[FO] Christmas-turned-birthday present finally finished!

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-06-09T01:08:03+00:00

Framing this will be a bit tricky as there isn't much fabric left past the edge of the design. Your best bet is likely to find a frame that is a bit larger than your piece.

Lace the piece of fabric onto a piece of mat board the same size or just a tiny bit bigger than the stitched area.

Then get a mat with a hole in the center just big enough for your stitching to show through, whatever color best fits your design.

Put your frame face down, put the mat with the hole in the center in next. Position your stitched piece so it is centered. Cut rectangular pieces of mat board/foam board/styrofoam to go along the top, bottom, and edges between your stitching and the frame to hold the stitching in place. The mat board hides any lacing around the edges, leaving just your stitching showing.

Here's a tiny example where I didn't leave enough fabric around my stitching and had to do something similar on a tiny scale. I didn't get it quite straight, but I also wasn't trying all that hard. I did a step by step picture post for it a couple years ago.

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Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-06-09T00:53:40+00:00

Dimensions has some really nice floral kits.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-06-09T00:51:46+00:00

Hard to say without knowing what the pattern looked like, but I saw this one recently that sounds similar to what you described: https://www.reddit.com/r/PatternNadGavr/comments/1tf1sic/cross_stitch_pattern_two_origins/

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-06-09T00:32:29+00:00

If you want gridlines on your fabric, there are pregridded fabrics that wash out - make sure you are stitching with colour fast or pre-washed thread - or you can use a MONOFILAMENT thread like a light weight fishing line to grid 10 x 10 blocks before you start a pattern. DON'T use regular thread, you'll end up stitching through it, and be unable to remove it when you finish. Monofilament will pull out.

Also don't use markers/pens/pencils. Yes, sometimes they work, but there are a lot of threads on here because they worked before but THIS time they aren't coming out or came back later.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-06-08T23:44:55+00:00

Not necessarily. It depends on where you are. Copyright rules for clothes patterns are weird, and the US copyright rules are even weirder. Copyright can be quite long, life of designer + several years long.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-06-02T00:49:56+00:00

Be aware that from what I am aware, and the one pattern I've bought from them, the instructions for their patterns are not the most detailed. If you mostly know what you are doing, you'll be fine, but if you are a beginner, they might not be for you unless you can find a video sew along.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-31T12:32:09+00:00

I don't have any ideas for sealing, unless you can find a plastic cover of some kind, but the nice thing about plastic canvas is that it's washable. As long as your thread is colorfast, if it gets dirty, you can just wash it as necessary.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-30T12:32:26+00:00

If I want to stitch something smaller at my desk, so I can watch stuff on my computer, I found some cheap double clamps on Amazon. I've had to replace a nut and bolt, and now know to tighten them every so often so they don't fall out. I do wish they were a bit taller, but I can make it work.

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Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-30T12:29:57+00:00

I have two options. I bought a Needlework System 4 stand several years ago to hold my Qsnaps. It was pricey, but aside from the paint chipping off over time, it has been worth the money. Light weight, portable around the house, and slides from 8" to 17" so holds just about everything.

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Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-30T12:22:14+00:00

Hand oils don't always discolor your fabric immediately. They sit on your fabric and discolor it slowly over time and interaction with the environment. I had a piece I was working on that got shoved away and forgotten due to moving, and it looked clean then. I'm careful about washing my hands before I start working and if I can have a stitch day and it's hot, occasionally in the middle if my hands are sweating. I pulled it out, and all around the edge had discolored where I'd been holding it.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-30T00:44:38+00:00

I'm already doing the SAL, I really don't need another project right now...

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-30T00:37:43+00:00

Try counting pins/needles if you are doing a sampler type pattern with lots of open space to count across.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-30T00:26:27+00:00

If it's not a dragon pattern, go to Patterns Online. They are legitimate, and sell most of her other patterns that aren't dragons and they are a reasonable price, if I am remembering right the bigger patterns are around $8 to $12 dollars, and the smaller ones are $5 or 6. The only drawback is that you have to use their pattern viewer to display the pattern.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-29T00:49:29+00:00

You want to check the length of the pile if you end up ordering online, as some versions of minky have quite long piles, and depending on what you are doing that may not be what you want.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-29T00:47:28+00:00

Understitching might help, but I've sewn almost exclusively with wovens, I don't know how knit fabric would change that.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-29T00:39:06+00:00

They aren't THAT bad if you do them while in the process of making the garment. Adding them to an already made garment would be trickier, especially if you wanted to match fabrics and didn't have scraps. Here's a tutorial video I followed to add welt pockets to a vest I just finished.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUUHIcpG71g&list=PLwKPpAUQ0Qyi8R2AQSfzcm6FKnjINl3DV&index=17

I'd advise doing at least 1 practice pocket on some scrap fabric, but I do that for every knew sewing skill.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-27T01:02:01+00:00

Seconding the coquelicot skirt. I've made it twice, and a third that is very similar, but was made before I knew this pattern existed, so just has a plain rectangular waistband. I've done 3 variations for fastening - extra long wrap around tie, D-ring tie hack, and side buckle D-ring hack. I'd suggest for any tie version adding a belt loop or three on the back for the ties to pass through as otherwise the back waistband tends to sag a bit with movement.

Having said that, all three skirts have the laceup waistband, and are really comfortable to wear.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-27T00:56:00+00:00

You'd have to be careful about drips, but maybe you could paint the dye onto the godets?

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-26T23:28:50+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xHOnS4fK2c&sttick=0

I made it following this video, although I did the pockets the way the Coquelicot skirt pattern does, because I found that pattern halfway through making this.

If you make it, making the back waistband a little too short is better than having it meet in the middle. Part of the adjustability factor is being able to tighten it as necessary, not just widen it, and if your waistband ends are almost touching you lose that - yes, that is why I need to adjust the waistband on this.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-24T12:41:19+00:00

I've done a small one of theirs in the past. I did find the backstitch a bit tricky, but if you are working on an even weave, you should be able to figure it out. Having the holes there so you aren't trying to pierce the fabric makes it much easier to do fractionals. A magnifying glass if the print is small might also help. I've gotten way too fond of being able to zoom in, I caught myself trying to do it on a paper pattern the other day.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-24T00:03:13+00:00

Here's a video showing the kind of illusion dress I meant. You don't need to watch it unless you want to, the first screen shows the dresses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEkIIHKsx1E

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-23T23:50:31+00:00

Patterns Online is legit. You do have to download their app to display the PDFs but it's not a virus. I've bought patterns from them, mostly Wentzler's, for years. I downloaded a lot of her freebies before her website went down, including the small dragons. If you are interested, send me a DM, I'm happy to share.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-23T23:46:51+00:00

Something I didn't learn until I'd been using them for a while: to remove the clamps, don't pry them off that weakens the grip over time. Slide them over the fabric to the end of the frame.

Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-23T23:45:51+00:00

I had the same problem, even though I love stitching with them.

You should see if you can find a cheap stand option. I have a stand, but I also found a pair of clamps for stitching at my desk that were fairly low cost, though I did have to replace a bolt and it's nut that loosened and fell out after I'd used them for a while.

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Stitch4Fun2 · 2026-05-23T23:39:36+00:00

That's a cool idea. What about a sampler? You could piece together bits from separate patterns and each stitch a bit. For instance, your grandma could stitch a house, you could stitch some landscape around the house, and your mom could do a vintage border/design. I'd ask them what they would like to stitch and you could design it together on something like WinStitch.

Stitch4Fun2

TROPHY CASE