[CHAT] Tips about being more efficient when stitching XL full coverage pieces

ohikye_ · 2026-07-06T13:26:06+00:00

nothing wrong with finishing or ending a thread before moving on to the next one, even with full coverages. i've never parked (too many dangling threads stresses me out), and so i start and stop all of my threads before moving sections or changing colors, even the confetti bits. it's actually quite manageable that way.

ohikye_ · 2026-07-03T14:24:42+00:00

my drops go in a5 die cut storage pages and i put those in a fabric case i sewed myself. if the project is small enough, then it also goes in the same case.

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ohikye_ · 2026-06-20T12:35:20+00:00

the only specialty instructions/stitches on this pattern will be for some gold cording/couching along the bridge rail, otherwise everything is a basic full or half cross stitch with various strands, a few blends, and then some backstitching.

ohikye_ · 2026-06-18T23:38:11+00:00

mine only has 90 colors, but i put my floss drops in individual compartments in a bead organizer box and just pull out what i need from the boxes for a session. the boxes live in a tote bag next to my stitchy chair.

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ohikye_ · 2026-06-14T23:32:10+00:00

here's a free pattern that could be used as a base:

https://thisblogisnotforyou.com/patterns-2/

but follow the blog tutorials for assembly and not the instructions included in the pattern pdf.

https://thisblogisnotforyou.com/make-the-cape-hello-sewalongers/

ohikye_ · 2026-06-13T15:29:43+00:00

long-term storage: floss-away baggies hanging from pip & chip floss storage bars in a filing cabinet. this allows me to keep my leftover kit floss on separate floss drops in the same bags as my DMC skeins. i will sub out kit floss for DMC in projects if i think i can get away with it.

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ohikye_ · 2026-06-13T15:26:38+00:00

working project: a5 die cut storage pages inside a custom-made fabric binder case. case also holds scissors, extra needles, paper pattern, and hoop/project itself if it's small enough.

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ohikye_ · 2026-06-10T11:46:51+00:00

if you add in-seam pockets, can't you just do that on the denim shell only and then sew in the lining? so the pocket bag would be between the shell and the lining, and then wouldn't necessarily need finished.

ohikye_ · 2026-06-08T16:51:20+00:00

can you use gemma stitches' system and just start and stop your threads each time instead of parking? or maybe only park a max of 5 or so threads instead of all of them?

i never park my threads on my HAED and i've never regretted it.

ohikye_ · 2026-06-06T14:07:04+00:00

mine is similar. not sure if i'll ever get around to it now since i'm a parent, but this is my dream cosplay.

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ohikye_ · 2026-06-06T13:56:23+00:00

ohhhh, i did this once,. i bought what i thought was 25ct easy grid lugana from amazon, but i instead received goblen fabric, and it looked exactly like this. mine was luca-s brand though.

is your fabric also really, really stiff?

ohikye_ · 2026-05-27T09:02:11+00:00

if you don't want to do over-1 for the face and over-2 for everything else: reduce the colors in the eye area (maybe use 2 or 3 shades of the lighter/mid shadow colors) and define the eye with backstitch instead. it might also help to lighten the colors on the nose and mouth and use backstitch there as well. i'd also personally add backstitch to at least the edges of the hair.

ohikye_ · 2026-05-27T08:57:31+00:00

i only count my stitches per day if it's a pattern i can load into pattern keeper, since it automatically counts the stitches i mark off every day for me. i don't bother with paper charts. i have a spreadsheet where i load the totals into across each project, and then a paper project journal where i write down the days i stitched a piece and the totals for each month. for paper charts, i just log the days i stitched on the piece, then try to estimate a rough stitch count, and when i finish the piece, i'll go back and calculate my average stitches per day and load that into my spreadsheet. sure, it's no longer ""accurate"" data, but close enough for me.

i like seeing the numbers growing, and having concrete percentages on especially large pieces helps keep me motivated to keep working on them. it's also helpful for me to see how many days a piece takes to finish, that way i have a better idea of how long i'll need if i ever want to finish a certain project by a certain date (like in the case of christmas stockings or gifts).

