Waste canvas for embroidery and cross stitch: I think the product you want is called waste canvas. It looks somewhat like aida cloth except that their is a blue grid printed on the fabric and it is more loosely woven than aida cloth. It is used for embroidery and cross stitch on ordinary fabric. You can either stitch it on with a few catch stitches or "baste" it on with the washable basting glue that comes out in water. Either way works, depending on whether your item is washable. When you are finished with your work, you wet the waste canvas and the glue holding the threads lets go. Then you pull out each thread of the waste canvas and throw away.

Roy and Marcie Van Deren

Cross-stitch Rugs: I don't consider myself an expert and I have only made 7-8 rugs so far, and manage to break ALL "the rules." Yes, I do start in the center (usually) but I make each x as a complete cross-stitch, then make the next x. I don't use a frame at all as I find it's not really needed for cross-stitch. I'm left handed, but the top stitch of each x is always "/". I work a small area in one color at a time, keep threaded needles of each color I plan to use in my pattern. I use 3 strands of DMC. I don't skip over more than 5 stitches, use 18 ct Aida cloth and, when it's finished, wash with soap water, roll in a towel and hand stretch on another folded towel. I'm left handed, but the top stitch of each x is always "/". I glue the two length edges to the back, fringe out the other two, then cover the back with iron-on bonding. This works for me. Jump in and you'll find out what works for you.

Sharon in Watsonville

Also at Joanne's. It's a double faced sticky tape iron on. It's great for zippers; just lay the tape on the zipper and smooth it with your fingers, then pull off the backing and place the zipper on the fabric, adjust it as necessary, and then iron it in place. It still has to be sewn, but you don't have all those pin marks and slippage.

I would think it would be just wonderful for applying trim to mini doll dresses and curtains. Once it's ironed in place, you wouldn't need to sew it because there's no strain on dh clothing. It's about $4 for 40 yards of the quarter inch tape. It comes in two twenty foot rolls, but it's enough to keep and entire mini club in operation until the Second Coming.

Dani Rice

Carpets: Something that works very well, especially for bathroom carpets and cut rugs, as it doesn't unravel, is a Velux blanket. You can take an old one, or get it from Goodwill or such. They are too thick as is, but there is a mesh core inside them and once you work at the corner a bit, you can separate it into two sheets.

Our Daughter's cats love to sleep on Velux, and it also makes a nice car blanket, light and cozy.

MAP in Puyallup

Cross Stitch: I've been doing cross-stitch for donkeys years. I found that what is comfy for me works best for me, and it should be the same for everyone. Every book and chart (British, American and the odd Australian I've managed to get my hands on) shows you how to do cross stitch. It should be in rows with the first stitch going / that a way, and coming back going \ that away. There is no really fast rule to this, so long as you do every stitch with the bottom and top stitch of every cross the same. But, as most people do stitch / that way first and \ that way coming back, if your working on a piece that someone else is likely to stitch on, then make sure you do it the Universal way. If there's only yourself stitching on it, so long as every cross is uniform, do what ever. I've taken part in many, many cross-stitch round robins with people all over the world taking part, I know how heart breaking it is when just one person stitches the opposite way to everyone else. As for tidiness, so long as there is nothing to make the finished work look lumpy i.e. knots, and you're enjoying the stitching, just do your own thing. I've often bought something for this grown up house I live in that's not been cheap and isn't perfect! In Turkey, when they're making rugs, they purposely make a mistake. That's to stop the rug looking perfect. Perfectionists do not exist, only in their minds. Perfection is an impossible state. Enjoy your stitching, get pleasure from it, just make sure you don't strain your eyes doing it!

Hazel in frosty Aberdeenshire, UK

How to Make Silk Ribbon Roses

http://www.csolve.net/~minidoll/silkrose.htm

Marlene Chapman (Ontario)

Fringe: easiest fringe is woven (not plastic) grosgrain ribbon. Recommend buying it twice the width you want (i.e., 1" if you want 1/2" fringe). Mark and cut a straight line down the middle, then use a pin to start raveling one edge. Stop raveling when the fringe is the length you want. The finished edge looks like the looped top on "real" fringe. Use a thin line of tacky or fabric glue to attach to the rug edges.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Glue/flocking: When I am making a costume for a miniature doll I glue all the costumes using very fine beads of glue. Some fabrics just soak up the glue and never want to stick together. So I put a bead of glue on the both pieces of fabric I want to glue together but I just let the glue dry without sticking them together. When this is completely dry I put another bead of glue on top of the dried glue and stick the 2 fabrics together. This seems to work because I am gluing glue together rather than fabric. So perhaps if you put the glue on the flocking and let it dry thoroughly then paint. On flocking you might need several coats. It might work.

Jan in Canada

Perfect Cross Stitch: A few years ago I went to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia (US). In one of the homes we toured there was a lady in period costume cross stitching. It was perfect on the front as well as the back. When I asked how it was done, this is what she explained.

1 3 6

2 5

8

7 4

Up at 1, down at 2, up at 3, down at 4, up at 5, down at 6, up at 7 and down at 8. Hope this comes through cyber space the way I drew it. Quite a challenge, try it!

Ruth, Grass Valley, CA

Cross Stitch: When I cross stitched in "life size" I religiously started in the center like I was told because when you're stitching an 8 x 10" picture or whatever, it's quite difficult to figure out anyplace else to start and not run the risk of running out of fabric when you get to the other side or the bottom or whatever. But....in miniature cross stitch, I almost always start in the upper left-hand corner. For one thing, so much of what we do in miniature is either rugs or samplers and they always have borders, so you basically know where all the sides, top and bottom come to.

