Ann Logan

Tension in your stitching is by far the easiest thing to correct, especially if you’re using a hoop – pull tight but not so tight that you stretch the hole at all. If you stitch in hand you have to be more careful.

I find that pulling the thread mostly through and then using my little finger in the hand holding the needle to “flick” the tail the final bit gives perfect tension and is reproducible for each stitch. Pay attention to the tension you’re applying as, if you stitch in different directions or do “patches” of stitching over the piece, you’ll pull it in weird directions.

As you stitch cross stitches, the floss tends to twist and eventually knot. The simple solution is to frequently dangle the needle and floss allowing it to untwist. Once you get into a routine, you will do this without thinking. Until you do, consciously take this step every few stitches.