Notes on Various Techniques from Experienced Stitchers
Shippo Technique Notes - MarianP
- Pre prick 4 holes along each side of the lozenges do not prick holes at the tips
- lay foundation in same direction as weft
- lay holding lines in grid to match design with lozenges laying in centre of grid lines
- cut out enough lozenges out of paper the thickness of envelope paper. Just barely cut the design line off. All lozenges to be identical
- lay out a plan of colors for the lozenges trying to have at least one full circle in one colour
- prick 4 holes on each side of the lozenges without pricking a hole at the tips
- if you have small magnets you can use them to temporarily hold the lozenges in place as you stitch them into place
- alternatively, make up some wheat paste or use a small dab of glue stick
Stitching Foundations Notes - NancyT
One trick I learned from Shirley Mae when stitching foundations. When your foundation is finished, put a light under your frame and shine the light through the foundation. If you have areas without enough threads, they show up as a lighter area. Just add a thread to fill it in.
And, here's a tip I learned from Mary Alice, my teaching guru in Texas. On the twisted foundations where you plan to stitch superimposed elements, she
suggested using short stitch holding (SSH) to stabilize the foundation threads. When you stitch on top of this foundation, the threads do not move, it is
easier to stitch and gives a nicer result. The box chart tells you to add
the short stitch holding after the superimposed elements are stitched. Doing the SSH before is very time consuming but does make doing the
superimposed stitching easier. If you have twisted your foundation
threads with the same consistent amount of twist, the SSH holding threads lie
in the twists and are quite hidden. You really have to hunt to find them.