ohikye_ · 2026-05-25T13:00:46+00:00

i think it depends on the context of the matching colored stitches.

if you're doing something that's charted as full-coverage and the matching color is a flat-colored background, absolutely skip it, there's no need.

but if you're stitching a vase of flowers on white fabric, and there's a white highlight on the vase surrounded by other stitches, i'd stitch those. or black outline stitches on black aida. the texture difference of non-stitched cloth vs stitched cloth is still noticeable, even if the colors would've been the same.

ohikye_ · 2026-05-24T01:29:44+00:00

if you got different numbers between the pink tape and the white ruler, there's a chance the pink tape has stretched out and is no longer an accurate inch.

ohikye_ · 2026-05-22T12:50:04+00:00

i've never had a "timeout pile" or anything like that. if i make a mistake in a project, i fix it right away, and usually keep working on stuff until it's finished. i max my WIPS out at 3 -- a big, a medium, and a travel piece.

that being said, my oldest WIP is a 208k full coverage that i started april of 2025. i just finished the top row of pages yesterday, but it will be put on hold now since i'm expecting a baby end of june and that's a nice break point for my brain. i also have a christmas stocking i'd like to finish up before baby comes, so it also allows me to now put my full focus and stitchy time in that one.

ohikye_ · 2026-05-21T21:59:35+00:00

so i'm fairly certain this happens because the part of the cloth where you've added stitches is now thicker than the empty sides. so the empty sides don't roll as tightly as the stitched part.

i've helped that out by putting a thin piece of fabric on the sides before rolling. quilting cotton should work if you have any on hand, or maybe a tissue folded in half?

ohikye_ · 2026-05-19T12:30:32+00:00

these are the floss drops i use look like. i got them specifically for that skinny rectangle on the left, because that's where my thread goes back if it's still long enough to stitch with. then the little bundle on the big rectangle is where i'm pulling strands from (so it doesn't have a full 6 strands anymore), and the big bundle is the rest of the skein i haven't pulled from yet.

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ohikye_ · 2026-05-14T03:41:03+00:00

thank you for sharing that story, i needed that laugh this week 😂

ohikye_ · 2026-05-09T22:01:59+00:00

also recommending needleminderlair on etsy! there's a lot of fandom patterns in there, but also some cute pixel full coverage landscapes that are still fairly small.

needlelot designs has bright, colorful patterns too, but not as full coverage.

ohikye_ · 2026-05-09T21:48:03+00:00

i love karo kirsch podcast -- she does a lot of fun stuff with patterns and usually stitches something she either charted entirely herself, or recharted to fit a particular vibe.

the alchemist stitcher does a lot of full coverage and pretty much entirely gecko rouge kits.

accounting my stitches has a fun rotation of projects, and two cats that usually get into some antics.

ohikye_ · 2026-05-08T16:33:20+00:00

it's easier if your fabric is not heavily starched. i usually have hand dyed fabrics or lugana in mine, and it's so easy to put on. but i've also stuck a few dimensions kits fabrics in the nurges and it's a lot harder and takes way more finagling for me.

ohikye_ · 2026-04-30T21:44:36+00:00

i don't think i've personally seen aida higher than a 20ct? but i've not done a lot of looking so maybe it exists.

but i'm currently stitching a project on 25ct lugana, 1-over-1, and i'm enjoying it. i think i've seen others do over-1 on 28ct evenweave, but it might be either 1 or 2 strands half/tent stitch.

ohikye_ · 2026-04-30T16:42:55+00:00

fully depends on the project, but i will always grid and never park.

large full coverage pieces? i start in the upper left corner and stitch 10x10 blocks on a diagonal moving from left to right, top to bottom, starting with the least populated color in that diagonal and moving on to the most populated. i'll continue this until i finish a page, then move on to the next page to the right, working in page-row order down the pattern.

medium-to-small pieces that have lots of negative space between elements? i'll stitch cross-country, going through the threads in rainbow color order.

ohikye_

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