TECHNIQUE TIP #1 TECHNIQUE TIP #2
Notes:
55
STANDARD EMBROIDERY - ANATOMY OF THE DESIGN
A good habit when beginning any embroidery design is to
take a peek at the number of stitches. Pulling is always a
concern if we want to end up with a neat quilt, and a high
stitch count is the usual suspect that causes pulling. Our rule
of thumb is to use a fusible iron-on backing, such as Pellon
Ultra Weft 860F, with any design that has 40,000 stitches
or more. You also need to consider your fabric choice. The
design may be less than 40,000 stitches but the fabric may
call for more stabilization, such as with satins, silk dupioni,
and other thin or delicate fabrics.
With most standard embroidery blocks, there will be a stippling
step immediately after the base fabric is tacked down, which
helps add some stability to your design. Stippling is a type of
continuous running stitch that will run only outside of where
the main design will be in later steps.
Generally, stippling is a non-decorative stitch type, so it is
most commonly stitched in a thread color that matches your
base fabric. In this way it does not distract from the main
design but still provides the nice quilted effect.