I thought it was appropriate to send out, during the darkest time of the year (up here in the Northern Hemisphere), some information about dark fabrics. A lot of designers have started to use black and other dark fabrics. Some of my customers LOVE to stitch on black. It's hard to see, and there are a few tricks to making sure your piece turns out great.
Remember that the fabric will affect the colors you're laying on it. This stocking I'm stitching called for 2 strands on 25 count (over two), and I thought that was going to look kind of greyed-over. I switched to 28 count, am using 2 strands, and I think the colors look true. On all four sides of your cross stitch, remember a little of the color of the fabric shows through (this is true of any fabric...colors of DMC will look a lot different on white than they do on beige, and certainly different than on black.) A dark fabric perks up the colors you're using, and makes them sharper. White fabric showing through stitches makes things a little paler and softer.
A sunny window is a great place to work (don't fall out!) Natural sunlight is so much bigger than a light, although, like I said, I'm working with a light as well. The more light the better, I've found. Our upstairs bathroom has a six-light fixture...I wonder...?
You can also work with a light piece of fabric (like a dish towel) on your lap. That light color will often show through the holes on your dark fabric, and that helps a little for finding spots for your needle. Also, you'll find that once you start stitching, you use previous stitches as a marker for where to go down and come up again.
If you find you can't stitch on black (I try to avoid it when I can), you can substitute a similarly dark color. I used a dark grey to stitch The Goode Huswife's June Morning, and people really like it. It was much easier for me to see where I was going. And there are other colors of fabrics that are sure-bets, like Lambswool, Flax, Natural and other neutrals.
You may find that your whites look a little grey on black fabric...keep the strands in the needle a little shorter than you might normally. Shorter lengths will mean your fibers will stay a little plumper as they go in and out of the fabric (actually, I think stitching in and out leaves me a little plumper, too!)
Take care of you and your loved ones, and don't forget to take, regularly, a minute or two (or 100) to stitch. Blessings!
© 2007 Theresa Venette. Articles on this site may be reproduced in needlework group newsletters or other handouts with permission of author and proper attribution. Send questions, comments and suggestions to: xspeddler@yahoo.com