962-9504 Fax: 810-987-5056 Canada address: 75 Scott Avenue Paris, Ontario N3L 3Y2 Phone: 1-519-442-2266 A needlework and crafts catalog. Cross stitch, embroidery, needlepoint, crochet, rug hooking, etc. Mostly kits, with some individual supplies. They have a store at the Port Huron location and a very large store at the Paris location. Mickey Unlimited Cross Stitch Kits Phone: 1-800-768-5878 Disney kits. Call the number above to find the source nearest you. Mill Hill Publications P.O. Box 1060 Janesville WI 53547 Phone: 1-800-447-1332 Producers of Mill Hill glass beads. They can tell you the location of the store nearest to you which stocks their beads. Minnie Wisdom Needlework Collection 419 Correas Street Half Moon Bay CA 94019 The US$2 catalog includes European designs. Samplers, Camelot Castle, English cottages. Charts and some kits. Nancy's Notions News 333 Beichl Avenue PO Box 683 Beaver Dam, WI 53916-0683 Phone: 1-800-833-0690 (ordering) 414-887-0391 Fax: 1-800-255-8119 Shipping is US$4.25 for all orders. Percentage discounts for more expensive orders. Needle Arts PO Box 1048 Meredith, NH 03253-1048 Phone: 1-800-643-9276 A source for the Lavender & Lace, Butternut Road, and Told in a Garden designs by Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum. Needle Arts, Inc. 2211 Monroe Dearborn MI 48124 Phone: 313-278-6266 A store specializing in Japanese embroidery. Washable Zwicky silk thread. _Very_ unusual fibers. Needlecraft Private Bag 11199 Palmerston North NZ Phone: (64) 6 356-4793 0508 633-353 (toll free in NZ only) Fax: (64) 6 355-4594 A New Zealand shop which does mail order both in NZ and overseas. Delivery is free in NZ if order is prepaid by check or credit card. Their free VIP club provides members with a bi-monthly newsletter. Members also receive a gift voucher for NZ$30 for each NZ$230 spent. Charts, floss, fabrics, etc. New Creation House Phone: 1-800-561-0592 Nordic Needle 1314 Gateway Drive Fargo ND 58103 Phone: 1-800-433-4321 701-235-5231 Fantastic source for hardanger supplies. Very good selection of fabrics and fibers for cross stitching as well. Good selection of samplers. Color cards for Kreinik, DMC, Marlitt, etc. Dazor lamps, boxes, charms. More kinds of embroidery scissors than I knew existed. Peters And Sons Limited Phone: 1-800-563-3100 Printers Inc. 301 Castro Street Mountain View, CA 94041 Phone: 415-961-8500 This is a bookstore, not a needlework place. But they carry many foreign needlework magazines and will ship via UPS. Rainbow Gallery 7412 Fulton Avenue #5 North Hollywood CA 91605 Producers of specialty fibers. Rajmahal Australia address: Rajmahal Fosterville Road Bagshot East Victoria 3551 Phone: (054) 48 8551 UK address: Needle Needs Ltd. Unit 21A Silicon Centre 26/28 Wadsworth Road Perivale Middlesex UB6 7JD Canada address: see entry for Black Magnolia Producers of fine silk embroidery thread. Ross Originals P.O. Box 67 Trinity Beach Queensland 4879 Australia Designs, general themes and Australian-specific. S & S Arts and Crafts Phone: 1-800-243-9232 S.R. Kertzer Limited Phone: 1-800-263-2354 Sarah May Designs 2 Hampton Street Warwick CV34 6HS UK Phone: 01926 499008 A source for designs by the British designer Sarah May. Mythological and wildlife designs. The Scarlet Letter PO Box 397 Sullivan WI 53178 Reproductions of samplers from the past. Kits and charts for cotton or silk thread, on linen only. Also books and embroidery supplies. Catalog for US$3. Serendipity Designs, Inc. 10901 Trade Road Richmond VA 23236 Marbek angels Shades at Mace and Nairn 89 Crane Street Salisbury SP1 2PY UK Phone: 01722 336906 A shop which does mail order. Charts, kits, fibers, silks, metallics, lace making. Shepherd's Bush 220 24th Street Ogden UT 84401 Phone: 801-399-4546 The catalog is US$2. So Facile Phone: 1-800-363-3090 Spinning Jenny Bradley Nr. Keighly West Yorkshire BD20 9DD England Phone: 01535 632469 Fax: 01535 636431 A shop in West Yorkshire, accepts international phone, fax, and mail order. Carries most European kits. Designs from Lanarte, Permin, and Thea Gouveneur. Charts available also. Catalogs cost 1 pound. Stitch and Frame 300 Ridge Road Lafayette, LA 70506 Phone: 318-984-5538 The Stitchery Department S225-1 120 N. Meadows Road Medfield MA 02052-1592 Phone: 1-800-688-8051 (customer service) 1-800-388-9662 (orders) Wide variety of kits. Stitchers Source Phone: 714-589-1718 (for computer BBS connection) Email: <stit001@ibm.net> WWW: <http://www.xmission.com/~arts/stitch/mainstit.html> Fidonet: 1:103/985 Free catalog available on disk and hardcopy. All shipping free, in US and Canada. Email your name and snail mail address to receive the free catalog. Stitchers Source is an online needlework mall, available via the Stitchers Source BBS. They also do mail order. Sue Lentz Needlework HCR 1 Box 228 Athelstane WI 54104 Phone: 715-757-3619 Fax: 715-757-3300 Designs with many stitches and fibers. Threads Through Time 450 Bedford Ct Naperville IL 60540-700 Phone: 708-778-1037 Kit reproductions of antique American samplers. Large and small, linen and silk gauze. Some books. Publisher asks for a US$2 donation. Tomorrow's Treasures 19722 144th Ave. N.E. Woodinville WA 98072 Phone: 1-800-882-8932 206-487-2636 FAX: 206-487-2513 The suppliers of the "E-Z Stitch" needlework frames and scroll stands. Also have Dazor lights/magnifiers. The Universal Stitcher PO Box 581726 Minneapolis MN 55458-1726 Phone: 1-800-830-5027 Fax: 612-825-1161 Retailer for all Wichelt Imports products. Catalog costs US$3. The Way of the Cross PO Box 10304 Peoria IL 61612 Phone: 1-800-I-LOVE-XS (orders only) (309) 692-DEBS (for chatting or researching) 3-ring binder, US $25.00. Good variety, large selection. Wichelt Imports, Inc. Rural Route 1 PO Box 139 Stoddard WI 54658 Phone: 608-788-4600 US importers for many European firms. Mostly a wholesaler. For retail orders, see The Universal Stitcher Ye Olde Cross Stitchery 119 Pond St Bristol, PA Phone: 215-785-0870 A store and a mail order business. Cross stitch and Hardanger supplies. -------------------------------- 7.2 Crafts Information Service -------------------------------- The Crafts Information Service is a database of over 5,000 suppliers for all types of crafts media. It is maintained by the PEI Crafts Council in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. They enter a comprehensive index for every catalogue and supply list they can get their hands on. This allows for very detailed queries. There is a FAQ available by anonymous ftp: <ftp://gus.crafts-council.pe.ca/pub/craftsinfo.FAQ> Access to the database itself, as well as other crafts related topics, is available by the PEI Crafts Council Gopher: <gopher://gopher.crafts-council.pe.ca:70/> Most of the same information is also accessible by World Wide Web from the PEI Crafts Council WWW Home Page: <http://www.crafts-council.pe.ca/Welcome.html> This is a non-profit organization. Services are provided on a pay-what-you- think-it's-worth basis. Users are informed what it cost to query the database and send the information. If they find the information useful, a donation may be sent. For more information about the Crafts Information Service, send email to <info@crafts-council.pe.ca> ----------------------- 7.3 Needlework Stores ----------------------- A conscious decision was made not to list needlework stores in this FAQ. There are so very many of them out there, and the contact information changes rapidly. But all is not lost... The International Needleart Retailer's Guild has a free booklet with the names and addresses of more than 300 needlework specialty shops. They mention the U.S, Canada, England, Australia, and "even Portugal." Send a long Self-Addressed-Stamped-Envelope to: INRG PO Box 188 Department CSSAM Pine Mountain GA 31822 -------------------- 7.4 Finding Charts -------------------- If you cannot find a particular chart from the obvious sources--stores, friends, catalogs--don't give up. Some magazines have a chart finder or chart swapping section. There are also businesses that specialize in this area. Details for the one that has been mentioned in the news group are given below. Chart Connection PO Box 575749 Murray UT 84157 Phone: 801-977-9048 Bi-monthly newsletter for people interested in buying and selling used charts. Subscribers receive a 40-word listing per issue. US$16 per year or US$4 per issue (applicable toward subscription). Send name, address and first 40 word "Charts Wanted" or "For Sale" listing with payment. ============================================================================== 8. Books, Magazines and Videotapes ============================================================================== --------------- 8.1 Magazines --------------- Craft stores (especially those which specialize in needlework) are good places to find cross stitch magazines. Large bookstores with well-stocked magazine sections are also worth checking. Here is an alphabetical list of some of the available magazines. Not all of the entries have complete address or phone information. Please let me know if you have any corrections or additions. Descriptions are necessarily brief, and are just intended to give a feel for the types of needlework included. Anna Germany There is a U.S. distributor: GLP International PO Box 9868 Englewood NJ 07631-1123 Phone: (212) 736-7455 (201) 871-1010 A monthly needlework and crafts magazine published by Burda. The U.S. version, in English, is US$40 a year. It has counted cross stitch, embroidery, knitting, crocheting, and other crafts. Australian Smocking & Embroidery Country Bumpkin Publications Box 194 Kent Town South Australia 5071 Phone: (08) 364 1075 Fax: (08) 364 0479 Quarterly publication with full size patterns. From the same folks who publish "Inspirations". If ordering direct from the publisher, the costs are as follows: Australia - A$34 for one year, A$68 for two years. New Zealand and Pacific - A$54 for one year, A$108 for two years. Overseas - A$66 for one year, A$132 for two years. Subscriptions may be paid by credit card. Send your name, account number, expiration date and signature to the above address. Cartouche Phone: 1-800-716-6430 Email: <CartoucheC@aol.com> A craft magazine available _only_ in electronic hypertext format. Topics include quilting, rug hooking, woodworking, and many forms of needle arts. Each issue contains over 3 megabytes of information and patterns in both text and graphic (PCX) formats. Only IBM based PC's are supported. It requires an HD disk drive, hard drive, EGA graphics. Individual Issues .......................... US$3.50 Yearly subscription (6 issues on disk) ..... US$14.00 Yearly subscription (6 issues via modem) ... US$8.00 Back Issues ................................ US$3.50 Celebrations PO Box 420207 Palm Coast FL 32142-0207 Phone: 1-800-829-9154 Classic Stitches Subscribers Dept 80 Kingsway East Dundee DD4 8SL Scotland Phone: 01382 23131 Ext. 3241 (for credit card subscriptions) Office address: D C Thomson & Co Ltd Albert Square Dundee DD1 9QJ Scotland Six issues a year for 13 pounds 25p (U.K.). Subscriptions may be paid by Visa or Mastercard. Many types of needlework. Wide variety of articles. Iron-on transfers. Craft/Crafts PO Box 441 Ponderay ID 83852 Four issues a year for US$13. Designs for Pagan stitchers and crafters. Crafts Plus 130 Spy Court Markham ON L3R 5H6 This Canadian magazine has a variety of crafts, with some needlework. A one year subscription is CD$28 plus GST. Foreign subscribers add CD$10. Creative Needle 1 Apollo Road Lookout Mountain GA 30750 Phone: 706-820-2600 (business) 1-800-443-3127 (subscription) Cross Country Stitching pub. Jeremiah Junction, Inc. PO Box 710 Manchester CT 06045 Phone: 203-646-0665 Cross Stitch & Country Crafts 6060 Spine Road PO Box 52416 Boulder CO 80323-2416 Phone: 1-800-234-0740 Published by Craftways PO Box 56829 Boulder CO 80322-6829 Phone: 1-800-234-0740 Six issues a year for US$19.97. Other countries add US$6. Cross Stitch Australia see listing for "Jill Oxton's Cross Stitch Australia" Cross Stitch! Magazine pub. The Needlecraft Shop, Inc. 23 Old Pecan Rd Big Sandy TX 75755-2218 Variety of topics and levels of difficulty. Cross-Stitch Plus pub. House of White Birches PO Box 420235 Palm Coast FL 32142 Phone: 1-800-829-5865 Nothing too difficult in this magazine, mostly easy patterns. Cross Stitch Sampler pub. NKS Publications Inc. PO Box 627 Mt. Morris IL 61054--0627 Phone: 815-734-1111 This magazine is not limited to samplers. They show a variety of techniques, fabrics and fibers. Many heirloom projects. Six issues a year for US$16.95. The Cross Stitcher pub. Clapper Publishing Co., Inc. PO Box 7521 Red Oak IA 51591-0521 Phone: 1-800-444-0441 Six issues a year. Some quick projects, many projects per issue. In US - US$14.97. In Canada - US$23.00. Other countries - US$21.95. For Love of Cross Stitch pub. Leisure Arts PO Box 420133 Palm Coast FL 32142-0133 Phone: 1-800-829-9152 They show a variety of techniques, fabrics and fibers. Inspirations Magazine Country Bumpkin Publications Box 194 Kent Town South Australia 5071 Phone: (08) 364 1075 Fax: (08) 364 0479 Quarterly publication with stunning photography, fold out patterns and detailed instructions. Projects for beginning and advanced stitchers. Iron-on patterns. Many types of embroidery. If ordering direct from the publisher, the costs are as follows: Australia - A$30 for one year, A$60 for two years. New