This Week's SBQ

This week’s SBQ was suggested by Nancy and is:

What tips would you give to a new stitcher to help her stitch faster and neater while still keeping it enjoyable?

I'm not sure faster and neater go together, heh! At least not for me! But I think the best advice I could give a new stitcher would be to make a working copy of the pattern they're stitching. That way they can mark off the areas they have finished, which for me has been a huge help in keeping my place and reducing mistakes and frustration. When you're not wasting time figuring out where you are on a pattern, and not ripping out and restitching, you'll end up completing a project faster.

For neater stitching I always railroad my top stitch. It takes a little longer but I think it's worth the extra time. I'd also tell a new stitcher to use shorter lengths of thread. The long ones just twist and knot and get frayed after being pulled through the fabric so many times. Even the most perfect stitch is going to look cruddy if the thread has been abused!

P.S. There's a For Sale sign in my front yard!