A while ago (like 5 years, LOL), I gathered together an assortment of stitching tips provided by stitchers, that can make our stitching lives easier.  Since we have reduced the number of blogs we keep on the site, some great information has been cleared off... so I'm gathering the best of the best, (GBG), and sharing them with you again.

So... let's talk about SCISSORS!  I know I love mine, and woe betide the hubby who thinks he can grab my fabric scissors to cut the rope on the chicken!!  They needn't be expensive as there are a lot of good quality scissors at reasonable prices, but ensure they are used for stitching only - never to be used on paper! The ends will stay nice and sharp if they only cut fibres and you won't have any chewed or frayed ends at the back of your stitched piece. Why shouldn't the back look nice, too?!"  (FYI, we carry a line of very nice scissors for only $15 or less)!

And we all know how important a good LIGHT is, and if it has a MAGNIFIER, even better!  Now I tend to watch tv when I stitch, but found it hard to do with my bifocals - I generally remove my glasses to stitch (don't need them for close work, but need them to watch tv) ... so either my DH had to tell me what I just missed, or I back up the PVR to see it (LOVE my PVR!).  Anyway, I don't want to turn this blog into a commercial, LOL, but once I started using the fantastic light with magnifier (that we sell), I am delighted to report that the magnifier makes it possible to keep my glasses on while I stitch... so I can now watch tv too!  The only problem is, I love my light so much I can hardly stitch w/o it now, ROFLOL.

One more suggestion about lights... keep the lamp on the opposite side of your stitching hand (so if you're right handed, put your light on the left), that way you avoid casting shadows on yourself...

OK, let's talk a bit about STORAGE ... try using a clean pillowcase to store the project you're working on in, to keep everything clean and dust free!  I might add that if you have several projects on the go, you could put the pattern picture in a plastic bag, clip it to the pillowcase with those big black bulldog clips, then use the clips of the bulldog to hang each project on a hanger in the closet - voila, your 'in progress' projects are stored away, easily accessible, and instantly organized!

Remember, it's not a good idea to store HAND-DYED materials (fabric or floss) in plastic bags.  There can be a chemical reaction between the dyes and the chemicals in the plastic, damaging the items stored inside.  I have also heard that if you seal the plastic bag it can cause hand-dyed items to 'sweat', again damaging them, but I've never seen this happen - if you have, I'd love to hear about it.

Now, I know I just told you not to store hand-dyes in plastic bags, but now I'm going to tell you how you can store DMC in plastic bags... though I still wouldn't seal them, in case of sweating and color bleeding.  If storage is an issue sort floss in bags marked 100's, 200's etc.  When you need a color you know where to find it.  And I must admit we store our surplus floss this way, packed in a box that goes to tradeshows for re-filling our DMC drawers - though again, we don't seal the bags.

When we were talking about storage containers (a while ago), I mentioned that I love the small plastic Ferrero Rocher containers (I think it holds 12 chocolates), because they are JUST the right size for Mill Hill bead packs.  Of course you can store other things in them, why not glue a piece of magnetic tape on the inside of the lid to hold needles, then put floss and scissors in for handy storage.  Try an Altoid tin (again with magnetic tape inside the lid) for a little travel case!

Need to store patterns?  Why not put them in those plastic page protectors and puts them in a binder!  They can be sorted by type (ie wedding samplers, birth announcements) or by designer (bet X's & Oh's! is the only X, LOL).  Along similar lines... there are plastic magazine holders you can buy (to store magazines, obviously, LOL), which are simply binder ring strips that the magazine slips through - and would also work for leaflet style patterns.  And any style/size of chart can be stored easily.

OK, so here are some actual STITCHING tips... first, if your piece has a lot of orphan stitches, use a hiliter and put a dot of color on the pattern, for each stitch, so they stand out.  Color them in with a different color as you stitch.  I know from my own experience how easy it is to miss those stitches, so I personally like this tip a lot! 

And here's another great idea - if you know you're going to be sitting around somewhere (like a Doctor's office), work an area of you stitching in half-stitch, then while you're waiting you can just go over the half-stitched area and finish stitching it, w/o needing all the floss and chart etc.  This is especially useful for background or borders - what a great idea!

Whew, that's a lot of tips in one blog, LOL, hope you found something useful!  Happy stitching...