The World of Cross Stitching - UK (2020-01)

36 The World of Cross Stitching http://www.cross-stitching.com

Your Questions Answered

C

an you tell me how

to convert a stitching

project from 16- to

14-count aida fabric?

Deborah De Franco

Festa, via Instagram

Heather: Converting

your design area into

different fabric types is an

easy process, as you just

divide the stitch count by

the HPI (holes per inch)

of the fabric. So, if your

design had a count of 100

stitches high, this would

make it approx. 7in on

14-count aida, compared

with 6¼in on 16-count.

Just remember the smaller

the count, the bigger the

design will be.

QU ICK

Q&A

H

ow do I know how

much of each colour

thread to buy to complete

the designs in your

magazine please?

Teresa Gargett,

via Facebook

Fiona: The majority of

our patterns use only

one skein or less of each

colour, unless indicated on

the key for the particular

design. We always list

multiple skein information

at the bottom of the key,

underneath the stitch

count and design area

details. This information

is based upon a full

8m skein being used to

help you when you’re

purchasing your materials.

Cassie Ruth: All the

tiny threads are kept in a jar

to fill pin cushions or tree

ornaments and off-cuts of

aida are used to make gift

tags for Christmas. I never

really throw anything away

and use just about everything.

Louise Maxwell: I’m

currently stitching mini tags

just with leftover threads.

Gill Colling: Leftover

threads get used in other

crafts, such as card making

and jewellery making, and

even used as toy stuffing!

Fiona Christie: If it’s a

small card kit and I’ve only

used half of each colour I

stitch the design again on my

own aida. If it’s from a larger

kit, or there’s not enough

thread of every colour to

stitch the design again, it

goes in ‘the jar’ – an old

coffee jar I store my leftover

threads in. I’ve made at least

three small pictures just using

the threads from it, along

with countless cards. I think

I might need to get a bigger

jar though as I can’t use the

thread up as quickly as I fill it!

Jennie Bonham: I keep

leftover thread in a zipper

bag. When I need an odd

colour for something small,

usually Christmas decorations,

I’ll root through the bag and

find something I need.

Lynne O’Connor: All

my threads are wound on

bobbins and organised by

number into trays made by

my husband, so I can see

them at a glance. I use up

off-cuts of fabric on smaller

projects and cards for friends.

Sarah Winders: I label

my leftover threads and keep

them tidy in a small container.

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Colour match

Q

My next project is the ‘Henry VIII’

portrait in issue 285 (Oct 2019), but I’ve

found when comparing the thread

conversions in the magazine with conversion

charts I own that there are differences

between the numbers. Is there a universal

conversion chart that you use for the

projects in the magazine?

Mrs Williams, via email

A

Fiona: You’re right that some of our

conversions may be slightly different to

others you’ve found online. Unfortunately,

there isn’t a universal conversion chart for

the thread brands, mostly because there are

different quantities of shades that each

brand produces. The colours also aren’t

exact matches, so it’s not a case of directly

swapping one for another. We create our

own conversions based on as close a colour

match as we can find, but also considering

how shades ‘blend’ with each other, to give

as natural-looking a result as possible. We

also sometimes have to change duplicates in

individual projects as some of the shades

might convert to the same

colour in other brands. My

advice would be to stick with

our conversions in the key, as they’ve been

done with the specific project in mind. It

might look a bit different to the photo if

you’re stitching in a different brand to us (we

stitch our models using the first column on

the keys), so just be aware that a different

brand might give a slightly different result.

TECHNIQUE FOCUS

Colour match

There isn’t a universal conversion

chart between thread brands

KNOW

• HOW

Ready thready

It’s always listed in the key if

you need more than one skein