As long as your piece of fabric is big enough (say around two inches bigger than the design all the way around), then you can start your border an inch or so from the top and an inch or so from the left side and you know you'll come out all right. Even if you're stitching something that doesn't have borders, the pattern is usually small enough that you can count across the fabric the number of stitches in the widest part of the design and figure out how far in and down to come from that (at which point I'm probably beginning to not make myself clear!) The main reason I'm so in favor of starting at the top and working down is because then *most* of the time you are bringing your needle up in an empty hole and that becomes fairly important in miniature needlework. When you start in the center, you'll be working down from the center to finish the bottom, but you'll be working up from the center to finish the top and that is a royal pain!

So that came out to more than 2 cents - probably more like a nickel's worth. Sorry, but I kind of wanted to stress that it's not a cardinal rule to start in the center :)And I'm also sorry, but I'm very much in favor of keeping the back of the work as neat as possible :)

Mary Lynne in Huntington, WV

Finishing Cross Stitch: next time you do a cross stitch carpet (one is never enough!) when you are nearing the edge fold under the edge where the carpet would finish, trim to 2/3 rows from there and then bind. I also mitre my corners. The best cotton for fringing is No. 8 pearl cotton.

Raeleyne Rogers NZ

Finishing Cross Stitch: Before you take it out of your hoop do backstitching around edge of design as you do for outlining. You can then cut away extra fabric. I cut within one square of finished design. Have seen other stitchers who cut further away and then use excess to do their fringe. The backstitching will keep it from fraying.

Phyllis, Coast of Maine

Finishing Cross Stitch: I have found that my favorite way to finish cross stitch rugs is to use iron-on interfacing from the fabric store on the back. Cut the interfacing to size (be sure it covers all of your stitching!), iron it on before trimming your rug, and then trim at the edge of your stitching. The interfacing will keep everything from fraying. Just be sure it is completely bonded to the rug. There was much discussion on the Digest recently about creating fringe from grosgrain ribbon, etc. I haven't tried any of the ways that were mentioned. As for washing, if you used DMC or one of the other national brands of thread, it should not fade or run. Personally, I wouldn't wash unless the rug looks like it needs it.

Doris Alderman

Cross Stitch: I just recently did a cross stitch rug and I unraveled the fabric on the ends for the fringe after running a little white glue along the edges so it wouldn't fray too far. As I folded the unfringed edges of the fabric under I thought it looked too bulky so I "fringed" those edges as well then used fabric glue to secure the strands underneath. It looks great from the side edge and the rug lays much flatter than if you just fold the fabric under.

On another note, I like to do cross-stitch without a hoop so I can be sure that my tension is correct. If I use a hoop and pull too tightly, then the stitches pull on the fabric with the tension of the hoop is released. Also I try to work with clean hands so I did not have to wash the cross stitch that I used for my rug, since washing makes the threads shrink and then you have to block it. ( I am a newbie to miniatures, but I have been a crafter for 30 years since I was ten years old.)

Susan from St. Croix

Thrift Stores....Look for Silk!!!   Older blouses and neckties are super for collecting in SILK!! Silk is the general all purpose fabric for mini stuff!  Thin, great colors, different textures and always drapes and flows properly. Wetted, it will dry in elegant curves, embroidered it it great for rugs and such.  If there's any doubt if it's real silk, burn a thread and sniff it. It should smell like burned meat.. just a whiff.. if it's rayon or such, it will smell sharp, like plastic. Even if you don't know what burned food smells like, you definitely know what burned plastic smells like.

A definite plus for silk collectors is that it folds neatly and crushes down into very small packages.

Judie - Daytona Beach, FL

This is a good web site to join for crocheting and knitting. Lots of patterns are shared.
miniknitting@egroups.com Also try: http://angelfire.com/md2/operationteddybear/links.html

Needle Punches - Here is a site that sells Igolochkoy punch needles:

http://www.gailbird.com/needles.html. This lady does a fair number of shows I think and so e-mail responses are not always immediate, but she does get back in touch with you. And I ordered from her and had no problems with the order.

Mary Lynne Simpson

Clear nail polish: I have been using nail polish for a while now and agree that it is so much better than fray check in many ways. Not only do I use the clear polish to stop fraying on fabric but I also use it to give just the right shine to porcelain pieces that I have painted with acrylic paints and then sealed with the polish.

Marilyn

Making fabric roses: I have not used the commercial fray-stop products for a number of years. They always seemed to bleed and discolor and generally make me stop working for a while because I was discouraged with the results.

And then I discovered that I could use clear nail polish instead. In fact, clear nail hardener works even better than nail polish. And it is so easy to apply. I dip the brush into the hardener and then hold it at a 90-degree angle to the fabric edge. I gently tap all along the fabric, refilling the brush if necessary (but not too full).

This gives a very fine line, which is almost invisible, and it is also flexible. It would probably work for your fabric roses. What it does for me is let me sew the seam without having to fight to get the needle through the fabric! Believe me, that is a great bonus.

Joy Parker

When I am out of fray check, I use a tiny amount of glue on my finger and rub into the edge of the fabric. It keeps it from fraying. I can not use finger nail polish because of allergies. This might help those who can not use finger nail polish.

Mary