Zealand and Pacific - A$50 for one year, A$100 for two years. Overseas - A$62 for one year, A$124 for two years. Subscriptions may be paid by credit card. Send your name, account number, expiration date and signature to the above address. (Note--It took one week from the day I phoned them in Australia and gave them my credit card number to the day the magazine arrived in my mail in California.) The distributor in Canada is: Transmedia Group Ltd. 202B Sammon Ave Toronto, Ontario M4J 1Z2 Phone: 1-800-461-1640 The cost is C$63.50 for six issues, shipping and taxes included. Back issues are available for C$9.45. Orders must be placed in writing. Available at some U.S. shops for US$15.50 per issue. Known sightings-- Sweet Child of Mine (Sunnyvale, CA), Garden Fairies Trading Company (Sebastopol, CA, 1-800-925-9919). Please note that Country Bumpkin Publications also publishes "Australian Smocking & Embroidery". Jill Oxton's Cross Stitch Australia Jill Oxton Publications PTY. Ltd. A.C.N. 054 893 926 PO Box 283 Park Holme, South Australia 5043 Phone: (08) 276 2722 Marketed as "Cross Stitch Australia" in Australia and "Jill Oxton's Cross Stitch" in the U.K. Six issues per year. Occasional specials give one seven issues for the price of six. A special volume is issued once a year, for an additional fee, which is usually centered on one theme. Subscription rate within Australia is A$63. Subscription from Australia to the U.S. is A$78 by economy air. Designs range from simple to complex. A mix between Australian (flora, fauna, places) and more general pictures. Just Cross Stitch PO Box 5258 Harlan, IA 51593-2758 Phone: 1-800-829-9148 1-800-768-5878 (Disney) Published by Symbol of Excellence Publishers, Inc. 405 Riverhills Business Park Birmingham AL 35242 Phone: 205-995-8860 The name is misleading. Techniques other than cross stitch are included. They sell their own kits, and have a lot of Theresa Wentzler designs. Six issues a year for US$16.98. Canada and Mexico add $6 postage. All other countries add $12. Licensees for Disney patterns. Leisure Arts: The Magazine pub. Leisure Arts PO Box 420222 Palm Coast FL 32142-0222 Phone: 1-800-829-9152 Good magazine, not all cross stitch, but always has some good cross stitch designs. Six issues a year for US$24 at the newstand, less for subscriptions. Mary Hickmott's New Stitches PO Box 663 Carrollton GA 30117 Creative Crafts Publishing, Ltd. The Old Grain Store Brenley Lane Brenley Faversham Kent ME13 9LY 0227750215 U.K. Nice change-of-style magazine for those used to the U.S. ones. From: Marina Salume <quiltnut@marny.Corp.Sun.COM>... Most of the designs are not very intricate however, they are aimed at beginning to intermediate stitchers. She does include lessons in how to design pictorial scenes in each issue which might be helpful even for advanced stitchers. It seems to be fairly easy to find Mary Hickmott's magazine in the U.S., I've seen it at fabric stores as well as on newsstands. McCalls' Needlework and Crafts pub. Symbol of Excellence Publishers, Inc. PO Box 3218 Harlan IA 51537 Phone: 1-800-289-3553 (subscription information) 1-800-827-0374 (back issues) 1-800-634-7720 (project questions) New magazine with a variety of techniques. Needlecraft, Needlecraft's Cross Stitch Collection Subscription department: Future Publishing Cary Court, Somerton, Somerset, TA11 6TB England Editorial department: Beauford Court 30 Monmouth St Bath Avon BA1 2BW England Phone: 01225 442244 Needlecraft has 12 issues a year, for 22 pounds in the U.K. and 53.80 pounds overseas airmail. Each issue comes with a small kit. Needlecraft covers a variety of stitching techniques, including quilting, cross stitch, and embroidery of all types. Needlecraft's Cross Stitch Collection has 4 issues a year, for 15.80 pounds in the UK and 25.40 pounds overseas. It also comes with a kit on each issue. It only deals with cross stitch. From: Marina Salume <quiltnut@marny.Corp.Sun.COM>... The Needlecraft magazines are more expensive but that is because they come with little kits taped to the front cover. Most are for cross stitch cards but there have also been needlework-covered buttons, long- stitch pictures, blackwork, etc. Needlecraft and Needlework magazines cover a wide range of embroidery, while the other magazines are obviously focused on cross stitch. I love them all! Many of the designs are for beginners, however. Needlework, Needlework Cross Stitch, Needlework Embroidery pub. Litharne Ltd, PO Box 9 Stratford-upon-Avon Warwickshire CV37 8BR England It is possible for foreigners to subscribe to these magazines directly. There is also a U.S. distributor: Needlework Magazine PO Box 389038 Cincinnati OH 45238-9038 Phone: 513-922-4403 Fax: 513-922-9390 South Africa distibutor: Intermag CNA Building 12 Laub Street New Centre Johannesburg SA Phone: (011) 493-3200 Needlework has 12 issues a year for 27 pounds in the U.K. It covers a range of needlework techniques. The Cross Stitch version covers only cross stitch. The magazines have pattern supplements--sections with extra patterns. They also have special offers for kits and books. The Needleworker 6680 Alhambra Ave #202 Martinez, CA. 94553 More a newsletter than a magazine, it's brought to you by some of the former staff of Cross Stitch and Country Crafts. Reports say that it has a lot of good designs packed into its short length. Four issues for US$14.95, CA$16.95. Send a check or money order payable in US dollars to the address given above. Include name, address, city, state or province, zip or postal code, and phone number. Simply Cross Stitch pub. The Needlecraft Shop, Inc. 23 Old Pecan Rd. Big Sandy TX 75755-2218 Easy patterns, simple designs, good for those "need in a hurry" projects. Stoney Creek Cross Stitch Collection pub. Stoney Creek Collection, Inc. 4336 Plainfield NE Grand Rapids MI 49505-1614 Phone: 1-800-243-1410 Challenging patterns, lots of colors. Have a series of patterns matching a given theme, to be worked on an afghan. ThreadNeedle Street 850 South Main PO Box 222 New London TX 75682-9979 ThreadNeedle Street has six issues a year. Its designs are modern adaptations of historic patterns. Many needlework techniques are used, such as crochet, cross stitch, quilting, knitting, needlepoint, etc. Town and Country Needlecraft Federal Publishing Company PO Box 199 Alexandria NSW 2015 AUSTRALIA Phone: 008 800 933 (toll free) +61 2 353 9992 Fax: +61 2 353 0967 For six issues, the costs are as follows: Australia - A$19.70 USA and Canada - A$57 UK and Europe - A$60 Wide variety of needlecraft projects aimed at a range of skill levels. Past issues have included cross stitch, patchwork, crochet, sewing, knitting, embroidery and smocking. Every issue also includes a pattern insert. -------------------- 8.2 Magazine Index -------------------- Now you have subscriptions to half-a-dozen of the magazines listed above, and you can't remember _where_ you saw that cute pattern that would be just perfect for your best friend's new baby. Never fear. An index of cross stitch magazines and their patterns is available. The Cross-Stitch Index The Sewing Room PO Box 424 Dept. JC1294 Fulton MD 20759 Phone: 301-776-5540 Available as a book or digitally (on many formats of computer disk). The 11"x8.5" paperback book contains a 10 year index of 34 magazines. The cost is US$12.95 plus $3 shipping (or $5 shipping for foreign orders). Supplements are provided semiannually ($5.95 plus $2 shipping) or annually ($7.95 plus $2 shipping). The digital version costs US$19.95 and goes all the way back to include premier issues. Comments... From: Patty Andersen <pandersn@silver.sdsmt.edu>... This particular volume is divided into "themes", for example, Amish, Colonial, Insects, Jewish, Love, etc. Fascinating and fairly easy to work with. The only thing I don't like is that they bound it as an 8 1/2 X 11 book, but the pages are printed as 11 X 8 1/2. It's annoying to have to turn the book sideways to read it. Minor complaint, but you know how it goes. ------------------------- 8.3 Books and Pamphlets ------------------------- There are many, many books available to help you learn different counted thread and embroidery techniques. It is beyond the scope of this FAQ to list them all, but here are some of the books or book sellers which have been mentioned in rec.crafts.textiles.needlework or in its predecessor rec.crafts.textiles. Not all of the entries have complete address or phone information. Art of Blackwork Embroidery by R. Drysdale The Art of Silk Ribbon Embroidery by Judith Baker Montano C&T Publishing PO Box 1456, Lafayette CA 94549 Blackwork by M. Gostelow Blackwork and Holbein Embroidery by I. Alturrs Charted Folk Designs for Cross Stitch by M. Foris Charted Peasant Designs from Saxon Transylvania by H. Kiewe Designs for Shadow Work & Fine Embroidery by Donna Krezelak Designs for Shadow Work and Fine Embroidery II by Lane Edwards Dover Publications Inc. 180 Varick Street New York NY 10014 General Publishing Company Ltd. 30 Lesmill Road, Don Mills Toronto Ontario Constable and Company Ltd. 10 Orange Street London WC2H 7EG. Ask for their catalog of needlework publications. Some of the entries are: Needlework Alphabets Blackwork Embroidery by E. Geddes and M. McNeill, ISBN 0-486-23245-X Danish Floral Charted Designs by Gerda Bengtsson Annie Orr's Charted Designs First Steps in Counted Cross Stitch by Rita Weiss ISBN: 0-88195-157-9 ASN Publishing 1455 Linda Vista Drive San Marcos CA 92069 Gestickte Bilderbogen: Alte Mustertuecher aus Museen und Privatbesitz (in German) (Stitched Samplers: Old Samplers from Museums and Private Property) by Irmgard Gierl Weltbild Verlag GmbH, Augsburg 1991, published with license from: Sueddeutscher Verlag GmbH, Muenchen ISBN 3-89350-391-9 Historic samplers from around the world, with color photographs and charts. Dates from around 1800. Hard-To-Find Needlework Books Bette Feinstein 96 Roundwood Rd. Newton MA 02164 Phone: 617-969-0942 Email: <feinstein@umbsky.cc.umb.edu> Hardanger - Basics and Beyond, Hardanger - Fundamentals Made Fancy by Janice Love Love'n'Stitches 145 Whippoorwhil Circle Athens GA 30605 Phone: 706-549-1351 Introduction to Counted Cross Stitch Embroidery, Book #15 Graphworks International Inc. PO Box 352 400 Old Two Mile Pike Goodlettsville TN 37072 Phone: 1-800-826-1998 615-859-1201 FAX: 615-851-7100 Die schoensten Stickmuster aus alter Zeit (in German) (The Most Beautiful Stitch-Patterns from Older Times) Assortment: Reiher: rosenheimer Raritaeten. Publisher: rosenheimer Verlag ISBN 3-475-52769-3 Historic samplers, few photos. Charts for parts of samplers, such as borders and alphabets. Useful for creating your own sampler in an antique style. Reversible Blackwork. by I. Alturrs Sampler and Antique Needlework: A Year in Stitches, 1994 Symbol of Excellence Publishers 405 Riverhills Business Park Dept. E410E Birmingham AL 35242 Phone: 1-800-768-5878 144 pages. US$24.95 plus US$3.75 for shipping and handling. Shadow Work: The Easy Way by Martha Pullen Martha Pullen Co., 1989 Huntsville AL Shadow Work Embroidery: Confectionery Dreams by Wendy Regan A Treasury of Jewish Cross Stitch: A Collection for Holidays and Celebrations by Barbara Ann Richter Graphworks Inc. 400 Two Mile Pike Goodlettsville TN 37072 Phone: 1-800-826-1998 615-859-1201 25 pages. Large and small patterns. Victorian Ribbon & Lacecraft Designs by Mary Jo Hiney Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. 387 Park Ave. S. New York, N.Y. 10016 ---------------- 8.4 Videotapes ---------------- Embroidery Studio WKPC-TV PO Box 37380 Louisville KY 40233-7380 Phone: 1-800-342-9572 Originally brodcast on PBS in the U.S., these lessons are sold in sets of 13 lessons for US$60 plus shipping and handling. The lessons are fit onto three or four videotapes per set. All lessons are taught by Shay Pendray. Instructional books, leaflets and kits are available individually. Call the company for more information. Spirit of Cross Stitch Video Library 6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct., Suite 3A Clemmons NC 27012 Phone: 910-766-5180 From the same people who bring you the Spirit of Cross Stitch Festival. A video library of stitching techniques, sent one a month for an annual cost of US$239.40 or a monthly cost of US$22.95. Topics include (but are not limited to) Hardanger, Duplicate Stitch, Drawn Thread, Ruskin Lace, Blackwork, Whitework, Pulled Thread and Stitching on Silk. A complimentary tape is included with the first tape. A free bonus program is included every three months. Tomorrow's Treasures 19722 144th Ave. N.E. Woodinville WA 98072 Phone: 1-800-882-8932 206-487-2636 FAX: 206-487-2513 The video "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Cross Stitch" is a taped version of the class these folks give at the Spirit of Cross Stitch Festival and the Creative Festival. Good for beginners and for people who want to produce frighteningly neat backs. ============================================================================== 9. Creating Your Own Charts ============================================================================== ----------------------------------- 9.1 From a Photo - Do It Yourself ----------------------------------- Suppose you have a favorite photograph which you _know_ would look just wonderful as a cross stitch picture. It is possible for you to create the chart yourself, with patience, graph paper and a photocopier. There are several variations in the basic technique, but all involve placing a grid onto a copy of the photo. Plastic transparencies with a variety of grid sizes are available from many craft stores under the brand names "TransGraph-X" or "Easy Grid". If you cannot find these transparencies, you may be able to make your own by photocopying graph paper onto the kind of plastic sheets used with overhead projectors. Lay the transparency over a picture or photograph, and photocopy them at the same time. If you can find a place to do a color photocopy, all the better. This gives something that can be used as the start of your chart. You will still need to make decisions as to thread colors. Another method is to trace the picture before putting it on any kind of graph. Below is one person's approach: From: Lisa Balbes <balbes@osiris.rti.org>... I did this on a comic book cover, but the principle will apply for any picture. You'll need to: 1. Start with a rather large copy of the picture, perhaps slightly smaller than you want the finished picture to be. (Blowing it up on a copier is much cheaper than getting a big print - you can use black and white copy if it's high contrast, otherwise blow it up in color. 