What makes the ideal cross-stitch pattern?

[watervole]

I enjoy doing cross-stitch, but I find there's a definite level of difficulty that leads to maximum relaxation.

Too easy is boring.  Large blocks of a single colour are very mechanical to sew and insufficient to force you to concentrate on the pattern.  (The whole reason cross-stitch is relaxing is that you are forced to concentrate on something other than whatever was worrying you before you started sewing)

However, some patterns are too difficult.  The worse one I've done recently was a pair of pink ballet shoes.  The pattern used five different shades of pink and loads of fractional stitches.  Because the shades of pink were so similar, it was almost impossible to tell which bit you'd just stitched and hence, you couldn't tell which bit of the pattern to do next.

A pattern should also be attractive in itself, forming a picture that you will enjoy when completed.  Part of the pleasure of doing cross-stitch is watching the picture emerging as you sew.  I actually prefer working from black and white patterns for this reason (as long as the symbols are clearly printed).

Large patterns and small ones both have their appeal.  A large pattern may take a couple of years to complete, whereas most small ones can be done in a couple of weeks.  I usually have a large and a small piece on the go simultaneously and another kit (kept in a carry case) for when I am travelling.

The patterns I most enjoy visually are either naturalistic - birds and flowers, or else highly abstract - Mackintosh roses, Celtic birds, etc.  I don't seem to enjoy patterns with people in the picture, as a rule.

What kind of patterns do you like stitching?

When do you do your sewing?  (I do mine in the last half hour before going to bed and when I'm on train journeys)

Comments

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

i too enjoy cross stitching but can only do it in natural light, I've tried the natural light bulbs and they don't help me. My problem is colour deficient eyesight, I can see colours but shades that you could tell apart are impossible for me to tell apart, my major problem is with the blue/green section of the spectrum so I don't enjoy stitching any thing with a predominance of theses colours so landscapes are out. Having said that I thoroughly enjoyed a cross stitch of leopard in a tree with the sky behind it having a close up of his face in clouds. But that was sunset in the Serengeti and was mostly shades of red, orange and yellow with a bit of black. I prefer bold blocks of colour, though not to large, like Celtic animals or single colour items such as Blackwork. I don't find it relaxing though, more exhilarating, if I want to relax it's knitting that does it, half an hour with those needles and I'm in the sort of alpha rhythm you get with meditation.

[julesjones]

As you know, I'm exceedingly fond of the Textile Heritage catalogue for small pieces. While they have the occasional blunder, I find that most of the patterns are attractive to look at, and reasonably easy to work with regard to close shades in half stitches.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

When you're down here, come with me to Poole library and see the rather nice book I found by the Textile Heritage people...

[cdybedahl.livejournal.com]

An old friend of mine used to have a cross-stitch website, that among other things had a pattern with the Liberator on it. Unfortunately she took it all down a couple of years ago.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

That's a shame - I'd have loved to stitch Liberator.

[gair.livejournal.com]

I can try and do you a chart for the Liberator if you like and can send me a picture to start from - I make most of my own patterns.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Too many patterns on the go right now to risk another one right now, but I'll bear it in mind if I ever catch up.

What software do you use, or do you work by hand? I've tweaked existing patterns, but haven't tried doing my own from scratch yet.

[kerravonsen]

Ages ago I did the B7 logo onto a knitted vest (stitches over the knit stitches). Encouraged by this, I made a pattern for the Liberator, but never completed it.

(goes and looks)

Yes, I have the scans of both these I made, sitting on my computer, if you're interested.

[jthijsen.livejournal.com]

I'm interested. I haven't stitched anything in years, but I've been thinking about it lately.

[kerravonsen]

Okay, I've put them up on my website. Not perfect, but I doubt I still have the original pieces of graph paper.

[jthijsen.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[watervole.livejournal.com]

I'd certainly like to look at the Liberator pattern. Whether I stitch it rather depends on the size. It would probably need to be small enough to fit on a bookmark - no more than 30 stitches across.

[kerravonsen]

I'm afraid that neither of them are that small. But I've put them up on my site here anyway.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

That's staggeringly slow to load!

I don't see a colour key.

It's too big for me, but hopefully someone else will take up the challenge.

[naath.livejournal.com]

I like doing patterns that become *things* (bookmarks, coasters, etc.). I tend to sew when I've lost my tuits for reading (such as on buses when I feel sick) or can't find any books I want to read.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Me too. I've done two book marks and a coaster this year, already.

[paranoidangel]

I do rabbits. I have done the odd other thing, but only when I can't find a rabbit pattern.

I don't like backstitch, it's never as interesting as cross stitch. I hate big blocks of colour and the opposite where it's almost like a random sprinkling of colour. I'm doing one at the moment where the rabbit is wearing a pink tutu, and doing the tutu was such a pain, for random blocks of pinks, that doing the border is actually quite nice in comparison.

I cross stitch while watching TV, because I get bored just watching TV. I find it really good for listening to radio/audio plays because otherwise I'm too easily distracted. I find that looking at them sometimes reminds me of what I was watching while I was doing a particular bit.

I find it relaxing. You race to finish one and then don't quite know what to do with yourself - it's never quite the same when you start a new one. Although I can't do too much because I gave myself RSI in my thumb that way.

[headgardener.livejournal.com]

Somewhere I have a nice little green frog on navy linen, half finished in cross-stitch. But mostly I do tapestry: one of the Lady and Unicorn series has been sittings in the working-frame for err, several years now while I've done other stuff like knitting and Barbie doll clothes. Eyesight used to be much sharper -- though I know that I can always wear glasses to see it. I generally do hand-crafts during TV-watching, so that they make use of otherwise sinfully wasted time.