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| KNOW-HOW |
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Follow these simple steps and avoid making a heartbreaking mistake when following a chart ...
1. Make a photocopy to work from. This will keep your chart in good condition so you can use it again. Try enlarging your chart, too. This will make it easier to see the symbols.
2. Photocopy a large chart in overlapping sections on A4 paper so you don't have to fold it. The symbols along the fold will become lost as you fold and unfold the chart over time.
3. Highlight the brand of thread you're stitching the design with. The keys to all the charts in Origin stitching magazines list the brand used by the designer of the chart in the first column and equivalents for the other brands in the remaining columns.
4. Draw the symbols next to the correct colour on your thread organiser to save time.
5. Double-check whether you need to stitch in one, two or three strands, and if the design is meant to be stitched over two threads of the fabric, before you start stitching.
6. Look out for areas that may be stitched in both one and two strands of the same colour. There will be a separate symbol in each case.
7. Start stitching in the centre of your chart. This will ensure your finished design is centred on your fabric. Find the centre of your fabric by folding it in half both ways.
8. Make a whole cross stitch for each symbol on the chart. When you see a tiny symbol in the corner of a square, make a three-quarter or quarter stitch in that colour.
9. Keep your place on the chart by marking off the symbols as you complete the cross stitches they represent.
10. Work all the cross stitches and fractional stitches before the backstitch. It's essential the backstitch lines run over the top of the cross stitch so that they stand out.
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