Tips for working "in the hand"

Hello everyone,
I'm new to working counted thread embroidery and have been reading
voraciously since I became interested in the craft a few months ago. I
started seeing references to working without hoops or frames, and
became curious. I grew up doing a lot of crewel work and always worked
with stretched fabrics kept tight as a drum on frames or hoops. I
always assumed that was necessary for counted stitch techniques as well.

But according to all that I've read, it's clear that it isn't always
necessary. So now I'm curious! How does one work "in the hand?" How do
you maintain consistent tension on the fabric to keep the stitches
even? I couldn't find any instructions specifically on how to do it,
but I've played around a little myself over the past few days. It seems
to work if I drape the cloth over my index finger and hold it steady
with my thumb, but I only seem to be able to manage that along the
edges of the fabric. How would one do this in the middle of, say, an
18" piece of fabric?

It seems like a useful technique to have in one's toolbox. I will
always love working two-handed on frames, because that's how I grew up
working. But I can see that working in the hand could be fun, too, if I
could just figure out how to do it!

Thanks in advance for your help,
Elaine

------------
Elaine Benfatto
Cambridge, Mass USA

elaine wrote:

Hello everyone,
I'm new to working counted thread embroidery and have been reading
voraciously since I became interested in the craft a few months ago. I
started seeing references to working without hoops or frames, and became
curious. I grew up doing a lot of crewel work and always worked with
stretched fabrics kept tight as a drum on frames or hoops. I always
assumed that was necessary for counted stitch techniques as well.

But according to all that I've read, it's clear that it isn't always
necessary. So now I'm curious! How does one work "in the hand?" How do
you maintain consistent tension on the fabric to keep the stitches even?
I couldn't find any instructions specifically on how to do it, but I've
played around a little myself over the past few days. It seems to work
if I drape the cloth over my index finger and hold it steady with my
thumb, but I only seem to be able to manage that along the edges of the
fabric. How would one do this in the middle of, say, an 18" piece of
fabric?

I don't even own a frame, much less use one (though
I do have a couple of hoops for those rare occasions that
I feel I really need something), so I'll try to explain, though
I don't know how well I'll do.
I have my left hand thumb and forefinger on top
of the fabric and the rest of my fingers below. (If
I'm working towards the middle, I roll the fabric so
that it fits). Then, I pinch the fabric between my
forefinger and middle finger above where I'm working,
and between my thumb and ring finger below where I'm
working. With that, I can control the tension on
the fabric quite handily. I can also change the
tension to accommodate different stitches (doing
some by "stabbing" and others by "sewing") at will.
Occasionally, my left hand gets fatigued if I stitch
for a really long time on a large piece; however, I rarely
get to stitch for a really long time at one sitting, so
it doesn't matter much to me in practice ;-)
I do all sorts of different forms of needlework
in hand that way, including surface embroidery, cross-stitch,
other counted work, and even pulled work. I know this horrifies
some ;-) Every once in a blue moon I find a combination of
ground fabric and needlework style that requires me
to stretch my fabric, in which case I do. For instance,
I don't do silk gauze work in hand. But nearly everything
else I do ;-)

Best wishes,
Ericka

elaine wrote:

But according to all that I've read, it's clear that it isn't always
necessary. So now I'm curious! How does one work "in the hand?" How do
you maintain consistent tension on the fabric to keep the stitches
even?

I don't. Keep tension on the fabric, that is. I do keep the stitches
even.

I roll the fabric from one edge to the other (*), unroll to the point
where I'm stitching, hold the roll in my non-stitching hand, and
stitch. When I get about halfway across or up/down the project, I
roll from the other side and turn the chart over.

(*) depending on whether it's a horizontal or vertical piece, I'll
roll from the top or from a side.

It requires a certain amount of practice, and doesn't work with all
fabrics (although the only piece I've *had* to put on a frame is TW
Carousel, which is fairly large and I'm doing it on a floppy fabric).
I've successfully stitched in hand on linen, Jobelan, Lugana, and
aida. Zweigart linen is easier to use 'in hand' than Wichelt...the
Wichelt is more loosely woven and tends to slide.

One of my current projects is satin stitch in silk on linen. I'm
doing it in hand.

I use a frame for canvaswork, but do almost all my other stitching in
hand (including a split stitch geometric band on the ends of a
rectangular linen veil).

jenn
--
Jenn Ridley

WIP: Art Stitch Rose Trio, Emperor's Coat, FrankenFlora, Halloween Circle
Most recently Finished: Santa Christmas Stocking, Will Work for Freezer Space, Turnberry Ridge

I read Brenda's and Jenn's replies, both good ones.

As you can see, everyone finds their "way". It depends upon the fabric,
the project, and practise. Tia Mary and I use very long lengths of
thread because we learned that way, and because we don't mind wasting
thread if it gets worn out. Depending upon the ground, thread can last
a long time, or a short time.

Same with working cross stitch "in hand". You practise, you develop a
sense of tension. You usually use the sewing method.

Sewing method: Needle goes in and out in one motion (at the same time).

