A Rainbow Checkerboard
Diagonal Challenge #1
There are six challenges to be posted on the Official HAED Facebook page this year. The first challenge involved stitching 1000 stitches in 10x10 diagonal blocks. I pulled out Rainbow Girl for this and it was nice to change things up and work differently to normal!A Game of Chess!
I don't usually park but it made sense to do so when working in blocks. Even though lines are not meant to form working diagonally, I still felt slightly apprehensive about the possibly of this happening. I figured parking may lessen the risk by helping to even out the tension between squares.Before:
Although I kind of like the checkerboard effect, overall I didn’t take to this way of stitching and found it more time consuming than my usual preferred cross country method. I didn’t enjoy being confined to working in blocks... Having to stay in the box drove me crazy lol! I did like the fact I wasn’t reaching for floss bobbins much when working all the parked threads back in though… If parking again I would most likely not stitch in blocks and would work over a larger area.
Threads filled in:
There were thankfully no very obvious lines left in the work from the block stitching. However, I still believe there is a tendancy for lines to develop when stitching in blocks, as there were a few faint subtle lines left after filling in. These are not too much of a concern though as they look faint enough to wash and iron out. They are definitely not as dramatic as the lines that form from working in straight columns. In my opinion this makes diagonal blocks a better option than straight columns for stitchers who do enjoy working in blocks!
Magnetic Ideas
In the Challenge, I found magnets were very handy for holding parked threads out of the way. I only had small magnets handy but larger flat ones would probably be easier to work with. Magnetic needleminders also work great for holding back parked threads.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve also been using magnets to hold my charts to the fabric. This reduces paper shuffling when turning the frame over and moving around. I've found magnets very handy to work with and definitely recommend trying them out!
I’m really looking forward to the next challenge and can’t wait to find out what it is! There is still time to enter the first challenge as it doesn't close until the 15th March.
This looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteAs a cross-country stitcher I shudder at the idea of working in blocks or columns for the same reason as you. But it's nice to know no lines were left. I wonder what bizarre challenge HAED will come up with next. :)
ReplyDeleteYes Rachel! It was such a relief to have it fill in without any major hiccups! My rotation will be based around the requirements of the next Challange and whichever project suits that best. So it's also exciting not knowing which piece i'll be working on as well as not knowing what they will come up with ;)
DeleteThanks for all the information! I stitch cross country too and on a larger multi-page chart would try not to stick to one page at a time leaving a straight edge. I must Dmitry I was filled with horror when I saw this challenge - I'm glad it's worked out for you!
ReplyDelete:D There were a few others who had a similar horror filled reactions as well Justine! At one point I was unsure about going ahead with it because I didn't want my stitching to be ruined. I really wanted to participate though and I'm glad I managed to get it to work by using the parking and being careful with the tension.
DeleteI stitch cross country too & find this latest challenge from HAED a bit silly... but you did it! :) And filled it up too!! :) You've made beautiful great progress. It must be so nice to work with these beautiful colours.
ReplyDeleteI did not participate in this challenge.. My stitchworks are to valuable for me to risk these straight lines. However small parts... I just hate straight lines, unless it's a very big part of the same color.
DeleteThank you Ingrid! I'm loving the colours in this one :D
ReplyDeleteI am SOOO glad I don't have a Facebook account anymore because this challenge would have been too much for me to handle! Yours is the first I've seen filled in and I've been worried about the lines for everyone...they weren't as bad as I thought they'd be! Great job!
ReplyDeleteThank you Keebles! There were a few others sitting this Challenge out as well. There is always the option to join in on future ones though :)
DeleteSince 1 year more or less I decide to park my big projects, now I can't look back to country stitching... It's funny to see how diferent the stitchers are, but we have to do what it's more enjoyable for us.
ReplyDeleteYou made an awsome progress Megan, those colors are so beautiful =D
I remember when you made the switch to parking Karen :) It's great that you found a method that really works well for you! It just goes to show the value in trying different methods to discover personal preferences. I would definately be open to attempting an adapted version of parking again!
ReplyDeleteI'm always worried about lines with block stitching as well, I'm more more of a cross country girl. Love the colours on this
ReplyDeleteThank you! The colours have been a joy to stitch with :D
DeleteI did not join this challenge. No straight lines in my work. My works are to valuable for that. It is a funny site to see however, all these blocks as a sort of chessboard.
ReplyDeleteYour work looks just wonderful.
Thanks Natascha! Another Challenge participant was saying how she felt like a Bishop in a chess game! It has been interesting seeing all the different paths and patterns everyone has picked :)
Delete