You’ve been happily stitching all evening and you survey your work, pleased with how much you’ve managed to get done and the large area now covered. Then you notice 2 mistakes: 2 half cross stitches that should be whole ones - you’ve forgotten to cross them. What’s worse is that it’s in a colour you’d finished stitching and these 2 stitches are a long way apart on the work, so you can’t just join in thread and do both at once.
This is very common and here are a few ways to fix the problem with the minimum of fuss.
I’m basing all this article on 1 bookmark that I stitched recently. None of the mistakes in it were deliberate: it was only as I found them and knew that I’d have to fix them that the idea for this blog was formed. That is why I can confidently say that such mistakes are common…
Mistake 1: an uncrossed stitch on the edge of the primrose.
I only discovered this when doing the dark yellow backstitch round the edge of the flower. I’d worked sections of the flower in half cross stitch, then filled it back in with the second cross so that I could mark out the pattern then finish the stitching without having to refer to the chart.
I’m backstitching with a different colour and find the unfinished stitch. What to do?
Option 1: Do Nothing.
The occasional perfectionist in me was overruled by pragmatism. I hadn’t noticed the stitch until working right next to it and, once the backstitch was worked, it would be even less noticeable. I was also planning to use this bookmark for photographs, yes, but then to use it myself, so perfection wasn’t a priority. Good enough would do. I worked the backstitch, held the work at arms length and decided that it worked fine.
Pragmatism only goes so far, though. What if the stitch is visible or you’re making a gift and good enough is not good enough. This is where the loop start comes in.
Mistake 2: an uncrossed stitch on the edge of the bookmark.
Here is another half cross stitch in an area of worked dark green. The closest unworked dark green area is over 10 stitches away - too far to secure the thread for the new stitches and then run it through the backs of the intervening stitches to fill in this one arm of the cross.
Option 2: The Loop Start
Here the thread is used folded double. The dark green is worked with 2 strands, so to loop start use one strand of thread, fold it in half, thread the loop through the needle and then pull it through so the loop is the long length.
Start to work the half cross stitch - push the needle through the aida and pull the thread through until just the loop is left at the back, work the half cross stitch by pushing the needle back through the aida and put the needle through the loop on the back, pulling it snug.
The thread is now secured and the half cross stitch has been worked. I secured the end before cutting the thread by running it through stitches on the back as usual.
The drawback to the loop start is that, when the thread is cut, you are left with 2 shorter lengths. This limits how many more stitches can be worked with the thread compared to the straight double length left when using 2 strands. It does simplify starting a thread, though and is particularly useful in tight spaces.
I only had a few more dark green stitches to work, so I repeated the loop start for the final stitches to use up the thread I had left.
This bookmark pattern is 1 of 5 included in the ebook ‘5 Wildflower Bookmark Patterns Volume 2’. Find it here: https://payhip.com/b/t6n2H