2. Trace the picture onto graph paper, 20 squares to the inch is a good size. Remember to trace the outlines of all shapes, as well as backstitching lines (where needed to define the shapes). Decide how much shading you will do, and outline regions accordingly. 3. Take the tracing and use it to make a pattern on graph paper (10 squares to the inch for this part). In this stage you will decide which will be 1/4 stitches, what will be 3/4 stitches, etc. You will "square off" all the curves. There are 2 reasons for this step - you get a bigger pattern to work from, and you make all the decisions now, instead of when stitching. 4. Take the _original_ picture to your favorite store with a good display of floss. (You can do this at home if you have a stitcher's card that displays pieces of each color of floss.) Choose the colors, noting not only what is closest to the color of the real thing, but what colors work together. 5. If you now work the piece on 18 count fabric, it will turn out slightly larger than the copy you traced. (I prefer to work over 2 threads on 36 count linen.) Be sure and look at the thread colors and fabric color under natural lighting before stitching. The flourescent lights used in some stores can fool your eye. -------------------------------- 9.2 From a Photo - Mail It Off -------------------------------- There are companies which will turn pictures you send them into charts. The floss colors are figured out for you, usually in DMC and Anchor numbers. The cost is US$20-US$50, on average. You can find companies advertising in most cross stitch magazines. Herrschners, Inc. Hoover Road Stevens Point WI 54492 Phone: 1-800-441-0838 Graph only - US$28.99. Graph plus 15x18" piece of 14-ct. aida fabric - US$33.99. Graph, DMC Floss pack and Free 14-ct. aida fabric - US$49.99. ImagiStitch 4839 E. Greenway, #216 Scottsdale AZ 85254 MagiKraft Dept. I 105 S. Park St. Westmont IL 60559 Phone: 708-960-9010 US$25 for pattern only, US$45 for a full kit (pattern, fabric, needle, thread), US$5 additional to remove backgrounds. You specify final project size and thread count (fabric type). DMC thread. PhotoStitch Ltd. West One House, 23 St. Georges Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 4Dt U.K. Phone: (01242) 226651 Photo Pattern Company Department M P.O. Box 1525 Poulbso WA 98370-0169 Phone: 206-779-2437 US$19.95 plus $2 shipping and handling. Cross stitch, needlepoint or latch hook. Stitch count of 150x120. Preferred Services Crafts Division Dept. C24 457 Main Street, Suite #139 Farmingdale NY 11735 US$19.95. Stitch-a-Photo US$30 plus $2 S&H in the US. ------------------------------------------------------ 9.3 Use a Computer - Original Design or From a Photo ------------------------------------------------------ The high tech way to make your own charts is with a computer. There are programs available which can help convert a scanned image into a chart. Others let you create your own design. In the interest of saving space, the "charting" software is grouped with other cross stitch related software in another section of this FAQ--"10.2 Computer Software For Cross Stitch". ============================================================================== 10. Computers and Cross Stitch ============================================================================== ---------------------------------- 10.1 Discussion Groups and BBS's ---------------------------------- Since this is the Counted Cross Stitch FAQ for rec.crafts.textiles.needlework, and you are reading it, I'm going to assume that you know how to access the Internet and its news groups. There are other discussion groups and BBS's available to you. Some are from the big commercial services, such as CompuServe and Delphi. Others are more of a mom-and-pop operation. Both kinds can be wonderful sources of information and software. America OnLine --------------- Type the keyword "Exchange" and select "Crafts Sewing". Work your way through the obvious selections to reach the Needlecrafts Board. The Friday night real-time Stitch Chat sessions start at 10 PM Eastern time. Select "Lobby" from the "Go To" menu, then select "Rooms", then "Available Rooms", then "Member Rooms", then "Create Room". Type "Stitch Chat" as the name of the room you wish to create. The Thursday night real-time Stitch Chat sessions start at 9 PM Eastern. It also meets in "Stitch Chat". CompuServe ----------- Go hang out in the Crafts Forum. The Crafts Board ----------------- From a posting on 1 Mar 1994 by HollandCom <hollandcom@aol.com>... The Crafts Board- Over 50 downloadable craft files, 30 different craft related forums, online experts like Gail Brown, online and downloadable craft magazines, Online Crafts Shopping Mall with 1000's of craft products(under construction opening in late March), Online Arts&Crafts Show database with over 2000 listings Real time chat line, ANSI and Rip compatible and much more. BBS number (205)339-0722 voice/fax (205)333-8045 Internet connection coming soon! A service of Holland Communications Delphi ------- The Textile Arts Forum (Custom Forum 135) is for people interested in all the textile arts, including needlework. Live conferences. Database of shareware, gifs and text files. Contact the host, Susan Druding <drudings@delphi.com>, for more info. Fibernet --------- A BBS operated dedicated to the fiber arts, crafts, and technology. Operated by Ron Parker. Dial 218-583-4337 from a modem, at 8N1, 1200-28800 bps. From a January, 1993 message by Ron: You are asked to leave a message introducing yourself before I validate you for full downloading privs. If you are unfamiliar with BBS use, send me a long SASE at Fibernet, Rt. 1 Box 153, Henning, MN 56551. Fibernet is free by the way - except for your phone call... Fibernet nodes: The Alaska Pirate Society BBS, Anchorage, AK at 907-562-9364 and 9365 The Funny Farm BBS, Lake Villa, IL at 708-548-2576 The Kitchen Table BBS, San Francisco Bay area at 510-547-7747 Some Sunny Day BBS, Connersville, IN at 317-825-5044 Stitchers Source ----------------- A needlework-only BBS at 714-589-1718 with connections to Fidonet at 1:103/985. They currently carry FIDO conferences relating to needlework. To reach the sysops via the Internet, send email to <stit001@ibm.net>. Stitchers Source has an online needlework mall, available via the BBS. They also do mail order. A free catalog available on disk and hardcopy. All shipping free, to any country. Email your name and snail mail address to receive the free catalog. ------------------------------------------ 10.2 Computer Software For Cross Stitch ------------------------------------------ There are many commercial and shareware computer programs available to help you create charts or inventory your supplies. A list of those which have been mentioned in rec.crafts.textiles.needlework or in its predecessor rec.crafts.textiles is given below. Check your favorite cross stitch magazine for advertisements of commercial products. These have the most up-to-date information. This list is for informational purposes only, and is not meant as a recommendation. This document is provided as is, with no warranties or guarantees of any kind either expressed or implied. No endorsement or value judgement is expressed or implied. Version numbers and file locations change rapidly. Some of this information may be out of date or incomplete. Please notify me if you have any additions or corrections. Finding the software... Commercial - Addresses are given for commercial products. Internet - In general, I chose not to list Internet archive locations for the shareware, as there are so many archives out there. Some sites that contain one or more programs are: <ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/> <ftp://oak.oakland.edu/SimTel/msdos/graphics/> <ftp://oak.oakland.edu/pub/win3/info/> <ftp://doc.ic.ac.uk/recreation/crafts/fido-cfdn/> <ftp://ftp.uwp.edu/pub/msdos/fido/> CompuServe - Library 5 of the Crafts Forum. Delphi - Textile Arts Forum Fibernet - See previous section for information on how to reach Fibernet. STCUG - Seattle Textile Computer User's Group (STCUG). STCUG has several disks for IBM and Mac (US$4 each) and the FIBERbits newsletter (US$18). Contact them at P.O. Box 17506, Seattle WA 98107. And finally, here is the list... ColorKnit ---------- Platform: Mac Type/Cost: Shareware, US$15 Version: 3.0 Where to Find: Paul Duffy, 71 Oxford Street, Somerville MA 02143 Delphi (COLKNT.SEA) A color, grid-based program. Even though this program is intended for knitting patterns, it can easily be adapted for counted cross stitch or any craft that relies on grids. CompuStitch ------------ Platform: PC DOS Type/Cost: Shareware, US$20 Version: 3.1 Where to Find: CompuServe (CSTCGA.EXE, CSTVGA.EXE), Fibernet (CSTCGA.EXE, CSTVGA.EXE), STCUG Design cross-stitch patterns up to 180x180. The VGA version can use up to 142 colors, the CGA/EGA version can use 3 colors. Both support whole stitches, 1/4 stitches, back stitches and french knots. The VGA version supplies DMC numbers and prints a color list. Cross Stitch (?) ----------------- Platform: PC Windows Type/Cost: Commercial, Cost unknown Version: Where to Find: CompuServe (demo - XSDEMO.ZIP) Design cross stitch patterns. Full stitch, back stitch. Sixteen colors. Pattern size calculator. Scalable printing. Animated colors. Cross Stitch (?) ----------------- Platform: Mac Type/Cost: Shareware, Cost unknown Version: Where to Find: Delphi (CROSSSTITCH FOR MAC) Cross Stitch viewer for MacIntosh. Used to view color versions of cross stitch designs. For best results use on machines with 16 bit color. Required: 32 bit QuickDraw. Cross Stitch (?) ----------------- Platform: Mac Type/Cost: Version: Where to Find: <ftp://ftp.andrew.cmu.edu/pub/PSarch/filters-mac/> A filter for Adobe Photoshop that converts small images into charts. Limit of 52 black-and-white symbols. Cross-Stitch Designer ---------------------- Platform: PC Windows Type/Cost: Shareware, US$30 Version: 2.1c Where to Find: R. Scott Horton, HobbyWare, 9686 Spruce Lane, Fishers IN 46038 CompuServe (xstit21c.zip), Fibernet (xstit21c.zip) Not the same as the MasterStitch CrossStitch Designer mentioned below. Design cross stitch patterns. Full, half, quarter and back stitches. Grid size up to 999x999, with 30 colors. DMC thread list. Bitmap importing. View and edit in stitch, symbolic, and solid display modes. CrossStitch Designer --------------------- Platform: PC DOS, Windows compatible? Type/Cost: Commercial, US$149.95 Version: 3.0 Where to Find: MasterStitch Designs, Inc., PO Box 6283, Kent WA 98064-6283. 206-413-1054 or 206-850-3302 Canadian Distributor: Tai-pan Video & Computer, RR#2 Box 2590, Clearwater, B.C. V0E 1N0. 