Don’t Let the Dark Cloth Scare You--Tools That Make Stitching on Dark Aida Easier
Posted by Tracey M. Kramer on 18th Jul 2019
Are you one of those people
who passes up the opportunity to stitch a spectacular cross
stitch pattern just because it was stitched on black or navy
Aida cloth? Say no more. You have to admit the pattern you saw
was strikingly beautiful or it would not have caught your
attention in the first place. It’s common knowledge that images
stitched on black, navy or any other dark cloth really stand out
BIG TIME! The dark background brings out the colors of the
images and really makes them pop like never before. But, you
don’t have to stay away from them; instead choose to embrace
them!
There are several tools
available you can use to deal with stitching on dark cloth.
First of all, if you’re going to stitch on dark cloth, I would
highly recommend Aida cloth. I would not recommend stitching on
evenweave fabric as it would be virtually impossible to see the
holes. For starters, choose a lower count Aida cloth in your
favorite dark color like 14ct which works just fine. You can
even stitch successfully with 16ct or 18ct, but the higher up
you go in count, the more difficult it becomes on black cloth,
but since it’s Aida cloth, you should have no major difficulty
stitching on the three counts I mentioned. Anything higher than
that will increase the difficulty.
A handy tool to use that will illuminate the holes better involves using a lightboard. If placed on the lap, the light will shine from the bottom and illuminate the holes making it possible to stitch. If you don’t have a lightboard, a white pillowcase or even a white sheet of paper will do just fine. Use of a lap frame which would allow you to place a lightboard or a white sheet underneath your work would also be a big help.
A handy tool to use that will illuminate the holes better involves using a lightboard. If placed on the lap, the light will shine from the bottom and illuminate the holes making it possible to stitch. If you don’t have a lightboard, a white pillowcase or even a white sheet of paper will do just fine. Use of a lap frame which would allow you to place a lightboard or a white sheet underneath your work would also be a big help.
A lighted magnifier also makes seeing your work better and reduces eye strain when trying to see the holes.
Speaking of patterns with black backgrounds, there is a fine new collection called The Black Collection featured at Sunrays Creations Needlearts where you will have a host of spectacular patterns of this sort to choose from at:
https://www.sunrayscreations.
You may need to take a few breaks every now and then when stitching on dark cloth, but try to make good use of your time and multitask. The important thing is to remember to stay positive and soon you will see your pattern come alive with color!