A few months ago I wrote a couple of blog articles about the techniques of parking and cross-country stitching. These articles generated a bit of feedback in some of the cross stitch groups I belong to online, so I thought I’d make a video and do a bit of a “show and tell” about the two techniques.
Of course, there are pros and cons to both. For parking, it’s easier to follow your pattern as you are usually just going straight across one row and changing out colours as needed, so it’s usually pretty easy to see exactly where you are in a pattern. On the downside, you have a lot of needles and threads hanging down, which looks messy and can be confusing. It can also take longer to stitch as you’re always referring to the pattern, picking up a needle, stitching a few stitches, switching out threads and needles, etc. I found too that since you usually use shorter lengths of floss so they don’t tangle together, you feel like you’re constantly replacing a thread every few stitches.
For cross-country stitching, one of the advantages is that you can stitch for quite a while on one thread as usually your threads are longer, and you won’t get any potential banding in solid areas of colour (like I explain in the video). You’re also not limited to sticking to the one row of stitching, you can travel across the piece as dictated by your pattern (thus the name “cross-country” stitching). On the other hand, you need to have some system to make sure you’re stitching in the right spot as you do tend to stitch in the middle of “nowhere” for the first few colours – if you screw up the placement then everything that’s around that area will be affected. You can grid your fabric, use highlighters on paper patterns or use highlighting in pdf readers if using digital patterns to keep track of where you are.
In the video I explain both techniques, and although I mainly do cross-country stitching, you’ll see I do integrate a bit of parking as well (by doing large sections of one colour then I put my floss into a stitch nearby to start the next section). I show a few samples of both techniques, and you can see how they are working out in my current piece (my big Michelangelo piece). If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to ask below. And be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you enjoy the videos!
16 Responses
Criselda Bolton
I noticed that you grid. What type of thread do you use to put the grid.
Dana Batho
Thin nylon or metallic thread (that can’t be pierced with your needle is best), then you can just pull it out when you’re done. Like fine fishing line is great for that, just be aware that if it’s coloured, sometimes that colour isn’t “baked into” the line and can come off on your project which is less than ideal. 😊
Alfredo Fajardo
I’m using also the cross country method that way i can save floss of threads and my work at the back doesn’t look messy as a thick carpet during the final output of the project. I’m just double-checking where to place my thread to the corresponding symbol in the pattern that way i can work smoothly throughout the craft.
Dana Batho
Yep, do whatever works for you. 🙂 Don’t worry about saving floss though — even at $1 a skein which is what I pay at my local shop, it works out to literally two cents per single strand metre. So if it’s stressing you out trying to be frugal with your floss, don’t, it’s literally pennies per metre. 🙂
SandyToes
Hi Dana,
You mentioned in the video that you photograph your paper patterns and use a PDF reader to mark your charts. Which app do you use?
Dana Batho
Hi Sandy! I actually don’t remember, it’s been quite a while since I published that tutorial and I didn’t end up marking up the image for long (it was too much of a pain). I ended up just viewing the section of the pattern I was working on as a photo, and then just counting to find my spot. 🙂
Cathy
I recently decided that the technological age which gives us all computers in our pockets has caused me to spend too much time in non-creative leisure time and I wasn’t setting a good example for my kiddos. I decided to pick up cross stitching again but wanted to do something beautiful for our new home. I chose an intricate, full coverage, 23″ x 28″ piece and had NO IDEA what I was getting into. LOL. It is nothing like doing the smaller, non-full coverage pieces I was used to in college. I’ve been scouring the internet for days looking for info on how to actually accomplish this. This video has helped me decide I am going to do cross-country in blocks. Thank you so much. I’ll be looking at your other videos too!
Dana Batho
Awesome, glad the tutorial helped Cathy! And that is a big project, but you’ll get there, it’s all just one stitch at a time. 🙂
Janice
Enjoy your video’s have learned a lot.. I also prefer the cross country method of stitching but when the stitches run in a vertical direction they never seem to look right. Not sure if is the tension or what. Do you have any suggestions for this?
Dana Batho
Hi Janice! It could well be a tension thing, or how you twist the needle as you put it through the fabric (because you always twist the needle a little). I don’t know if you us a stitching frame, but if you do (and both hands are free), you can try using a twin pointed needle. Then you’re not twisting it at all (you literally push it down with one tip, then grab it with your back hand and push it back up with the other tip, the eye is in the middle of the needle). Then maybe your floss will lie a little flatter, and the tension may well sort itself out. 🙂 https://peacockandfig.com/2017/10/cross-stitch-needles/
Laura Livenspire
I had been interested in the parking method, but your comments about the dangly threads and near-match colours has convinced me that (for me) that way lies madness. I do like the orderly progression across the pattern, which is what interested me about the parking method. I realized I have done modified cross-country for years. Having a fondness for complex designs, I learned pretty quickly that if I strayed too far into “open country” I made awful mistakes, so when starting a new 10×10 block, I start with the most frequent colour in that block, and then keep going until I’ve finished the particular shape I’ve started, even if it travels out of my block, and then I pick the next colour from the initial block. I don’t get bored with colour, and I don’t get lost (often). Thank you for your blog and videos – it’s nice to have a coach when I need it!
Dana Batho
Haha yes that’s how I generally work when I’m doing a really large full coverage piece, but most of my designs these days are a little smaller so I’m happy just trucking around most of the pattern doing one colour before moving onto the next. As long as you’re happy doing what you’re doing, that’s all that matters. 🙂
Lesley
Great video and explanation. I was thinking about trying parking but think I’ll stick to cross country!
Dana Batho
Haha you’re welcome Lesley! Some people love parking, but it makes me bananas, so I stick with cross country as well. 🙂
Junette
I really enjoyed the video. It answered several questions I had about both methods. It was easy to understand and the video was very good. Thank ou Dana
Dana Batho
Thanks very much for your feedback Junette, I’m glad it was helpful for you! 🙂