604-674-2442 CompuServe (demo - MSCSD.EXE, description - MSCSD.TXT) Not the same as the HobbyWare Cross-Stitch Designer mentioned above. Paint style design program. Select up to 120 DMC colors from the 390 available. Grid size up to 200x190. Print picture chart and color/symbol chart. Companion product Color ImageImport (US$49.95) converts any 320x200x256 PCX or GIF image into DMC colors. CrossMagic ----------- Platform: PC DOS Type/Cost: Shareware, US$30 Version: 2.02 Where to Find: See instructions below Info from the author, Murray Moffatt <Murray@kcbbs.gen.nz>... CrossMagic allows you to enter and maintain details on all your threads and charts. It'll print reports on what threads you've run out of and need to buy again, which charts you can make with your existing stock of floss, what floss you need to buy to make a particular chart, inventory lists, it'll even let you enter a search text and will list all the charts you own that pertain to that subject. Comes with a complete catalogue of DMC & Anchor Embroidery Floss, Balger/Krenik Filament, DMC Flower Thread, Balger Ribbon. Evenweave conversion is catered for, and there is comprehensive on-line help for all options. A fully registered version of CrossMagic is available directly from the author at the following address: Model Systems P.O. Box 40-047 Glenfield Auckland 1310 NEW ZEALAND An evaluation copy of CrossMagic is available for downloading from CompuServe in the CRAFTS forum (library 5, XMAGIC.ZIP) or directly from us for the price of US$6.00 (this is to cover the cost of the disk and postage and handling). The registration is US$30.00, and includes the program, a professionally printed manual, postage and handling, and by special arrangement with two other shareware authors we have been granted permission to include two cross-stitch charting programs; GIFXTS for DOS, and Cross-Stitch Designer for Windows (these two additional programs are provided for you to evaluate and must be registered with their original authors if you decide to use them after the evaluation period). In addition to the above package, we have a library of charts that are compatible with Cross-Stitch Designer. This collection of 222 charts (2.5 megabytes worth) covers many different subjects. The library is available for only US$20.00, or if you order CrossMagic at the same time then you can purchase the library for only US$10.00! If you are a CompuServe user then you may pay for CrossMagic via the CIS Shareware Registration Service. Simply GO SWREG and follow the prompts. CrossMagic's registration ID is 1847. The registration fee of US$30.00 will be added to your next CIS account. If paying by this option then please allow 60 days for delivery of your manual and software. If you live in New Zealand then you may pay us directly by mailing your registration to: Model Systems P.O. Box 40047 Glenfield Auckland 1310 NEW ZEALAND New Zealand users must pay by cheque only (we don't accept credit cards). If you live in the United States of America or anywhere else in the world, then you can pay by credit card. You can order with MC, Visa, Amex, or Discover from Public (software) Library by calling 800-2424-PsL or 713-524-6394 or by FAX to 713-524-6398. You can also mail credit card orders to PsL at P.O.Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705. CrossMagic is PsL item #11420. *** THE ABOVE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERS ONLY *** Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, registration options, product details, technical support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses, etc, must be directed to Model Systems. To insure that you get the latest version, PsL will notify us the day of your order and we will ship the product directly to you. If you have further inquiries, please direct them to: Internet: Murray@kcbbs.gen.nz CompuServe: Murray Moffatt [100240,1477] Crstitch --------- Platform: PC Windows Type/Cost: Shareware, cost unknown Version: Where to Find: Hank Hagquist <hank544@delphi.com> Imports BMP and PCX format pictures. Converts the colors to DMC numbers. Allows you to select the mesh size, and helps to fit the picture to it. Can be printed out in color or with DMC color codes. DMC Database Management System ------------------------------- Platform: PC DOS Type/Cost: Shareware, US$10.00 Version: 1.0 Where to Find: CompuServe (DMC.ZIP), Fibernet (DMC.ZIP), STCUG Database for supplies, patterns and DMC floss. Helps keep track of what you have and what you need. Prints labels of floss colors. DMC Inventory Program ---------------------- Platform: PC DOS Type/Cost: Shareware, cost unknown Version: Where to Find: CompuServe (DMCINV.ZIP), Fibernet (DMCINV.ZIP) Inventory DMC colors and supplies. EasyGrapher Backstitch, EasyGrapher Specialty , EasyGrapher Deluxe ------------------------------------------------------------------- Platform: PC Type/Cost: Commercial, cost varies with program Version: Where to Find: Easy Grapher, Davis Computer Services, Inc., P.O. Box 70175, New Orleans, LA 70175. 800-231-3480, 504-899-9706 CompuServe (demos - EGBZIP.EXE, EGSZIP.EXE, EGXZIP.EXE, EGZIP.EXE) STCUG (demos) Design needlework graphs. Programmed tutorial available as EGZIP.EXE. EasyGrapher Specialty is for Bargello, Hardanger, plastic canvas, drawn thread work, etc. EasyGrapher Deluxe is for cross stitch. Up to 11,900 backstitch lines can be added with EasyGrapher Backstitch. GIF2XTS -------- See PCX2CCS. Macintosh Color CrossStitch Viewing ------------------------------------ Platform: Macintosh Type/Cost: Non-commercial, cost unknown Version: Where to Find: CompuServe (CROSSS.SEA) Used to view a color version of a cross-stitch. Works best on machines with thousands or millions of colors. Needlework ----------- Platform: Macintosh Type/Cost: Shareware, US$20 Version: Where to Find: EduCorp catalog - 800-843-9497 From a 1993 posting by Vicki Brown <vlb@Apple.COM>... There is a shareware program called Needlework, for the Macintosh. The graphing area is 90x90 with a choice of 28 symbols. Each symbol can have a color attached, to be printed as a key. You can also draw lines for backstitching and enter instructions. The version I have (2.2) won't read in an existing picture and chart it, and it is b&w only. Maybe the author will improve it. If you send the author $20 you'll get the newest version personalized for you. Needlework Pattern Design Program ---------------------------------- Platform: PC DOS Type/Cost: Shareware, US$39 Version: 2.3 Where to Find: CompuServe (XSZIP.EXE), Fibernet (XSZIP.EXE), STCUG Design cross-stitch patterns. GIF import and export. Half stitches and french knots. Symbols. PCX2CCS -------- Platform: PC DOS (4.0 or higher) Type/Cost: Shareware, US$40.00 Version: 1.0 Where to Find: Chris O'Donnell (<chrisod@delphi.com> on Internet; CHRISOD on Delphi; 70431,1427 on CompuServe) PO Box 113, Middlebury CT 06762 CompuServe (CRAFTS forum in library #5) Delphi (Custom Forum 135 database) Fibernet STCUG Internet (<ftp://oak.oakland.edu/SimTel/msdos/graphics/>) Formerly GIF2XTS. This new program creates cross stitch charts from PCX files rather than GIF files. It is otherwise identical to version 5.8 of GIF2XTS. The default setup of PCX2CCS is a maximum image size of 640x480. The default screen resolution is dependent on the monitor: EGA will be 640x350, 16 colors; non-sVGA will be 640x480, 16 colors; sVGA will be 640x480 256 colors. The graphics resolution can be changed to run as high as 1024x768 with 256 colors, provided your monitor can support the different resolutions. The maximum image size can also be changed. The largest possible image size is dependent on the amount of free XMS, EMS or virutal memory. When PCX2CCS loads a PCX image each of the pixel colors will be translated into a symbol. Regardless of the maximum number of colors the monitor can support, PCX2CCS can handle 256 different colors/symbols. Symbols can be added to or deleted from the grid. The size of the image can be changed. Rows and/or columns can be added to the edge of the image, inserted into the the image, or deleted from the image. The image can also be "clipped", scaled, and printed. This version has the ability to assign DMC names and numbers to the different symbols. Since the program reads PCX images, there are over 16 million possible colors that could be used. Rather than select 360 of these colors, a program is available to registered users that allows the user to associate palette colors with DMC colors. Registered users recieve a copy of the program without a reminder to register, notification of minor upgrade patches which can be downloaded, major upgrades available via mail (for US$5) and a printed copy of the manual. In addition, registered users will recieve, with the program, a library of ABC's and 123's, all 360 DMC colors mapped to RGB values, a conversion program to convert from BMP, IFF, LBM or TIF to PCX, and a program to create their own RGB-to-DMC mapping. PC-Stitch ---------- Platform: PC DOS Type/Cost: Commercial, US$45 Version: Where to Find: M & R Enterprises, P.O. Box 9403, Wright Bros. Branch, Dayton OH 45409. 800-800-8517 CompuServe (demos - XSCGA.EXE, XSEGA.EXE, XSHERC.EXE) Fibernet (demos - XSDEMO.EXE), STCUG (demos) Create needlecraft patterns. Graph size up to 200x140. Versions for CGA, EGA/VGA and Hercules. Colors or symbols. Up to 16 colors (EGA/VGA). PC-Stitch Graphics File Import ------------------------------- Platform: PC DOS Type/Cost: Commercial, cost depends on upgrade path Version: Where to Find: M & R Enterprises, P.O. Box 9403, Wright Bros. Branch, Dayton OH 45409. 800-800-8517 CompuServe (demo - IMPRT.EXE) Companion program for PC-Stitch. Converts .BMP, .GIF, .PCX, .TIF, .WPG, WMF, and .TGA files to PC-Stitch pattern files. Stitch Crafts, Stitch Grapher ------------------------------ Platform: Macintosh (Stitch Crafts), IBM PC, Apple II (Stitch Grapher) Type/Cost: Commercial, US$150 (Mac), US$90 (PC) Version: Where to Find: Compucrafts, PO Box 326, Lincoln Center MA 01773 508-263-8007 Design needlecraft charts. "Change symbols, copy, rotate, choose from 360 color DMC palette, up to 50 symbols (Mac) or 30 symbols (PC)." Create charts and legends from color pictures. Stitch-It II ------------- Platform: PC Windows, Macintosh Type/Cost: Commercial, cost unknown Version: Where to Find: Sheridan Software, address unknown Fibernet (demos - stitchit.cpt (Mac), stitchit.zip (Windows)) The PC version requires Windows 3.0 or 3.1. Stitch Painter --------------- Platform: Macintosh, IBM Windows, Amiga Type/Cost: Commercial, US$165 Version: Where to Find: Cochenille Design Studio, P.O. Box 4276, Encinitas CA 92023 CompuServe (demos - SPDEMO.ZIP, STCHPA.SEA, IBMSTI.TXT) Design cross stitch and knits. Demo disk available. STITCHERY ---------- Platform: Amiga Type/Cost: Shareware, cost unknown Version: Where to Find: CompuServe (STITCH.LZH), Fibernet (STITCH.LZH) Converts an IFF file into color coded diagrams. May be used for cross stitch, needlepoint, knitting... This program will only work with Amiga operating system version 1.3. XSGIF ------ Platform: PC DOS Type/Cost: Shareware, cost unknown Version: Where to Find: CompuServe (demo - XGDEMO.EXE), Fibernet (demo - XGZIP.EXE) Convert GIF files to "XStitch" patterns. Must be a registered user of "XStitch" to get a working version of this program. X-Stitch Designer X-Stitch Designer Professional X-Stitch Designer Semi-Professional X-Stitch Designer Gold: Standard X-Stitch Designer Gold: Intermediate X-Stitch Designer Gold: Enhanced X-Stitch Designer Gold: Premium Plus ------------------------------------- Platform: Macintosh, PC DOS (X-Stitch Designer...) PC Windows (X-Stitch Designer Gold...) Type/Cost: Commercial, cost varies with program and platform Version: Where to Find: Oxford Crafts, PO Box 208, Bonsall CA 92003 1-800-995-0420 619-723-0141 619-723-6196 (fax) or IL-Soft Buttercross House, 16 Langdale Gate, Witney, Oxfordshire UK (01993) 779274 voice or (01993) 702048 fax CompuServe (demo - XSTCH.ZIP) The capabilities vary with the program and the platform. ============================================================================== 11. Activities and Events ============================================================================== ----------------------------------- 11.1 Competitions and Exhibitions ----------------------------------- There are juried shows and exhibitions throughout the year. For the most complete and accurate information, check the cross stitch and embroidery magazines. Listed below are shows which have been mentioned in the newgroup. UK --- For shows in the UK, some shows are listed by promoter since many promoters stage multiple exhibitions throughout the year. ICHF Dominic House Seaton Road Highcliffe Dorset BH23 5HW Phone: 01425 272711 Organizers of the "Creative Stitches" and "Sewing for Pleasure" shows. A partial list for 1995: Feb 3-5 Creative Stitches, Sheffield, Sheffield Arena Feb 10-12 Creative Stitches, Brighton, Brighton Centre Mar 2-5 Creative Stitches, Glasgow, Scottish Exhibition Centre Mar 9-12 Sewing for Pleasure, Birmingham, NEC Nationwide Exhibitions (UK) Ltd. PO Box 20 Fishponds Bristol BS16 5QU Organizers of various knitting and needlecraft shows. A partial list for 1995: Jan 19-22 The 10th Knitting, Needlecraft & Design Exhibition Sandown Park Exhibition Centre Esher Surrey Feb 23-26 The 4th Northwest Knitting & Needlecraft Exhibition G-Mex Centre Manchester Mar 17-19 The 11th Southern Knitting & Needlecraft Exhibition Bristol & Bath Exhibition Centre Bristol Spring Needlecraft Fair Olympia 2 Kensington London April 20-23, 1995. Adult tickets 7.50 at the door, 6.50 in advance. USA ---- Golden Swan Needlework Exhibition Show and competition sponsored by the Women's Educational and Industrial Union in Boston. Catagories include canvas work, cross stitch, multimedia, surface embroidery, counted thread, juvenile, and garden themes. For entry forms, contact the Needlework Shop of the Women's Union at 617-536-5651 x133. In 1994, the deadline for entries was Oct. 15, 1994 and the show was November 12-20, 1994. National Counted Cross Stitch Show Show and competition held at Rockome Gardens in Arcola/Arthur, Illinois. In 1994 the show was held in June. c/o Jeanne Lambeth Rockome Gardens RR 2, Box 600 Arcola IL 61910 Phone: 217-268-4106 --------------------------------------------- 11.2 International Cross Stitch Round Robin --------------------------------------------- Dawn Scotting (<dawn@pandoras.nacjack.gen.nz> or <pandora@kcbbs.gen.nz>) organizes international round robin groups for counted cross stitch samplers. The following information is from her: There are three different groups, all counted x-stitch, basically the same rules apply to each. You can choose from either: 1. A 'Pot Luck' 9 person group, where any sort of fabric for your sampler may be chosen. 