Using Charms and Embellishments with Cross Stitch
Adding well-placed and well-chosen charms can add a new dimension and interest to your finished cross stitch project.
I have an old and battered tin in which I keep charms, buttons and random embellishments for my stitching. I doubt that I shall ever use them all, but it is good to look through the charms from time to time, and plan how I could use each one.
Have every added some charms to your cross stitched projects? If you haven’t, do try this one day. You may find that charms add new value to work that you completed a long time ago. There’s certainly no shortage of availability of all sorts of charms to buy via the internet or at your local needlecraft shop. Before you try using charms, buttons or other embellishments, here are some tips:
1. Consider the size of the charm or button. It can be disappointing to order some charms only to discover when they arrive that they are too big or too small. Placing a charm that is the incorrect size on a design can spoil the look of the picture. To use an obvious example, if your butterfly charm is twice the size of a stitched flower beside it, it will look odd. You can possibly position the charm in such a way as to make it look closer to the eye than the rose, but this may not work, visually.
2. When selecting charms, buy the best quality you can afford and match its style to that of your design. Cheap, stamped metal charms can spoil a beautiful heirloom sampler – although they can look appropriate with a cute card sometimes.
3. Be wary of brass charms or buttons. It’s possible that if the finished project becomes slightly damp (if displayed in your bathroom, perhaps), a chemical reaction may take place between the charm and the fabric which can cause discolouration.
4. Clean all charms carefully with a soft towel before adding it to your stitching. Consider coating the back of the charm with clear nail varnish to prevent any staining of the fabric.
5. When sewing on the charms or buttons, use thread that matches the background fabric.
6. When applying the charm, begin with a loop start, positioning the charm carefully, and then pass the needle through its hole from the right side, establishing its correct position. Slip the charm off the needle’s eye and pass the thread in and out of the fabric and through the loop on the right side. Then stitch the charm firmly into position, making sure that the thread remains tight.
7. If you plan to frame the finished project, make sure that the framer inserts spacers so that the charm does not touch the glass.
Happy Stitching!
Iona
