The jargon of various crafts is at all times actually fascinating to me. Some phrases are common (like WIP for work in progress, or UFO for unfinished object), whereas others are particular to the craft being accomplished.
I just lately realized about a few completely different cross sew phrases I hadn’t heard of earlier than: parking and cross nation stitching.
These are humorous names for strategies of sewing giant tasks with a lot of completely different colours. Peacock and Fig has extra in-depth posts about each parking and cross nation stitching, however I’ll provide the brief model:
- Parking is a technique the place you sew the colour you’re utilizing, then discover the place you want it subsequent in your design and produce the needle up the place you’ll begin that sew. You then “park” that thread there till you come to that place, and proceed to work row by row throughout the work.
- Cross nation stitching entails working all the stitches of 1 colour all through the challenge earlier than transferring on to the subsequent colour.
Any massive tasks I’ve accomplished, I’ve used the cross nation methodology. I’m not the most effective at counting, although, so I are likely to have tasks which can be a couple of stitches off from what the designer supposed once I work this fashion, nevertheless it’s not often noticeable.
There are execs and cons to each strategies. Because you’re carrying threads throughout the again within the parking methodology, it’s going to make your again messier wanting, however because you’re working sew by sew and row by row you’ll in all probability make fewer errors. With cross nation you’ll be able to nonetheless have lengthy threads on the again in case you have an enormous soar from one part of colour to a different, and, as I discussed, it may be more durable to maintain observe of the place you’re in a sample.
And naturally you should use a mix of strategies relying on the challenge and what number of colours are concerned.
Had you heard these phrases earlier than? Are you a parker or a cross nation stitcher? I’d love to listen to your ideas.
[Photo: Peacock and Fig.]