2. A 'Pot Luck' beginner's 4 person group, sampler fabric same as #1. This group is for xstitch learners only, it does NOT mean if you are new to round robins. 3. A 'Linen/Evenweave only' 9 person group, where the name says it all, absolutely NO aida allowed! Each person chooses their fabric, colour, theme & size for their own sampler. Monthly, each sampler is sent around the chain for each person in a group to work a segment in the theme of that sampler. Segments should be kept to within about a 50-80 stitches (either way) size limit, less than 50 and it's hard to find a pattern, more then 80 could mean you'd be in a hurry to finish it within a month. However, long & narrow segments i.e. 100x20 are okay. The only extra cost to you is the price of airmail postage each month, please be prepared to post out of your own country although this may not be the case. A leader will be appointed to send a list of themes to everyone in their group. FULL instructions will be posted to each person when their group starts. If you wish to join please email me with: 1. Your snail mail address 2. A RELIABLE email address 3. Your home phone number 4. Which group you wish to join 5. If you are prepared to be the leader of your group Your name will be added to the next list, this may take a month or more to fill, so please be patient. Please do not join unless you are prepared to keep to the monthly deadline/mailing of each sampler. Every application will be acknowledged. ------------------------------------------ 11.3 The Spirit of Cross Stitch Festival ------------------------------------------ This five day show is aimed exclusively at counted thread stitchers. It travels to four cities in the U.S. in 1994 and five in 1995. Locations and dates for 1995 are: Winston-Salem, NC.....March 1-5 Valley Forge, PA......June 21-26 Austin, TX............August 16-20 Des Moines, IA........September 6-10 Sacramento, CA........September 27-October 1 For class registration information, send a stamped (US$.78) self addressed business size (#10) envelope for each city that interests you. Indicate on each envelope which city's information you want. The registration packets are sent out approximately three months before each Festival. The address is: Spirit of Cross Stitch Festival 6000 Meadowbrook Mall Court, Suite 3 Clemmons NC 27012 Phone: 910-766-5180 FAX: 910-766-5191 A videotape of the class projects is available from the same address for US$7. Classes run on all days. The Merchandise Mall (vendor show) runs for three days. A one day pass to the Mall cost US$5 in 1994. A Special Stitcher Pass (US$18 in 1994) gives: ~ Unlimited admission to the Merchandise Mall ~ One hour earlier admission time to the Mall ~ One week earlier mailing of class registration packets ~ A canvas tote bag ---------------------------- 11.4 The Creative Festival ---------------------------- Advertised as "America's Largest Sewing-Quilting-Needleart and Craft Supply Show and Conference", this traveling show was scheduled to be in 30 cities in 1994. It reaches most areas of the U.S., including Hawaii and Alaska. Produced and Managed by: Roth Exposition Group P.O. Box 9 San Mateo CA 94401 Phone: 415-340-9767 FAX: 415-340-0296 The Creative Art Festival is advertised in Just Cross Stitch, as well as many quilting and sewing magazines. It is a three day show with classes and a vendor show aimed at stitchers, quilters and sewers. Admission was US$6.00 in 1994 with coupons for $1 off available at many fabric and craft stores ----------------------------- 11.5 I Love Needlework Fair ----------------------------- This is a four day show, new in 1994. It is aimed at stitchers, quilters, knitters and toy makers. The only dates and locations for 1995 known at the time of this posting: Milwaukee, WI.....April 6-9 Classes run for all four days. The Needlework Lover's Marketplace is open Friday through Sunday. Admission to the Marketplace is US$5. The Fair is co-sponsored by Joan Cravens & Friends, including Zweigart Fabrics, Stoney Creek collection, ASN Publishing, The Embroidery Studio, Cross Stitch Sampler magazine and Piecework magazine. For registration information, send a stamped (US$.78) self addressed envelope to: I Love Needlework Fair 836 B Southhampton Road, #285 Benicia CA 94510 Phone: 1-800-525-6338 ----------------------------------------------------------- 11.6 Creative Sewing & Needlework Festival and Conference ----------------------------------------------------------- This is a five day show, located in Toronto. In 1995, workshops are available from April 26 through April 29, and the show is open from April 28 to April 30. For registration information, contact: Creative Sewing & Needlework Festival and Conference 2900 John St., Suite 200 Markham, Ontario L3R 5G3 Canada Phone: 1-800-291-2030 (905) 470-7057 Fax: (905) 470-0547 ============================================================================== 12. Organizations ============================================================================== ------------------------------------------- 12.1 EGA - Embroiderer's Guild of America ------------------------------------------- This non-profit organization has chapters in the United States and Canada. It is open to all stitchers at all skill levels. They are an excellent source of information and instruction for all styles of needlework. The Embroiderer's Guild of America 335 West Broadway, Suite 100 Louisville KY 40202 Phone: 502-589-6956 The EGA statement of purpose, from the EGA bylaws: The purpose of this organization shall be to foster the highest standards of excellence in the practice of the art of embroidery through an active program of education and study and to preserve the heritage of the art of embroidery. --------------------------------------------- 12.2 Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework --------------------------------------------- An organization similar to the EGA, with chapters in some synagogues. Good source of encouragement for people interested in the traditions of Judaic religious ornamentation. They also do reviews of companies that do Judaic designs. Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework PO Box 260964 Encino CA 91426 --------------------------------- 12.3 American Needlepoint Guild --------------------------------- An organization for needlepoint enthusiasts, the American Needlepoint Guild has a yearly membership fee of US$23. Members receive six issues of the Guild's magazine Needle Pointers. The ANG also arranges correspondence courses, seminars, and certification for teaching and judging. I have two addresses for this organization. First: ANG, Inc. PO Box 241208 Memphis, TN 38124-1208 Phone: 901-767-8414 and second: ANG Membership c/o Cathy Felten Valley Creek Circle Dept AC Middleton WI, 53562-1990 -------------------------- 12.4 Embroiderers' Guild -------------------------- This British organization was founded in the early 1900's as The Society of Certificated Embroiderers'. Today, the Guild has over 11,000 members throughout Great Britain. It promotes embroidery through classes, exhibitions, and many other events For more information, contact: Embroiderers' Guild Apartment 41 Hampton Court Palace East Molesey Surrey KT8 9AU U.K. Phone: 0181 943 1432 ------------------------------------------ 12.5 Embroiderers' Association of Canada ------------------------------------------ This organization has chapters in all provinces. As of February, 1995, the president of the association is: Barbara Gilbert President, Embroiderers' Association of Canada 4424 Rangemont Pl. Victoria, B.C. V8N 5L6 Archive-name: crafts/cross-stitch/part4 Posting-Frequency: monthly Part 4 of 4 - Counted Cross Stitch Frequently Asked Questions version 1.10 Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Kathleen M. Dyer. Permission is granted to redistribute this article in its entirety for noncommercial use provided that this copyright notice is not removed or altered. No portion of this work may be sold, either by itself or as part of a larger work, without the express written permission of the author. ============================================================================== Appendix A. Fabrics ============================================================================== --------------------------- A.1 Types of Evenweaves --------------------------- The following lists of fabrics were originally posted by Dawn Scotting, and updated by Jill Scott-Piner and Dawn Scotting. The count is number of threads per inch. 100% Cottons ------------- COUNT FABRIC NAME COUNT FABRIC NAME ----- ----------- ----- ----------- 6 Aida (also 8, 11, 14, 16, 18 ct) Cottage Huck Towelling 16 Congress Cloth Herta 18 Davos 7 Kali (also 14, 20 count) 20 Northland 10 Copenhagen Tivoli 22 Hardanger 11 Aida Pearl Kitchen Aida Baby Saar - patterned Oslo Hardanger - mercerized Easycount Aida 24 Congress Cloth (" also 14, 18 count) 27 Alice - patterned Hardida (also 22 count) Gerda 12 Arno - patterned Linda Saar 28 Annabelle 14 Carola Jubilee Malmoe (also 28 count) 30 Toledo - mercerized Pilgrim Cloth Rustico Aida (also 18 ct) Sturbridge Sundal - mercerized Cotton Blends -------------- COUNT FABRIC NAME FIBRE CONTENT ----- ----------- ------------- 6 North Glen 90% cotton, 10% viscose 7 Goldau 40% cotton, 55% rayon, 5% metallic - patterned Klostern 40% cotton, 60% rayon 10 Damask 55% cotton 45% viscose - patterned Nordic Spring 85% cotton, 15% poly Tilla 40% cotton, 55% rayon, 5% metallic - patterned Tula 40% cotton 60% rayon 11 Bundle of Bows 55% cotton 45% rayon Damask Aida 52% cotton 48% rayon Damask All 55% cotton, 45% rayon - Constance, Obensburg, Rosemary - Rosemont, Schonfels, Stratford E-Z count Aida 98% cotton 2% polyacrylic (also 14 & 18ct) 14 Ariosa 40% cotton, 60% rayon (also 20ct) Banjo cloth cotton/polyester/linen blend Damask Aida 55% rayon, 45% cotton Damask Quick Quilt - 48% cotton, 52% rayon Shona - 55% cotton, 45% rayon Fiddler's Cloth 50% cotton 42% polyester 8% linen (also 18ct) Wild West 55% cotton, 45% acrylic Yorkshire Aida 96% cotton, 4% poly 16 Jobelan 51% cotton 49% polyester (also 20, 28, 32ct) 18 Damask Aida 45% cotton, 55% rayon North Glen 90% cotton, 10% viscose 20 Bellana 52% cotton, 48% viscose Valerie 52% cotton, 48% rayon 22 Almeria 50% cotton, 35% polyester, 15% linen Damask Hardanger 48% cotton, 52% rayon 25 Andria 52% cotton, 48% rayon - patterned Lugana 52% cotton, 48% rayon Modena 52% cotton, 48% rayon Rimini 52% cotton, 48% rayon Sondrio 52% cotton, 48% rayon Teramo 52% cotton, 48% rayon 26 Flowerfield 40% cotton, 60% viscose (also called Meran) 28 Alma Cloth 51% cotton, 49% viscose Brittney 52% cotton, 48% rayon Chalet 40% cotton, 60% viscose - patterned Pastel Linen 52% cotton 48% linen 30 Murano 52% cotton, 48% rayon Shannon 51% cotton, 49% linen 100% Linens ------------ COUNT FABRIC NAME COUNT FABRIC NAME ----- ----------- ----- ----------- 17 Danish linen 26 Brussels (also 30, 35 ct) 18 Linen (also 22, 26, 30, 35 ct) Morning Star - patterned Unbleached 28 Glasgow (" also 26, 28, 30, 32, 35, 40 ct) Montrose 19 Cork linen 29 Glenshee 20 Irish linen (also 28, 32, 36 ct) 32 Belfast Northern Cross 36 Edinburgh (" also 27, 30, 35 ct) 50 Kingston 22 Linen Hardanger 55 Kingston 24 Lorna linen 25 Dublin linen Easycount Linen Linen Blends ------------- COUNT FABRIC NAME FIBRE CONTENT ----- ----------- ------------- 9 Linen Aida cotton, linen 12 Country Canvas 70% polyester, 30% linen 14 Country Cloth 70% poly, 30% linen Floba 30% linen, 70% rayon (also 18, 25 ct) Loomspun 30% linen, 70% polyacrylic Northwoods 80% acrylic, 20% linen 18 Home Sweet Home 10% linen, 90% polyacrylic - patterned Norlin 60% linen, 30% cotton, 10% viscose Shaker 55% linen, 25% cotton, 20% polyester 28 Pastel Linen 48% linen, 52% cotton (weft is white, the warp is a shade) Quaker Cloth 55% linen, 45% cotton Shenandoah 55% linen, 45% cotton - patterned Whittenburg 71% linen, 29% flax/cotton 30 Melinda Cloth 60% linen, 40% cotton 45 Carrick 55% linen, 45% cotton Fine Linen 55% linen, 45% cotton Zweigart Fine 55% linen, 45% cotton ? Glenora 70% rayon, 30% linen (afghan) Miscellaneous Blends --------------------- COUNT FABRIC NAME FIBRE CONTENT ----- ----------- ------------- 6 Bondeno 100% polyacrylic - patterned 7 Country Aida 100% polyacrylic Monk's Cloth unknown (by Charles Craft) 8 Savannah 100% polyacrylic 10 Jute 100% jute (also 12 count) 14 Alba 100% polyacrylic - patterned Astoria Cloth 50% poly, 50% viscose (easy care) Christmas Plaid 100% trevira/viscose - patterned Country Aida 100% polyacrylic Florina 100% rayon Gardasee 100 polyacrylic Heatherfield 100% polyacrylic (linen tweed) Homespun Cloth 100% viscose New Gardasee 100% polyacrylic Proud Pine 100% polyacrylic - patterned Ragusa 100% polyacrylic Royal Classic 50% polyester, 50% rayon Sal--Em 50% poly, 50% rayon Soft Touch 100% dacron w/ stain resistant VISA finish Venezia 100% polyacrylic 16 Wool 100% new wool 18 Arabella 100% polyacrylic - patterned Astoria Cloth 50% poly, 50% viscose (easy care) Baby Snuggel 100% polyacrylic Basic Cloth 100% polyester Bostonian 100% polyacrylic - patterned Cottage Lace Curtain 100% polyacrylic - patterned " Classic " " non-patterned Florina 100% rayon Gretchen patterned Heartsong 100% polyacrylic Polly 100% polyacrylic (imitation wool) Richmond 100% polyacrylic Sal--Em 50% poly, 50% rayon Tabby 100% polyacrylic Wool 100% new wool - fine weave 20 Bergen 100% polyacrylic 