Stab method: Needle goes in, other hand grabs from behind and pokes it
up. First hand used grabs and pulls through. In some cases, one hand
does all the work, in others, two hands. Depends upon the person, how
they learned, what they are doing (framed or in hand).

Just because a piece is framed doesn't mean you can't use the sewing
method. It depends upon the fabric and how tightly you frame it up.

You see, there are NO absolutes. There are guidelines based on the
experience of those whom answer the question. A lot of that is based on
who taught them. There are regional differences in approach, familial
differences. The list is endless.

As Brenda mentioned, there is *some* embroidery that MUST be framed.
Most, however, can go one way or the other. Cross stitch is in that
category.

Contrary to popular belief and a few experiences, hoops will not damage
fabric or stitches. Hoops have been around as long as frames, and they
are used by professionals as well as amateurs. The main problem with
hoops is leaving them on for prolonged periods of time. The other
problem is using them properly so that you don't distort the ground.
But that's usually only a problem on fine, fine fabrics. Heftier
fabrics don't usually suffer that fate.

Whether you use a hoop, frame, or stitch in hand, you will have to learn
to control tension. How you do that differs by method. The only way to
figure it out is to do it.

Dianne

How does one work "in the hand?" BRBR

There's an excellent discussion of this and lots more of cross stitch "issues"
on Kathy Dyer's site in her Cross Stitch Tutorial:

http://users.rcn.com/kdyer.dnai/faqs/xstitch_tut.html

I stitch "in hand" using the sewing method on big, bulky projects like an
afghan or a tablecloth, and for casual projects that are going to get a lot of
wear, like dish towels. The biggest advantage of the sewing method is that it
is about twice as fast as "stitch and stab" because fewer hand movements are
required to complete a stitch.

HTH, Annie

Yep. That about sums up what we've been saying. g
As for the part on "hoops", I've heard it all before. Bind your hoop if
you use one, and when the binding gets dirty, put new on it.

Hoops don't wreck stitches.

Now, I don't care if you don't want to use a hoop and prefer your
favorite fill-in-the-blank appliance, or none at all. Remember: in
Asian countries they glue down the fabric to the frame. ---I can hear
you all fainting as I post this.

People who have problems with hoops usually have cheap hoops (won't keep
the fabric taut and the screw won't tighten down or strips easily), or
they leave them on for prolonged periods (weeks or months). You're
asking for trouble in those situations, but even at that, there is often
a remedy - though not always. Stitchers often don't know HOW to use a
hoop, which is a trick to learn.

And if you hop on over to http://www.embroider-now.com and read the
January issue, you'll see our famous RCTNer Stefania Bressan's article
on hoops, which absolutely tickles my fancy and sheds a great deal of
light on the entire subject.

Dianne
FKBABB wrote:
How does one work "in the hand?" BRBR

There's an excellent discussion of this and lots more of cross stitch "issues"
on Kathy Dyer's site in her Cross Stitch Tutorial:

http://users.rcn.com/kdyer.dnai/faqs/xstitch_tut.html

I stitch "in hand" using the sewing method on big, bulky projects like an
afghan or a tablecloth, and for casual projects that are going to get a lot of
wear, like dish towels. The biggest advantage of the sewing method is that it
is about twice as fast as "stitch and stab" because fewer hand movements are
required to complete a stitch.

HTH, Annie

I've never used a hoop or frame. I like working "in hand" because I can feel
the tension of each stitch when I'm pulling the floss through the hole. Many
of the projects I do are big. The fabric lies across my lap. My right hand is
under the fabric; my left one is on top. I use the "stabbing" motion: poke
upward with my right hand; poke downward with my left.

Elaine said,

This works the best for me (except for the occasional careless upward poke that
leaves what I'm wearing stitched to the fabric grin - it's aggravating to
have to frog one's clothes).

Jackie in Virginia

Elaine said,
How would one do this in the middle of, say, an 18" piece of fabric?


Jacqueline Tindall

I suggest doing an area with a hoop and then without a hoop and see
which one looks the best.

Personally I use a hoop as I can see a difference I don't like in the
tension without using it.


Design a stitching good day,
Janet
http://www.jmddesigns.co.nz
http://www.masterstitch.co.uk
Get the JMD Newsletter:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jmdnewsletter/

Hi Elaine

I work in hand, from top left corner, horizontally and end at the
bottom right corner.

After basting and gridding, My unused material at the bottom is
started and rolled on a hardwood dowel rod, then the dowel rod and
material is slid into a clear plastic sleeve (like Aida comes in).
Except the sleeve is split end to end so the sleeve works like a wrap
to keep the downside of the aida from getting dirty and gives me a
wrist rest so to speak.

The top of the material is rolled onto a dowel and clamped at the raw
edges of the material.

As I work my way across the material filling downward with
cross-stitches, I will reach a point where there is too much material
floating. at that time I will rewind the material down to a
comfortable working position and reclamp the edges again.

I pull my stitches snug but not tight, so as not to distort the fabric
or cause a skew in it.

TTUL
Gary