Need Help Please w/American Sampler

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone on the list has stitched the "American Sampler" by
Sandy Orton? I was going to start last year but life got in the way. Now I
am ready but have so many questions.

Does anyone know of a online sample or tutorial of the Queen Stitch?

Is it recommended I "graph" (not correct wording) my linen? Where would one
start?

Paula C. Hunter

Here is URL for picture of chart for sale on E-Bay. NOT AFFILATED with this
sale or seller, just posting for the picture.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tegory=34 048

What do you mean by "graph" your linen?


"Paula C. Hunter" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I was wondering if anyone on the list has stitched the "American Sampler"
by
Sandy Orton? I was going to start last year but life got in the way. Now
I
am ready but have so many questions.

Does anyone know of a online sample or tutorial of the Queen Stitch?

Is it recommended I "graph" (not correct wording) my linen? Where would
one
start?

Paula C. Hunter

Here is URL for picture of chart for sale on E-Bay. NOT AFFILATED with
this
sale or seller, just posting for the picture.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tegory=34 048

By any chance are they recomending that you grid your linen? If so, you
will use a contrasting color and weave in and out to make a grid pattern on
the cloth. You must make each square even. This helps so you can keep track
of where you are in the pattern. You will be pulling out this grid when you
are done stitching. I hope this helps.
Seaspray

I have found that if I grid a piece, it helps to do it this way:

1. Start with a piece of linen that is the size of your design, plus 3-4" on
all sides for finishing.
2. Begin the grid along the left side of the design, inside and down of the
3-4" margin.
3. Make your grid the same as the one on your pattern: If your chart is
based on 10 x 10 squares, do the same. Most patterns use 10 X 10 but I have
happened on one that used 12 x 12! (Don't remember now which one it was).
4. Grid the entire design this way, vertical and horizontal.

When you finish, your linen will be gridded exactly like the chart. You do
not need to worry about finding the center, because you have centered the
entire design by matching the grid on the pattern, within your finishing
allowance.

Maybe this is the way everybody does it, but I was originally taught to find
the center, put in the vertical and horizontal lines that crossed at the
center, then grid out from that. Those lines never matched the chart's dark
lines and I still had to count a lot! Color me slow, but it took awhile for
me to figure out that if I did the gridding the way I have described, I
could match any square on the piece without major counting!

Also, beware of doing the piece "square by square". By stitching one
complete square at a time, you stop and start the rows in such a way that
the squares show subtly when you are done. Makes the piece look like a
quilt - which is OK if that was your intention but can be disconcerting if
you weren't planning for that look.

HTH,
Pat in Illinois

Does anyone know of a online sample or tutorial of the Queen Stitch?
BRBR
There are several. If you go to www.google.com and enter "queen stitch" you
will find some. When you work it, you will see that a number of threads go
into the same hole. Don't worry about that hole getting bigger...that makes an
interesting design in a bunch of worked queen stitches. The trick in working a
queen stitch is adjusting the tension a bit looser on the two outside threads
than on the two center threads.
If the designer suggested you graph your fabric, doesn't she say where to
start? If not, you might start with a line nearest the center and work to the
sides. By the way, I used a contrasting color quilting thread to graph. It is
waxed so leaves no fuzz when it is removed and it comes out very easily. Just
make sure you remove the graph thread before you stitch into the holes where
the graph thread is. By the way, it is also much harder to catch a bit of the
quilting thread with your needle when dtitching your design. Good luck with
your sampler.
If you have any problems with graphing or the queen stitch e-mail me. I've
done a lot of both and the queen is one of my favorite stitches. Boo

"seaspray" (seaside stitcher @ yahoo. com) writes:
By any chance are they recomending that you grid your linen? If so, you
will use a contrasting color and weave in and out to make a grid pattern on
the cloth. You must make each square even. This helps so you can keep track
of where you are in the pattern. You will be pulling out this grid when you
are done stitching. I hope this helps.
Seaspray

A word of caution. Don't use embroidery floss to grid the fabric. It
tends to leave fuzz behind when it is taken out, and is easy to pierce
with a needle, making it difficult to take out. Use something like
quilters thread, or monofilament; something it is difficult, or almost
impossible to pierce, and does not leave any fuzzies behind. HTH.

--
Jim Cripwell.
The gods do not subtract from the allotted span of one's life, any
time that is spent in stitching.
Adapted from a sign on The Cobb, Lyme Regis, England.

Pat,
Oh, thanks for explaining the gridding much beter than me.....I am not too
good of an explainer.
Sea

What do you mean by "graph" your linen? BRBR

Graphing means to stitch lines on your fabric to help with the proper placement
of the design. Some stitchers graph all the time, specific number of spaces
apart, like 10. Designers might request graphs when it is not possible to
start at one point of a chart and work from there. This is done at times in
reproduction spot samplers...they have spots of stitching all over the place
and there is not way to move from one to another without endless counting (and
hopes that you have counted right) or graphs. The threads in the graph are
pulled out when the stitcher wants to, hopefully before they stitch over the
graph thread. Boo

Hi, Paula, from another Paula! I stitched this sampler back in 1994
and must have done ok with it since mine has won several shows. I am
in a lovely Yahoo group right now called Vintage Stitch that is doing
a stitch along of this sampler in 2004...they have just barely started
and if you join now you will find lots of support and answers to
questions. It really is a lovely sampler - one of my very favorites!
- and well worth the effort to stitch it. If you do a search on the
Yahoo groups and find Vintage Stitch and join it, then you can email
back and forth with other people also working on it. If you can't
find it, email me privately and I'll help you locate it. You are
welcome ANYTIME to email with questions about this sampler, anyway,
whether you join the group or not! I'll help you however I can.

To answer your first two questions briefly: The Victoria's Sampler
website has nice stitch diagrams (you have to join the club to access
them but it's no big deal and no spamming from her). I can also give
you a few tips for queen stitches. (Having taught at my now-defunct
LNS years ago I learned a few things about how to make them easier for
people!)

I did not grid this sampler. I started in the middle of mine and I am
pretty sure the Vintage Stitch group is, too. I dunno if anyone there
has gridded. There are enough small sections that I think you'll be
ok if you don't - I had no major errors when I did mine.

Best of luck and happy stitching! Paula B.




"Paula C. Hunter" wrote in message ...
Hello,

I was wondering if anyone on the list has stitched the "American Sampler" by
Sandy Orton? I was going to start last year but life got in the way. Now I
am ready but have so many questions.

Does anyone know of a online sample or tutorial of the Queen Stitch?

Is it recommended I "graph" (not correct wording) my linen? Where would one
start?

Paula C. Hunter

Here is URL for picture of chart for sale on E-Bay. NOT AFFILATED with this
sale or seller, just posting for the picture.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tegory=34 048

ARGH! I've known people who do that. You couldn't PAY me enough to go thru
all of that mess. It seems like such a waste. I was truly hoping you meant
something else.


"Boohoo1971" wrote in message
...
What do you mean by "graph" your linen? BRBR

Graphing means to stitch lines on your fabric to help with the proper
placement
of the design. Some stitchers graph all the time, specific number of
spaces
apart, like 10. Designers might request graphs when it is not possible to
start at one point of a chart and work from there. This is done at times
in
reproduction spot samplers...they have spots of stitching all over the
place
and there is not way to move from one to another without endless counting
(and
hopes that you have counted right) or graphs. The threads in the graph
are
pulled out when the stitcher wants to, hopefully before they stitch over
the
graph thread. Boo