24 Heartland 100% modal 26 Heatherfield 100% polyacrylic Sal--Em 50% poly, 50% rayon (multi count) Rhonda 'Bellpull' 100% polyacrylic Afghan Fabrics --------------- COUNT FABRIC NAME FIBRE CONTENT ----- ----------- ------------- Angelica 100% polyacrylic - patterned Dutch Garden 100% polyacrylic - patterned Gloria Cloth 100% polyacrylic - patterned Hearthside 100% polyacrylic - patterned Honeybee Afghan 100% polyacrylic Hunt Club Afghan polyester/rayon blend - patterned Lady Elizabeth 100% trevira/viscose - patterned Liberty Square 100% polyacrylic - patterned Louisiana 100% polyacrylic - patterned Lucky Duck 100% polyacrylic Monza 100% polyacrylic - patterned Novara 100% polyacrylic - patterned Nursery Time patterned Udine 100% polyacrylic - patterned Valentina 100% polyacrylic - patterned Victorian Afghan 18 Abby Cloth 100% polyacrylic - patterned Anne Cloth 100% polyacrylic Chapelle Afghan 100% polyacrylic Diamond Afghan 100% polyacrylic - patterned Friendship Circle 100% polyacrylic - patterned Honeycomb 100% polyacrylic - patterned 28 Chalet Afghan Heart Afghan 100% polyacrylic Ribbon Afghan 100% polyacrylic ------------------------------------- A.2 Fabric Colors Compared to DMC ------------------------------------- This table of fabrics with equivalent DMC colors was collected by Lillian Banchik <LHBanchik@aol.com>. The following comments are hers: The following is a table of some of the various fabrics available from Charles Craft, Permin and Zweigart along with the equivalent DMC color. The names used are the ones given to the fabric by the company. If the fabric is not listed it is because there is no equivalent DMC color available. Please note that these may not always be an exact match (due to dye lot variations) but at least they will give you an idea of what the color looks like. Also note that there is no consistancy in color names between manufacturers or even between different types of fabrics made by the same manufacturer. For example, Ice Blue Damask Aida is not the same color as Ice Blue Jubilee even though they are both made by Zweigart and what Permin called Slate in Aida they call Twilight Blue in Linen. Aida - Charles Craft Antique Blue 931 Blush 948 Cameo Rose 223 Delft Blue 322 Emerald Green 699 Light Blue 775 Lilac 3042 Pine Mist 926 Pink 818 Platinum 453 Red 498 Smoke 642 Steel Gray 414 Wheatstraw 738 Willow Green 503 Wisteria 3041 Yellow 3078 Aida - Permin Antique White 739 Bamboo 3023 Blueberry 931 Bone 842 Cameo Peach 3022 Denim Blue 793 Elderberry 3041 Jonquil Yellow 746 Moss 524 Parchment 842 Raspberry 316 Slate 927 Wheat 3046 Aida - Zweigart Dirty Aida 3782 Gray 415 Parchment 3033 Royal Blue 796 Damask Aida - Zweigart Carnation Pink 819 Daffodil 746 Dawn Grey 3072 Ebony 310 Ice Blue 775 Mint Green 504 Jubilee - Zweigart Ice Blue 3753 Lavendar 3042 Linen - Permin Champagne 644 Twilight Blue 927 Lugana - Zweigart Bone 543 Moss 524 Victorian Red 815 Murano - Zweigart Moss green 524 Pastel Linen - Zweigart Periwinkle 3753 Royal Classic - Charles Craft Deep Teal 924 Rich Cranberry 816 Soft Touch - Charles Craft Ash Rose 224 Banana Ice 745 Mocha Cream 842 Pink Souffle 818 ============================================================================== Appendix B. Floss and Fibers ============================================================================== -------------------------------------- B.1 Fibers to Use Other Than Floss -------------------------------------- There are many types of fibers available today for counted thread work, with new specialty types appearing on a regular basis from companies such as Kreinik and the Caron Collection. Here is a partial list of what you may find, and what they may be used for. Flower Thread -------------- A matte-finish, 100% cotton thread available in skeins. Available from several fiber manufacturers. The original is Danish Flower Thread. DMC has 108 flower thread colors, most of which match their floss numbers. Used for traditional Danish embroidery. Also recommended for linen/evenweaves and for afghans. Equal to about two or three strands of embroidery floss. Medici Wool ------------ A DMC product with a homespun look. Looks especially nice with natural linen. Metallic Blending Filament --------------------------- One ply thin metallic thread, available on spools. Frequently combined with regular floss to provide extra sparkle. Tips: Use short strands. Metallic Braids and Ribbons ---------------------------- Metallic threads, available on spools. Used alone to provide definition, sparkle and texture. The braids are rounded, and the ribbons are flat. Tips: Slipknot the thread onto the needle. Run the threads over a fabric softener sheet. Use short strands. Perle Cotton ------------- A "mercerized, twisted, non-divisible lustrous cotton thread" available in skeins and balls. Used with many counted thread techniques, such as pulled thread and Hardanger. Available in different weights--#5 equal to about four strands of embroidery floss, and #3 equal to about six strands. Ribbon Floss ------------- A shiny, flat fiber. Can be used with Metallic Ribbon to provide some real sparkle. Silk Thread ------------ Available as solid or hand painted variegated skeins. Beautifully smooth. CAUTION--some silk thread is not colorfast. --------------------------------------- B.2 Calculating the Amount of Floss --------------------------------------- The amount of floss needed for any project can vary among stitchers. The chart below should be used as a _general_ guide only. You may get fewer stitches per skein if you are doing a very complex project or if you have loose stitches. The equation used to derive this chart is described at the end. Find the count (number of stitches per inch) in the left-hand column and go across. Find the number of strands of floss used at the top of the chart and go down. The number of stitches per skein of floss is where these two intersect. Strands of floss 1 2 3 4 5 6 ------------------------------------------------ C 6 | 1530 765 510 382 306 255 o 7 | 1785 892 595 446 357 297 u 8 | 2040 1020 680 510 408 340 n 9 | 2295 1147 765 573 459 382 t 10 | 2550 1275 850 637 510 425 11 | 2805 1402 935 701 561 467 12 | 3060 1530 1020 765 612 510 13 | 3315 1657 1105 828 663 552 14 | 3570 1785 1190 892 714 595 15 | 3825 1912 1275 956 765 637 16 | 4080 2040 1360 1020 816 680 17 | 4335 2167 1445 1083 867 722 18 | 4590 2295 1530 1147 918 765 19 | 4845 2422 1615 1211 969 807 20 | 5100 2550 1700 1275 1020 850 21 | 5355 2677 1785 1338 1071 892 22 | 5610 2805 1870 1402 1122 935 23 | 5865 2932 1955 1466 1173 977 24 | 6120 3060 2040 1530 1224 1020 25 | 6375 3187 2125 1593 1275 1062 26 | 6630 3315 2210 1657 1326 1105 27 | 6885 3442 2295 1721 1377 1147 28 | 7140 3570 2380 1785 1428 1190 29 | 7395 3697 2465 1848 1479 1232 30 | 7650 3825 2550 1912 1530 1275 31 | 7905 3952 2635 1976 1581 1317 32 | 8160 4080 2720 2040 1632 1360 33 | 8415 4207 2805 2103 1683 1402 34 | 8670 4335 2890 2167 1734 1445 35 | 8925 4462 2975 2231 1785 1487 36 | 9180 4590 3060 2295 1836 1530 37 | 9435 4717 3145 2358 1887 1572 38 | 9690 4845 3230 2422 1938 1615 39 | 9945 4972 3315 2486 1989 1657 40 | 10200 5100 3400 2550 2040 1700 41 | 10455 5227 3485 2613 2091 1742 42 | 10710 5355 3570 2677 2142 1785 43 | 10965 5482 3655 2741 2193 1827 44 | 11220 5610 3740 2805 2244 1870 45 | 11475 5737 3825 2868 2295 1912 46 | 11730 5865 3910 2932 2346 1955 47 | 11985 5992 3995 2996 2397 1997 48 | 12240 6120 4080 3060 2448 2040 49 | 12495 6247 4165 3123 2499 2082 50 | 12750 6375 4250 3187 2550 2125 51 | 13005 6502 4335 3251 2601 2167 52 | 13260 6630 4420 3315 2652 2210 53 | 13515 6757 4505 3378 2703 2252 54 | 13770 6885 4590 3442 2754 2295 55 | 14025 7012 4675 3506 2805 2337 For you folks who like to know the details, here is how the chart was derived. As you will see, there was a fair amount of approximation going on. A skein of floss is approximately 8-1/2 yards long. Assume most people stitch with an 18" length of floss. This gives 17 segments of 18" each per skein. Most of the time, people stitch with more than one strand. There are 6 strands of floss per skein. So 6/strands_used is the number of pieces per segment. Allow 3" per 18" length for securing the beginning and ending, and for general waste. This gives 15" of usable thread per 18" piece. Now, how many inches of floss does each X take? Using the Pythagorean Theorem to calculate the length of each half stitch on 14 count fabric, and allowing for the vertical lengths on the back, and allowing a little for slop, we get 6/count (where count is the number of stitches per inch). Remember, I _said_ there was a fair amount of approximation going on. So the final equation is: stitches_per_skein = 17 * (15 / (6/count)) * (6/strands_used) I used this equation in a perl script to produce the chart above. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B.3 Color Names/Conversion - DMC/Coats/Anchor/Marlette/Medicis/Au Ver A Soie -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to Dawn Scotting for originally posting the DMC-Coats-Anchor floss color conversion chart; to Chris O'Donnell for posting the color name chart; to Wanda Wolfe for thinking to combine the two; to Barbara Joyce for adding the new DMC colors; and to Lillian Banchik for adding the Marlette, Medicis, and Au Ver A Soie colors. Use the floss conversion chart as a guide only. It is difficult to give exact alternatives between different brands of embroidery floss. Where two or more numbers divided by slashes are listed in one column, use a combination of these colors. Similarly, use the color name chart as a guide only. DMC does _not_ name its colors, and designers are free to use whatever names they choose. Some headings have been abbreviated: J&P - J&P Coates Anch - Anchor Marl - Marlette Medic - Medicis DMC Color Shade J&P Anch Marl Medic Au Ver A Soie ----- --------------- ----------- ---- ---- ---- ----- ------------- white white 1001 2 800 white Blanc ecru ecru/off-white 1002 387 1212 ecru Creme/F2/F13 48 shaded roses 201 1201 --- --- --- 52 shaded purples 212 1208 --- --- --- 61 shaded browns 209 --- --- --- --- 62 shaded roses 201 1200 --- --- --- 90 shaded yellows 219 --- --- --- --- 92 shaded greens 214 1216 --- --- --- 93 shaded blues 210 --- --- --- --- 95 shaded purples 212 --- --- --- --- 101 shaded greens bright 221 1214 --- --- --- 105 shaded browns 209 1204 --- --- --- 107 shaded reds bright 204 1204 --- --- --- 108 shaded yellows 219 1219 --- --- --- 113 shaded blues 210 --- --- --- --- 114 shaded greens bright 221 1215 --- --- --- 121 shaded blues 210 1210 --- --- --- 126 shaded purples 212 1209 --- --- --- 208 lavender med 4301 110 --- 7794 1334/3335 209 lavender dk 4302 109 --- 7895 1342/3334 210 lavender med 4303 108 --- 7896 3334 211 lavender lt 4303 342 --- 7397 3333 221 shell pink vy dk 3242 897 --- 8106 4623/4624 223 shell pink lt 3241 895 --- 8107 4622 224 shell pink vy lt 3240 893 --- 8103A 4621 225 shell pink ultra vy lt 3239 892 --- 8101A 1011 300 mahogany vy dk --- 352 --- 8300 4142 301 mahogany med --- 884 --- 8301 2625 304 christmas red med 3401 19 --- --- 943/1026 307 lemon 2290 289 --- --- 534/543 309 rose deep 3284 42 88 --- 2934/2945 310 black 8403 403 801 Noir Noir 311 navy blue med 7980 148 --- 8206 1716 312 navy blue lt 7979 979 --- 8207 1715 315 antique mauve vy dk 3082 972 --- 8122 4646 316 antique mauve med 3081 --- --- 8120A 4634 317 pewter grey 8512 400 846 --- 3445 318 steel grey lt 8511 399 --- 7618 3442 319 pistachio green vy dk 6246 218 --- 8414 3445 320 pistachio green med 6017 215 --- --- 1834 321 christmas red 3500 47 893 8103 941/943 322 navy blue vy lt 7978 978 --- 8208 4922 326 rose vy deep 3401 --- --- --- 1026 327 violet dk 4101 100 --- --- 3315 333 blue violet vy dk --- 119 --- --- 1344 334 baby blue med 7977 977 --- 8209 1434 335 rose 3283 38 --- --- 3014 336 navy blue 7981 150 --- 8205 1423 340 blue violet med 7110 118 --- --- 1343 341 blue violet lt 7005 117 --- --- 1433 347 salmon vy dk 3013 --- --- --- 2924 349 coral dk 2335 13 --- 8127 915/935/936 350 coral med 3111 11 --- --- 914/934 351 coral 3011 10 --- 8128 924 352 coral lt 3008 9 --- 8129 932/933 353 peach flesh 3006 8 --- --- 921/2913 355 terra cotta dk 2339 --- --- 7168 2636 356 terra cotta med 2338 5975 --- 7166 4612 367 pistachio green dk 6018 217 --- 8406 1835/3425 368 pistachio green lt 6016 214 --- 7369 1832/1842 369 pistachio green vy lt 6015 259 1058 7871 1841 370 mustard med --- 856 --- --- 2214 371 mustard --- 855 --- --- --- 372 mustard lt --- 854 --- --- 3833 400 mahogany dk --- 351 --- --- 4141/4215 402 mahogany vy lt --- 347 807 --- 632/2622 407 sportsman flesh dk --- 914 --- 8108 4611 413 pewter grey dk 8514 401 --- 7712 3445 414 steel grey dk 8513 235 --- 7877 3442 415 pearl grey 8398 398 --- 7380 3441 420 hazelnut brown dk 5374 374 --- 8321 2236/2246 422 hazelnut brown lt 5372 943 --- 8322 3812 433 brown med 5471 310 --- 8320 4116 434 brown lt 5000 370 --- --- 4516 435 brown vy lt 5371 901 --- --- 4236 436 tan 5943 890 --- --- 4235 437 tan lt 5942 362 --- --- 4234 444 lemon dk 2298 290 821 --- 536 445 lemon lt 2288 288 --- --- 2523 451 shell grey dk 8233 233 --- --- 3414 452 shell grey med 8232 232 --- --- 3413/3414 453 shell grey lt 8231 231 --- --- 3412/3413 469 avocado green 6261 267 --- 8402 2125 470 avocado green lt 6010 267 --- --- 245/2125 471 avocado green vy lt 6010 267 --- --- 2144 472 avocado green ultra lt 6253 264 --- --- 