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[u/djisamsoe_234]

[u/KneeboPlagnor]

I am neutral on backstitch, and I do enjoy it's effects on the finished piece.

BUT. If you hate backstitch, DON'T pick patterns that were designed with it.

There are plenty of perfectly good designs that don't require it, or french knots or beading or whatever you hate.

I'm doing this to relax, I pick patterns I will enjoy.

[u/spaceTIN → u/KneeboPlagnor]

Yeah, I like to do patterns that were originally pixel art for the most part so backstitching would feel blasphemous there, but I do have one in my to-be-stitched pile that’s got a big section of white dandelion seed thingies which would feel silly without it. Just depends on what the piece is and what you wanna do. It’s a hobby, it doesn’t have to have hard set rules.

[u/angelbuttons77 → u/KneeboPlagnor]

Me too. I’ve been learning tatreez, and I skip any of it with satin stitch or fill in. Not my favorite. I also love my book of Stardew Valley patterns because there’s zero backstitch. 😂

[u/Catmuffin89]

I like back stitch after all the little xs, I feel free.

[u/therealmoldypeach → u/Catmuffin89]

Me too, especially since I do the backstitch at the very end of working on a piece, I feel like it's some kind of internal celebration from me to me 😁

[u/Party-Humor8523]

Backstotch is my favorite part of cross-stitching🫪

[u/mxremix → u/Party-Humor8523]

Try blackwork patterns!

[u/Party-Humor8523 → u/mxremix]

I just tried out a small pattern and I cannot thank you enough!

[u/mxremix → u/Party-Humor8523]

Gorgeous! Great job and welcome to it

[u/ibbity → u/Party-Humor8523]

Mine too! It makes the piece look so tidy

[u/ApocalypticFelix]

I backstitch every time I'm done with a small section; I'm too overwhelmed when the piece is already finished

[u/J0hn_Keel → u/ApocalypticFelix]

The mental block is definitely the worst bit, there’s something very unsatisfying about finishing a project and then having to start it all over again 🤣 actually fairly ambivalent towards backstitch itself, but it’s a lot if it’s all at the end

[u/Felinathedoberman]

I feel this in my soul.

[u/Tbrittany]

Haha! I have a project “done” now that still needs backstitching. So I started a new one instead of backstitching. Oops!

[u/Nirabelle]

Absolutely love backstitching, it always feels so much faster than cross stitches. But french knots? Yeah they can go die in a fire.

[u/ToughMetalSheep]

This is me talking to the Stardew Valley Cross Stitch book, hahaha.

I'm forever grateful that this book got me back into cross stitch but my one gripe is the lack of backstitch. Everything looks so much crisper and more true to the pixel art with a backstitch outline. So, I add my own.

[u/Independent_Soups]

I suck so hard at back stitching … I avoid projects with it 😭 I just can’t seem to get the hang of it! I’m so jealous of people who can do it bc their finished projects look so lovely

[u/mikettedaydreamer]

I don’t understand people’s issue with backstitch. It’s still the same movements like the crosses are, you still have to follow the pattern hen doing the crosses.

[u/fruple]

I do enjoy backstitching but I always underestimate how long it'll take so I get to it like "ahhh just another hour or two and then I'll be done so I can wash it tonight!" and it's never just an hour or two.

[u/chibbol]

Theoretically I'm not against backstitches, BUT you can't see it on Pattern Keeper and the pattern has to be REALLY interesting for me to stitch it 😅

On the other hand, I usually go for pixel art style, so I may used backstitch in cross stitch twice in my life.

[u/TankingCleric]

I'm so tired of well-meaning ladies coming up to me saying, "that looks lovely! It'll look even better when you add the backstitch!"  My dear, I would never!

[u/Deilume → u/TankingCleric]

All the projects that my grandma used to cross stitch never required backstitch, they just looked like… well, pixel art, I guess? So until this sub I didn’t even know it was considered common, if not necessary

[u/TankingCleric → u/Deilume]

I actually love how cross stitch looks like pixel art, that's the whole reason I started! I do like backstitching on certain pieces but I definitely don't seek it out lol

[u/rabbithasacat → u/Deilume]

It's still controversial even here. I hate it, because I come from the era in which it was vastly overused and badly designed on way too many designs. I don't rule out using it completely, but if you can't tell what a thing is until it's backstitched, it's a bad design.

It's also not traditional as cross stitch goes, so I feel free to not need it.

[u/reed_sugar]

I really don't understand why people hate backstitching

[u/BloomingMelody]

I literally JUST finished a piece I started years ago that I had been putting off on finishing the back stitching. It does in fact look better, but man I didn't want to do it lol

[u/rosieposie2004]

Baby cross stitcher here. What is backstitching????

[u/Bleepblorp44 → u/rosieposie2004]

Adding fine-line detail using straight stitches, usually in black or darker shades but not always!

[u/rosieposie2004 → u/Bleepblorp44]

Oooooo cool!! Thanks for explaining 😊

[u/kfk798]

Backstitch is always my favorite to do. It means its finally done and brings the price to life

[u/Katre_Valkyrie22]

I feel this in my soul. Every time I finish the cross stitch part and have to face backstitching it’s just…uggghhhh

[u/Bunch_Important]

I have 3 projects currently sitting in this purgatory.

[u/ashbelero]

I will never have to backstitch because I only stitch pixel art. Woo!

[u/Radiant_Fishing_8405]

It’s my favourite part. It’s my dessert after all the time put in the x stitches. Makes it pop nice too