Tips of X-Stitch Backstitching Around 1/4 & 3/4 Stitches

From: rona@maths.grace.cri.nz (Rona Bailey)
Organization: Applied Maths, Industrial Research Ltd, NZ

In article <940127085938.1ba2f@murrow.mpr.org>
CSYLVESTER@murrow.mpr.org writes:

   There's been a discussion about how to deal with backstitching that
   surrounds 1/4 and 3/4 stitches and I would like to share my method
   for dealing with them

   Carol Sylvester csylvester@mpr.org

I have recently started using a method for 3/4 stitches I found in one
of Jo Verso's cross-stitch books. Pity I can't copy the diagram onto
the screen!

The "square" I refer to below is the square on your graph that is
divided into two colours, usually filled in by a 3/4 stitch and a 1/4
stitch.

Basically, the 3/4 stitch is made as follows: make the 1/2 cross, then
1/4 stitch goes OVER the 1/2 cross, so the 1/2 cross is held
down. Before, I always had a problem getting the back stitch to lie
neatly beside the 1/2 cross. Then, the other half of the square is
filled in with another _3/4_ stitch (so I guess you have really done
1+1/2 stitches instead of one), and the backstitch goes between them.
This then saves deciding which colour to do the 3/4 stitch and which
colour to do the 1/4 stitch.

I have just started using this method and am very pleased with the
results. First I thought it would be too heavy, but it isn't. I have
tried using 3/4-1/4 stitch, and 1/4-1/4 stitch, and prefer this way.

I hope this does make sense, it's so hard to explain without a
diagram. I suggest you look up the book (the one I have is called
something like "The World in Cross-stitch"), or e-mail me.

Happy stitching,

Rona
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Rona Bailey
Industrial Research Ltd
Applied Mathematics
P O Box 31-310, Lower Hutt      Internet: R.Bailey@irl.cri.nz
New Zealand.                        ``Click go the knitting needles,
click...''