2122/2123 498 christmas red dk 3410 43 --- 8102 945/1026 500 blue green vy dk 6880 879 --- 8409 1846 501 blue green dk 6878 878 --- 8408 1844/3426 502 blue green 6876 877 --- 8407 --- 503 blue green med 6879 875 --- --- 1843 504 blue green lt 6875 213 --- --- 1822/3426 517 wedgewood med 7162 --- 457 7993 1446/1725 518 wedgewood lt --- --- --- 7996 1444 519 sky blue --- --- --- 7997 1442 520 fern green dk 6318 862 --- --- 3726 522 fern green 6316 860 --- --- 3144 523 fern green lt 6316 859 --- --- 1841 524 fern green vy lt 6315 858 466 --- 3423 535 ash grey vy lt 8400 --- --- --- 3844 543 beige brown ultra vy lt 5533 933 --- --- 3431 550 violet vy dk 4107 101 --- --- 3336/3315 552 violet med 4092 112 --- --- 3314 553 violet 4097 98 858 --- 3313 554 violet lt 4104 96 --- --- 3312 561 jade vy dk 6211 212 --- --- 146 562 jade med 6213 210 --- --- 144 563 jade lt 6210 208 --- --- 143/221 564 jade vy lt 6209 206 --- --- 141 580 moss green dk 6267 --- --- --- 516 581 moss green 6256 --- --- --- 2124/2145 597 turquoise 7168 --- --- --- 132 598 turquoise lt 7167 167 --- --- 1721/1723 600 cranberry vy dk 3056 --- 815 --- 2946 601 cranberry dk 3128 57 --- 7151 2945 602 cranberry med 3063 63 814 7153 3014 603 cranberry 3001 62 --- 7155 3013 604 cranberry lt 3001 66 1069 --- 3012 605 cranberry vy lt --- 50 813 7685 3021 606 orange-red bright 2334 335 --- --- 915/935 608 orange bright 2332 --- --- --- 635 610 drab brown vy dk 5889 889 --- --- 3835 611 drab brown dk 5898 898 --- --- 4534 612 drab brown med --- 853 --- --- 3833 613 drab brown lt --- 956 --- --- 3832 632 flesh vy dk 5936 936 --- --- 4143 640 beige grey vy dk 5393 --- --- --- 3834 642 beige grey dk 5832 832 --- --- 3713 644 beige grey med 5831 899 --- --- 3422 645 beaver grey vy dk 8500 273 --- --- 3844 646 beaver grey dk 8500 --- --- --- 3843 647 beaver grey med 8900 8581 --- --- 1734 648 beaver grey lt 8390 900 666 christmas red bright 3046 46 --- 7666 3841 676 old gold lt 2874 891 1077 8304A 915/936 677 old gold vy lt --- 886 --- --- 2141 680 old gold dk 2876 907 --- 8303 524 699 christmas green 6228 923 --- --- 225 700 christmas green bright 6227 228 811 8797 226 701 christmas green lt 6226 227 --- --- 235 702 kelly green 6239 239 --- --- 224/236 703 chartreuse 6238 --- --- 7955 223 704 chartreuse bright 6238 --- 810 --- 221 712 cream 5387 926 --- --- Brut/F20 718 plum --- 88 --- --- 1043 720 orange spice dk 2322 326 --- --- 634 721 orange spice med 2324 324 --- --- 645 722 orange spice lt 2323 323 --- --- 633 725 topaz 2298 305 --- 7725 2514 726 topaz lt 2295 295 --- 7026 522 727 topaz vy lt 2289 293 --- 7027 2521 729 old gold med 2875 874 1078 8303A 2234/2243/2533 730 olive green vy dk --- 924 827 --- 3724 731 olive green dk 6844 844 827 --- 516/2214 732 olive green --- 281 --- --- 2124 733 olive green med --- 280 --- --- 2145 734 olive green lt --- 279 --- --- 2212 738 tan vy lt 5375 372 --- --- 3821/4112 739 tan ultra vy lt 5369 885 --- 8504 4241 740 tangerine 2099 316 850 7940 625 741 tangerine med 2314 314 849 7941 611/623 742 tangerine lt 2303 303 --- 7942 545 743 yellow med 2302 302 848 --- 536 744 yellow pale 2293 301 --- --- 2532 745 yellow lt pale 2296 300 --- --- 2542 746 off white 2275 275 --- 8328 2541 747 sky blue vy lt 7053 928 1052 --- 1723 754 peach flesh lt 2331 6 1042 8139 1012 758 terra cotta vy lt 3868 868 --- 7164 2912 760 salmon 3069 --- 830 --- 2932/2943 761 salmon lt 3068 --- --- --- 1013/2931 762 pearl grey vy lt 8510 397 845 7381 3441 772 yellow green vy lt 6250 260 --- 8421 2112/2113 775 baby blue vy lt 7031 975 --- 8211 1441 776 pink med 3281 24 --- --- 2941 778 antique mauve vy lt 3060 --- --- 7120 4631/4632 780 topaz ultra vy dk --- 365 839 --- 3816/3826 781 topaz vy dk 5309 --- --- --- 2516/3825 782 topaz dk 5308 308 867 --- 2244/2245 783 topaz med 5307 307 868 7484 2534 791 cornflower blue vy dk 7024 178 --- --- 1345 792 cornflower blue dk 7150 177 --- --- --- 793 cornflower blue med --- 176 --- --- 4913 794 cornflower blue lt --- 175 --- --- 1434 796 royal blue dk --- 133 --- 7720 116 797 royal blue --- 132 836 --- 4924 798 delft dk --- 131 --- 7899 4923 799 delft med --- 130 --- --- 4922 800 delft pale 7021 129 1059 7800 4921 801 coffee brown dk 5475 359 840 8306 4115/4122 806 peacock blue dk 7169 169 1056 --- 126 807 peacock blue 7168 168 1053 --- 125 809 delft 7021 130 --- 7799 1434 813 blue lt 7161 160 1009 --- 1443 814 garnet dk 3044 45 844 8100 2926/4625 815 garnet med 3000 44 894 --- 2925 816 garnet 3410 20 --- --- 946 817 coral red vy dk 2335 --- --- 8126 916 818 baby pink 3281 23 --- --- 2942 819 baby pink lt 3280 271 1213 --- 1011 820 royal blue vy dk 7024 134 838 --- 116 822 beige grey lt 5830 830 1032 --- 3711/3811 823 navy blue dk 7982 164 --- 8200 163/1425 824 blue vy dk --- 164 --- --- 115 825 blue dk 7181 162 --- --- 1446 826 blue med 7180 161 --- --- 113 827 blue vy lt 7159 159 --- --- 1442 828 blue ultra vy lt 7053 158 --- --- 1721 829 golden olive vy dk --- 906 --- --- 526 830 golden olive dk --- 277 --- --- 2226 831 golden olive med --- --- --- 8400 2225 832 golden olive --- --- --- --- 2235 833 golden olive lt --- --- --- 8305 2233 834 golden olive vy lt --- 945 --- --- 2242 838 beige brown vy dk 5381 380 --- --- 4124 839 beige brown dk 5360 --- --- --- 3433 840 beige brown med 5379 --- --- --- 3345/3434 841 beige brown lt 5376 378 --- --- 3341 842 beige brown vy lt 5933 388 --- 8502 3431/4531 844 beaver grey ultra dk 8501 --- --- --- 3844/3846 869 hazelnut brown vy dk --- 944 --- --- 526 890 pistachio green ultra dk 6021 --- 853 --- 1836/1845 891 carnation dk --- 29 --- --- 914 892 carnation med 3152 28 --- --- --- 893 carnation lt 3152 27 --- --- 1014 894 carnation vy lt 3127 26 --- --- 1022 895 hunter green vy dk 6021 --- --- --- 1845 898 coffee brown vy dk 5476 360 --- --- 4131/4124 899 rose med 3282 55 --- --- 2933 900 burnt orange dk 2329 --- --- --- 635/636 902 garnet vy dk 3083 72 --- 8110 2926/4626 904 parrot green vy dk 6258 --- 1033 --- 2116 905 parrot green dk 6267 258 1032 --- 224 906 parrot green med 6256 256 1031 --- 223 907 parrot green lt 6001 255 --- --- 244 909 emerald green vy dk 6228 230 834 --- 225 910 emerald green dk 6031 229 1067 --- 226 911 emerald green med 6205 --- --- --- 214 912 emerald green lt 6205 205 --- --- --- 913 nile green med 6225 204 --- --- 213 915 plum dk --- 65 --- --- --- 917 plum med 4089 89 --- --- 1043 918 red copper dk 3340 341 --- 8104A 2142 919 red copper 2326 340 --- 8104 2636 920 copper med 3337 339 1003 7176 2625 921 copper --- 338 --- --- 2615 922 copper lt 3336 337 --- 7175 644 924 grey green vy dk 6008 851 --- --- 205 926 grey green med 6007 850 --- 8203 1745 927 grey green lt 6006 849 --- --- 1744 928 grey green vy lt 7225 848 --- 8204A 1742 930 antique blue dk 7052 922 --- 8201 1715 931 antique blue med 7051 921 --- 8202 1714 932 antique blue lt 6270 861 --- --- 1712 934 avocado green ultra dk --- --- --- 8040 3726 935 avocado green dk --- --- --- --- 2126 936 avocado green vy dk --- --- --- --- 2136 937 avocado green med 6268 268 --- --- 516 (?) 938 coffee brown ultra dk 5477 381 1072 --- 4124 (?) 939 navy blue vy dk 7160 152 --- 8175 165 943 aquamarine med 6187 188 --- --- --- 945 flesh med 3335 881 1001 8504A 2632 946 burnt orange med 2330 332 1057 7908 634 947 burnt orange 2327 330 --- --- --- 948 peach flesh vy lt 2331 --- --- --- 2911 950 sportsman flesh 2336 --- --- 8109 2912 951 flesh 3335 880 --- 8505A 4241 954 nile green 6020 203 --- --- 143/211 955 nile green lt 6030 --- --- 7567 141 956 geranium 3127 54 --- --- 1024 957 geranium pale 3125 52 --- --- 1022 958 seagreen dk 6186 186 --- --- 5013 959 seagreen med --- --- --- --- 5012 961 dusty rose dk 3176 76 --- --- 3013 962 dusty rose med 3151 40 --- --- 3022 963 dusty rose ultra vy lt 3280 73 1019 7102 2942 964 seagreen lt 6185 185 --- --- 5011 966 baby green med 6030 240 --- --- 142 970 pumpkin bright 2327 --- 1028 --- 634 971 pumpkin 2099 --- --- --- 633 972 canary deep 2307 355 822 --- 544/545 973 canary bright 2290 297 899 --- 536 975 golden brown dk 5349 355 --- --- 4215 976 golden brown med 2308 309 --- --- 4212 977 golden brown lt 2306 313 --- --- 611/2546 986 forest green vy dk 6021 246 852 --- 1845 987 forest green dk 6258 244 --- --- 2116 988 forest green med 6258 243 --- 8413 2115 989 forest green 6266 242 897 --- 234 991 aquamarine dk 6212 189 --- --- 1826 992 aquamarine 6186 --- --- --- 5013 993 aquamarine lt 6185 --- --- --- 1823 995 electric blue dk 7010 410 --- --- 114 996 electric blue med 7001 433 --- --- 113 3011 khaki green dk 6845 845 --- 8412A 516 3012 khaki green med 6843 843 1011 8411 2124 3013 khaki green lt 6842 842 --- --- 3722 3021 brown grey vy dk 5395 905 --- --- 3846 3022 brown grey med --- --- --- 8204 3715 3023 brown grey lt --- --- --- --- 3422 3024 brown grey vy lt 8390 --- --- --- 3421/3841 3031 mocha brown vy dk 5472 --- --- --- 4115 3032 mocha brown med 5393 903 1140 --- 4534 3033 mocha brown vy lt 5388 391 1036 --- 3711 3041 antique violet med 4222 871 --- --- 4635 3042 antique violet lt 4221 870 --- --- 4633 3045 yellow beige dk 2412 888 --- --- 3742 3046 yellow beige med 2410 887 --- --- 2231 3047 yellow beige lt 2300 --- --- --- 2541/2542 3051 green grey dk 6317 846 --- --- 2126 3052 green grey med 6316 --- --- 8405 3723 3053 green grey 6315 --- --- 8105 3722 3064 sportsman flesh vy dk 3883 883 --- --- 4611 3072 beaver grey vy lt 6005 234 --- --- 111/1813 3078 golden yellow vy lt 2292 292 --- 7748 532/2521 3325 baby blue lt 7976 144 --- 8210 4921 3326 rose lt 3126 36 879 --- 3021 3328 salmon dk 3071 --- 881 --- 2915 3340 apricot med --- 329 --- --- 912 3341 apricot --- 328 --- --- 911 3345 hunter green dk 6258 --- --- --- 2116 3346 hunter green 6258 --- --- 8418 2115 3347 yellow green med 6266 266 --- 8419 2114 3348 yellow green lt 6266 254 --- 8420 2113 3350 dusty rose ultra dk 3004 59 --- --- 3025 3354 dusty rose lt 3003 74 --- --- 3021/3011 3362 pine green dk 6318 263 --- --- 3726 3363 pine green med 6317 --- --- --- 1832/1833 3364 pine green 6010 --- --- --- 1831/3723 3371 black brown 5478 382 --- 8500 4136 3607 plum lt 4087 87 --- --- --- 3608 plum vy lt 4086 86 --- --- --- 3609 plum ultra lt 4085 85 --- --- 1312 3685 mauve dk 3089 70 --- 7212 3026 3687 mauve 3088 68 --- --- 3023/3024 3688 mauve med 3087 60 --- --- 1042 3689 mauve lt 3086 49 --- --- 3031 3705 melon dk 3012 35 831 7106 914/934 3706 melon med 3127 33 --- 7104 932 3708 melon lt 3127 31 --- 7103 1021/1022 3712 salmon med --- --- --- --- --- 3713 salmon vy lt --- 968 --- --- --- 3716 dusty rose vy lt --- 25 --- --- --- 3721 shell pink dk --- --- --- --- --- 3722 shell pink med --- 896 --- --- --- 3726 antique mauve dk 3084 970 --- --- --- 3727 antique mauve lt --- 969 --- --- --- 3731 dusty rose vy dk --- 77 --- --- --- 3733 dusty rose --- 75 --- --- --- 3740 antique violet dk --- 872 --- --- --- 3743 antique violet vy lt --- --- --- --- --- 3746 blue violet dk --- --- --- --- --- 3747 blue violet vy lt 7004 120 --- --- --- 3750 antique blue vy dk --- --- --- --- --- 3752 antique blue vy lt 7876 976 --- --- --- 3753 antique blue ultra vy lt --- 128 --- --- --- 3755 baby blue --- 145 --- --- --- 3756 baby blue ultra vy lt --- 274 --- --- --- 3760 wedgewood 7975 --- --- --- --- 3761 sky blue lt --- 9159 --- --- --- 3765 peacock blue vy dk --- 170 --- --- --- 3766 peacock blue lt --- --- --- --- --- 3768 grey green dk --- 779 3770 flesh dk 3334 --- --- --- --- 3772 flesh dk 5579 379 --- --- --- 3773 sportsman flesh med --- 882 --- --- --- 3774 sportsman flesh vy lt --- 778 --- --- --- 3776 mahogany lt --- 349 --- --- --- 3777 terra cotta vy dk --- --- --- --- --- 3778 terra cotta lt --- 9575 --- --- --- 3779 terra cotta ultra vy lt --- 4146 --- --- --- 3781 mocha brown dk --- --- --- --- --- 3782 mocha brown lt --- 831 --- --- --- 3787 brown grey dk --- 393 --- --- --- 3790 beige grey ultra dk --- --- --- --- --- 3799 pewter grey vy dk 8999 236 --- --- --- 3801 christmas red lt --- --- --- --- --- 3802 antique mauve deep --- --- --- --- --- 3803 mauve med dk --- --- --- --- --- 3804 cyclamen pink dk --- --- --- --- --- 3805 cyclamen pink --- --- --- --- --- 3806 cyclamen pink lt --- --- --- --- --- 3807 cornflower blue --- --- --- --- --- 3808 turquoise ultra vy dk --- --- --- --- --- 3809 turquoise vy dk --- --- --- --- --- 3810 turquoise dark --- --- --- --- --- 3811 turquoise vy lt --- --- --- --- --- 3812 seagreen vy dk --- --- --- --- --- 3813 blue green lt --- --- --- --- --- 3814 aquamarine dk --- --- --- --- --- 3815 celadon green dk --- --- --- --- --- 3816 celadon green --- --- --- --- --- 3817 celadon green lt --- --- --- --- --- 3818 emerald green ultra vy dk --- --- --- --- --- 3819 moss green lt --- --- --- --- --- 3820 straw dk --- --- --- --- --- 3821 straw --- --- --- --- --- 3822 straw lt --- --- --- --- --- 3823 yellow ultra pale --- --- --- --- --- 3824 apricot lt --- --- --- --- --- 3825 pumpkin pale --- --- --- --- --- 3826 golden brown --- --- --- --- --- 3827 golden brown pale --- --- --- --- --- 3828 hazel nut brown --- --- --- --- --- 3829 old gold vy dk --- --- --- --- --- 3830 terra cotta --- --- --- --- --- pastels 225 --- --- --- --- citrus lt 2350 --- --- --- --- citrus vy lt 2386 --- --- --- --- brick dk 2975 --- --- --- --- rose vy deep 3019 --- --- --- --- christmas red dk 3021 --- --- --- --- red 3047 --- --- --- --- cranberry vy dk 3065 --- --- --- --- baby pink 3067 --- --- --- --- christmas red med 3072 --- --- --- --- raspberry vy dk 3090 --- --- --- --- flesh lt 3146 --- --- --- --- dusty rose vy lt 3150 --- --- --- --- antique rose lt 3173 --- --- --- --- shell pink dk 3243 --- --- --- --- antique violet dk 4224 --- --- --- --- antique violet vy lt 4220 --- --- --- --- lavender vy dk 4300 --- --- --- --- old gold lt 5363 --- --- --- --- fawn lt 5576 --- --- --- --- fawn med 5578 --- --- --- --- royal blue med 7143 --- --- --- --- steel grey lt 8399 --- --- --- --- steel grey 8401 --- --- --- --- ---------------------------------------------------------- B.4 Color Names/Conversion - Madeira/Au Ver A Soie/DMC ---------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to Dawn Scotting for this color conversion chart. Please note that the Au Ver A Soie/DMC conversions are not necessarily the same as those in Appendix B.3. SILK FLOSS COLOUR NAME EMBROIDERY FLOSS / \ ----------- / \ Madeira Au Ver A Soie Madeira DMC ------- ------------- ------- --- 103 2523 Yellow 103 445 105 2325 Marigold 105 973 112 2521 Lemon 112 744 113 611 Harvest 113 743 114 612 Yellow Gold 114 742 204 634 Lt Orange 204 970 206 636 Dk Orange 206 608 210 916 Mandarin Orange 210 666 214 924 Frosted Orange 214 351 303 923 Blush 303 352 304 921 Salmon 304 353 305 1012 Taupe 305 754 306 1011 Beige 306 948 401 2636 Rust 401 355 402 2635 Clay 402 356 403 2642 Peach 403 758 502 2942 Mauve 502 818 503 2943 Pink 503 776 504 2944 Rose 504 3326 506 2945 Dk Rose 506 335 511 2946 Red 511 498 613 3021 Hot Pink 613 605 701 3024 Fuschia 701 603 703 3026 Azalea 703 601 711 3334 Lilac 711 554 713 3335 Purple 713 552 801 3311 Orchid 801 211 803 3312 Lavender 803 209 806 4633 Antique Rose 806 3041 807 4631 Iris 807 3042 811 4624 Brick 811 221 812 4623 Dusty Rose 812 223 813 4622 Medium Rose 813 224 815 4621 Rose Beige 815 513 901 1342 Lt Violet 901 341 902 1343 Passion 902 340 903 1344 Violet 903 333 1001 1432 Baby Blue 1001 775 1002 1433 Sky Blue 1002 3325 1003 1434 Med Blue 1003 334 1005 1423 Midnight 1005 312 1007 1424 Lt Navy 1007 336 1008 1425 Navy 1008 823 1102 115 Peacock 1102 995 1103 113 Electric Blue 1103 996 1104 123 Pastel Blue 1104 747 1105 124 Lake Blue 1105 519 1106 125 Teal Blue 1106 518 1107 126 Royal 1107 517 1112 5011 Turquoise 1112 964 1114 5013 Teal Green 1114 958 1204 1826 Hunter Green 1204 991 1210 211 Mint 1210 955 1212 213 Sea Foam 1212 913 1214 214 Emerald 1214 911 1309 1841 Lt Green 1309 369 1311 1842 Dill 1311 320 1312 1843 Forest 1312 367 1314 1844 Dark Green 1314 890 1405 2116 Christmas Green 1405 895 1407 2115 Avocado 1407 3346 1408 2114 Lime 1408 3347 1409 2113 Apple Green 1409 3348 1508 3726 Khaki 1508 3051 1510 3714 Olive 1510 3053 1602 1835 Army Green 1602 3363 1603 1832 Moss 1603 3364 1701 1831 Frosted Green 1701 504 1703 1834 Federal Green 1703 502 1704 3426 Slate Green 1704 501 1705 1846 Evergreen 1705 500 1706 1746 Gunmetal 1706 924 1707 1745 Putty 1707 926 1708 1814 Grey 1708 927 1709 1813 Silver 1709 928 1710 1714 Silver Blue 1710 932 1711 1715 Slate 1711 931 1712 1716 Wedgewood 1712 930 1714 1435 Dk Grey 1714 317 1802 1734 Med Grey 1802 318 1803 1733 Lt Grey 1803 415 1804 1732 Platinum 1804 762 1910 3431 Tan 1910 842 1912 3434 Taupe 1912 840 1914 3436 Brown 1914 838 2004 4136 Dk Brown 2004 3371 2006 4124 Chocolate 2006 898 2008 4122 Mahogany 2008 433 2012 4113 Camel 2012 437 2013 4112 Caramel 2013 738 2014 4111 Champagne 2014 739 2113 4131 Cinnamon 2113 829 2114 2236 Clove 2114 830 2207 2231 Fawn 2207 677 2208 2233 Ginger 2208 676 2209 2234 Lt Brass 2209 729 2210 2235 Brass 2210 680 2211 2244 Gold 2211 783 2213 2246 Antique Gold 2213 781 2306 2625 Copper 2306 301 2307 2623 Tangerine 2307 402 Ecru Creme Ecru Ecru Ecru White Blanc White White White Black Noir Black Black 310 ------------------------------------- B.5 DMC Organized By Color Family ------------------------------------- Thanks to jipacker@aol.com for this list of DMC colors organized by family. The 30 new colors are included. DMC Color Shade ----- --------------- ----------- --- white 310 black 819 baby pink lt 818 baby pink 776 pink med 3326 rose lt 899 rose med 335 rose 309 rose deep 326 rose vy deep 3708 melon lt 3706 melon med 3705 melon dk 957 geranium pale 956 geranium 894 carnation vy lt 893 carnation lt 892 carnation med 891 carnation dk 3689 mauve lt 3688 mauve med 3687 mauve 3803 mauve med dk 3685 mauve dk 963 dusty rose ultra vy lt 3716 dusty rose vy lt 3354 dusty rose lt 3733 dusty rose 962 dusty rose med 961 dusty rose dk 3731 dusty rose vy dk 3350 dusty rose ultra dk 605 cranberry vy lt 604 cranberry lt 603 cranberry 602 cranberry med 601 cranberry dk 600 cranberry vy dk 225 shell pink ultra vy lt 224 shell pink vy lt 223 shell pink lt 3722 shell pink med 3721 shell pink dk 221 shell pink vy dk 3823 yellow vy lt pale 745 yellow lt pale 744 yellow pale 743 yellow med 742 tangerine lt 741 tangerine med 740 tangerine 3824 apricot lt 3341 apricot 3340 apricot med 3825 orange spice vy lt 722 orange spice lt 721 orange spice med 720 orange spice dk 970 pumpkin lt 971 pumpkin 608 bright orange 606 orange red bright 947 burnt orange 946 burnt orange med 900 burnt orange dk 746 off white 3078 golden yellow vy lt 3047 yellow beige lt 3046 yellow beige med 3045 yellow beige dk 677 old gold vy lt 676 old gold lt 629 old gold med 680 old gold dk 3829 old gold vy dk 834 golden olive vy lt 833 golden olive lt 832 golden olive 831 golden olive med 830 golden olive dk 829 golden olive vy dk 3770 flesh vy lt 951 flesh 945 flesh med 3774 sportsman flesh vy lt 950 sportsman flesh 3773 sportsman flesh med 407 sportsman flesh dk 3064 sportsman flesh vy dk 3772 flesh 632 flesh med 948 peach flesh vy lt 754 peach flesh lt 353 peach flesh 352 coral lt 351 coral 350 coral med 349 coral dk 817 coral red vy dk 3713 salmon vy lt 761 salmon lt 760 salmon 3712 salmon med 3328 salmon dk 347 salmon vy dk 3779 terra cotta ultra vy lt 758 terra cotta vy lt 3778 terra cotta lt 356 terra cotta med 3830 terra cotta med dk 355 terra cotta dk 3777 terra cotta vy dk 666 christmas red bright 3801 christmas red lt bright 321 christmas red 304 christmas red med 498 christmas red dk 816 garnet 815 garnet med 814 garnet dk 902 garnet vy dk 3609 plum ultra lt 3608 plum vy lt 3607 plum lt 718 plum 917 plum med 915 plum dk 211 lavender lt 210 lavender med 209 lavender dk 208 lavender vy dk 554 violet lt 553 violet 552 violet med 327 violet dk 550 violet vy dk 3747 blue violet vy lt 341 blue violet lt 340 blue violet med 3746 blue violet dk 333 blue violet vy dk 3743 antique violet vy lt 3042 antique violet lk 3041 antique violet med 3740 antique violet dk 778 antique mauve vy lt 3727 antique mauve lt 316 antique mauve med 3726 antique mauve dk 315 antique mauve vy dk 3802 antique mauve ult vy dk 445 lemon lt 307 lemon 444 lemon dk 973 canary bright 972 canary deep 727 topaz vy lt 726 topaz lt 725 topaz 783 topaz med 782 topaz dk 781 topaz vy dk 780 topaz ultra vy dk 712 cream --- ecru 822 beige grey lt 644 beige grey med 642 beige grey dk 640 beige grey vy dk 3790 beige grey ultra dk 3024 brown grey vy lt 3023 brown grey lt 3022 brown grey med 3787 brown grey dk 3021 brown grey vy dk 543 beige brown ultra vy lt 842 beige brown vy lt 841 beige brown lt 840 beige brown med 839 beige brown dk 838 beige brown vy dk 729 tan ultra vy lt 738 tan vy lt 437 tan lt 436 tan 435 brown vy lt 434 brown lt 433 brown med 801 coffee brown dk 898 coffee brown vy dk 938 coffee brown ultra dk 3371 black brown 3033 mocha brown vy lt 3782 mocha brown lt 3032 mocha brown med 3781 mocha brown dk 3031 mocha brown vy dk 613 drab brown lt 612 drab brown med 611 drab brown dk 610 drab brown vy dk 372 mustard lt 371 mustard 370 mustard med 422 hazel nut brown lt 3828 hazel nut brown med 420 hazel nut brown dk 869 hazel nut brown vy dk 922 copper lt 921 copper 920 copper med 919 red copper 918 red copper dk 402 mahogany vy lt 3776 mahogany lt 301 mahogany med 400 mahogany dk 300 mahogany vy dk 3827 golden brown vy lt 977 golden brown lt 976 golden brown med 3826 golden brown med dk 975 golden brown dk 369 pistachio green vy lt 368 pistachio green lt 320 pistachio green med 367 pistachio green dk 319 pistachio green vy dk 890 pistachio green ultra dk 989 forest green 988 forest green med 987 forest green dk 986 forest green vy dk 907 parrot green lt 906 parrot green med 905 parrot green dk 904 parrot green vy dk 564 jade vy lt 563 jade lt 562 jade med 561 jade vy dk 966 baby green med 955 nile green lt 954 nile green 913 nile green med 912 emerald green lt 911 emerald green med 910 emerald green dk 909 emerald green vy dk 3818 emerald green ultra dk 704 chartreuse bright 703 chartreuse 702 kelly green 701 christmas green lt 700 christmas green bright 699 christmas green 772 yellow green vy lt 3348 yellow green lt 3347 yellow green med 3346 hunter green 3345 hunter green dk 895 hunter green vy dk 472 avocado green ultra lt 471 avocado green vy lt 470 avocado green lt 469 avocado green 937 avocado green med 935 avocado green dk 936 avocado green vy dk 934 avocado green ultra dk 3819 moss green lt 581 moss green 580 moss green dk 734 olive green lt 733 olive green med 732 olive green 731 olive green dk 730 olive green vy dk 3364 pine green 3363 pine green med 3362 pine green dk 3013 khaki green lt 3012 khaki green med 3011 khaki green dk 3053 green grey 3052 green grey med 3051 green grey dk 524 fern green vy lt 523 fern green lt 522 fern green 520 fern green dk 504 blue green lt 3813 blue green med lt 503 blue green med 502 blue green 501 blue green dk 500 blue green vy dk 993 aquamarine lt 992 aquamarine 3814 aquamarine pale med 943 aquamarine med 991 aquamarine dk 964 seagreen lt 959 seagreen med 958 seagreen dk 3812 seagreen vy dk 3811 turquoise vy lt 598 turquoise lt 597 turquoise 3810 turquoise med 3809 turquoise dk 3808 turquoise vy dk 3766 peacock blue lt 807 peacock blue 806 peacock blue dk 3765 peacock blue vy dk 747 sky blue vy lt 3761 sky blue lt 519 sky blue 518 wedgewood lt 3760 wedgewood 517 wedgewood med 3756 baby blue ultra vy lt 775 baby blue vy lt 3325 baby blue lt 3755 baby blue 334 baby blue med 322 navy blue vy lt 312 navy blue lt 311 navy blue med 336 navy blue 823 navy blue dk 939 navy blue vy dk 3753 antique blue ultra vy lt 3752 antique blue vy lt 932 antique blue lt 931 antique blue med 930 antique blue dk 3750 antique blue vy dk 828 blue ultra vy lt 827 blue vy lt 813 blue lt 826 blue med 825 blue dk 824 blue vy dk 800 delft pale 809 delft 799 delft med 798 delft dk 797 royal blue 796 royal blue dk 820 royal blue vy dk 996 electric blue med 995 electric blue dk 794 cornflower blue lt 793 cornflower blue med 3807 cornflower blue med dk 792 cornflower blue dk 791 cornflower blue vy dk 762 pearl grey vy lt 415 pearl grey 318 steel grey lt 414 steel grey dk 317 pewter grey 413 pewter grey dk 3799 pewter grey vy dk 535 ask grey vy lt 928 grey green vy lt 927 grey green lt 926 grey green med 3768 grey green dk 924 grey green vy dk 453 shell grey lt 452 shell grey med 451 shell grey dk 3072 beaver grey vy lt 648 beaver grey lt 647 beaver grey med 646 beaver grey dk 645 beaver grey vy dk 844 beaver grey ultra dk -------------------------------------------- B.6 Conversion - Old J&P Coates to Other -------------------------------------------- Thanks to Isobel Frystak <frystak@tesla.njit.edu> for this conversion table. Old New JPCoats JPCoats DMC Anchor ------- ------- ----- ------ 1 1001 White 2 4A 3150 3689 48 5A 6001 907 255 8 7020 800 144 9 2292 3078 292 10A 2288 445 288 11 2302 742 303 12 8403 310 403 24 7159 827 160 24A 7161 3760 169 24B 7162 517 162 26 6030 954 203 28 6228 699 923 28B 6211 561 212 32 4300 -- 112 36 4101 327 100 37 4104 554 96 38 2314 741 304 38B 2330 947 330 43 2293 744 301 44 7100 796 133 46A 3001 604 55 46B 3153 962 75 48 6225 913 204 48A 6227 700 228 51C 5365 435 365 52 1002 712 926 54 4097 553 98 55 7045 -- -- 58 2300 3047 852 59B 3063 602 63 59C 3065 3350 65 61 5387 Ecru 387 65 3151 605 50 69 7021 809 130 70 8397 3024 397 71 8399 -- -- 75A 3337 920 1004 76 7023 -- -- 81 5470 433 357 81B 5472 801 359 85 5933 822 390 86 5376 841 378 87 5379 840 379 90A 5363 -- 363 91 6226 912 209 91A 6205 911 205 98 6238 703 238 99 6239 702 226 100 3000 498 1005 108 7022 798 131 109 6258 987 244 120 3011 351 10 122 3056 600 59 124 3008 352 9 128 3087 3688 66 129 3088 3687 68 130 3089 3685 1028 132A 7001 996 433 135 3003 3354 74 137 3004 3350 59 140 3046 666 46 141 3500 321 9046 143 3021 816 1005 160 3066 225 1026 165 225 -- -- 170 3080 778 968 171 3081 316 1017 172 3082 315 1019 181 201 62 1201 182 210 93 1210 183 212 52 1208 184 219 108 1219 186 2306 977 1002 188 214 114 1215 189 221 125 1213 190 204 107 1204 191 5349 400 351 192 209 61 1218 200 6015 369 1043 201 6185 959 186 205 6246 319 218 210 6017 320 215 213 5388 3782 899 215 6266 471 266 216 6267 580 281 218 3127 894 27 219 3128 601 57 220 7110 340 118 222 6186 958 187 223 2294 743 302 224 2327 740 316 226 3067 -- -- 227 3013 347 1025 228 3012 3705 35 229 3019 304 19 230 6269 936 269 231 2303 742 303 232 3068 761 1021 233 3069 760 1022 234 3071 3328 1024 235 2307 783 306 237 2334 606 334 238 5382 3371 382 239 7010 995 410 241 3044 814 45 243 3125 3716 25 244 7030 799 136 245 7080 798 142 248 6256 906 256 253 2290 444 290 255 2298 972 298 256 2099 971 316 257 2305 -- -- 258 2308 976 1001 259 2332 608 332 261 5347 -- 347 262 5374 869 944 264 5360 839 360 265 3006 353 6 266 3335 951 1010 267 2337 758 882 268 5356 975 355 269 6253 472 253 270 7050 932 1033 271 7051 931 1034 275 6875 504 1042