Color Change
Cross Stitches
Tips!

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This lesson is best learned by looking at the back of the fabric. There is no one "right" way. Here are two ways I keep the project neat and clear of unwanted traveling fibers from showing through to the front. There are just a few things to remember.
If you want to thread each color just once . . . 

1. Anchor each color of your floss by using the loop starting method to reduce bulk.

2. Stitch the vine first. This will give you a place to "hide" your traveling fibers. Next, stitch the leaves and flower caps and move from one to the next by slipping your threaded needle under the existing vine stitches on the back. Now you have even more hiding places.

3. Stitch the darkest flower color. Move from one flower to the next by turning your fabric to the back and slipping your threaded needle under the uppermost green stitches. Complete this stitch color in all three flowers.

4. Begin the second color but do not hide these fibers under the same green stitches. Drop a little lower so that no one place gets too bulky.

5. Repeat with the lightest color. By this time, you have run out of "hiding" places in the greens. Since this is a light color, if you travel on the diagonal you can just slip your needle under a few green stitches and then travel through some of the next flower to get to the starting point for the newest color in that flower.

 

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 If you do not want to travel your fibers at all . . . 

1. Anchor each color of your floss by using the loop starting method to reduce bulk.

2. Stitch the vine first. This will give you a place to help anchor the ending of each color. Next, stitch the leaves and flower cap and move from one to the next by slipping your threaded needle under the existing vine stitches on the back. Now, you have even more hiding places.

3. Stitch with short lengths of floss. Anchor each color of your floss by using the loop starting method to reduce bulk. Stitch the four stitches of the darkest color. Slip the ending under green stitches at the top of the flower. Clip the thread close.

4. Repeat with the other two flower colors, each time ending your fiber by slipping your threaded needle under the row just above it.

Copyright 2002 by Jean Roberts Farish.  All rights reserved. This band and the bands to complete the "Blessings" sampler are offered as a complimentary chart to the subscribers of this newsletter to create no more than 12 completed works for their own use or as gifts. Other uses are prohibited without written consent. Non-subscribing stitchers are encouraged to subscribe to this newsletter which gives implicit permission to join us in stitching this project.