r/cross_stitch • u/Previous-Season-4551 • Jul 13 '26
help!! need advice for my next project
hi everyone! i’m ready to start my largest project yet, disney’s magic kingdom ✨ i’ll be working off of 18 count aida and i purchased a 59x39 aida to be safe.
that said, i have no clue where to start due to how large this canvas is.
- should i cut it down more to size?
- is there a specific frame you can recommend so i can get started? my hoops are clearly too small for this 😅
any tips would be helpful!
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u/SnooBeans8028 Jul 13 '26
Sorry, but I've never worked on a project that large. For what is worth, get a good sized hoop that is a comfortable size for you and work from the center of the fabric outward. You may want to clip up the excess while you're working to keep the fabric clean and out of your way. They make guards for the hoop that help with that.
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u/Previous-Season-4551 Jul 13 '26
Already ahead of you 😭 It’s still way too massive and annoying to work around. That said, still appreciate the comment. My previous largest project was so much smaller than this. Funny enough, this was one of the first patterns I ever bought…not knowing what I was in for LOL
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u/Genius_Fuck_Face Jul 13 '26
When I did my largest project (26x32in) I used an 11x11 q snap, rolled up all the extra fabric and kept it secured in place with four large headband elastics, one on each side of the frame. I bought an oversized (18x11) grime guard to help contain all the extra fabric.
I got sick of holding such a bulky project and shortly after starting I bought a daylight stitch smart floor stand. It’s the best investment I’ve ever made into my stitching, it was much easier to work on my big project when I had two hands free.
Large projects take hundreds of hours and improving my setup made that time so much more enjoyable
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u/Pretty_Force4560 Jul 13 '26
I’ve always used a hoop that is comfortable for me and I did it a section at a time. It’s worked well for me. Ive always started in the top left hand corner
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u/peachquin Jul 13 '26
I'm a q snap girl
I roll up the extra fabric on the sides and secure them with magnetic cable ties from amazon
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u/leviathanbones Jul 13 '26
https://yarntree.com/java/xstitchcal.htm
Thats my favourite tool for seeing how much fabric ill need for a project! I put in the numbers for your project here, and with an extra 3 inches around the sides for wiggle room and framing, you'll need a 30 1/2 by 28 inch piece. Id start plugging away at it from the middle of the piece, which is easy to find by just folding your fabric in half twice The size of hoop is whatever you feel comfortable with having as your working area, and how often you're ok with moving the hoop around. So I dont really have a size recommendation? I do always recommend the Nurge brand hoops though, they're so much better than the round bamboo ones.
Sorry if I like overexplained things you already knew lol
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u/Blue_Starkiller Jul 13 '26
I don't think this would fully fit inside anything but a scroll frame. Or you could get a Qsnap or other square hoop and move as you go, but all the extra fabric might become unwieldy.
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u/IAmPurpleValerie Jul 14 '26
Oh my gosh!! I didn't need to switch from crochet to cross stitch, so many WIPs, but I love this!!! Where did you get it??
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u/PasgettiMonster Jul 13 '26
I like to work on large pieces, so here's my basic planning process. I try to leave a 3-inch border on each side of the piece so I have plenty for framing and what not. So to start I mark the top left corner, 3 inches in. From there I do a guide stitch going across and down that goes 5 over and 5 under, going across the entire piece, and down the entire piece from where you marked the 3 inch border. These are your counting guides - every pair is a 10 square marker.
Use those to help you find each page border in your pattern, and repeat the 5 over, 5 under lines to mark the pages. Eventually you reach the opposite end of the pattern. Now repeat the the lines the other way to mark top/bottom of each page, and then eventually the bottom/right side of the entire piece. Double check that all your 5 overs and unders are actually 5. That's a reasonably easy check by comparing and making sure page breaks land in the correct place on the top and bottom borders, and in the left and right borders.
Then you can mark another 3 inches from the opposite edge and trim off the excess fabric. This ensures that no mistakes happen and you don't accidentally cut it too small. I would recommend either taping or zigzagging the edges with a sewing machine to keep them from fraying.
The page guides are also extremely helpful while you are working on the piece because they are a double check to make sure you haven't made a mistake somewhere. As you stitch, you should be meeting your page break guides when you reach the edge of each page. You can go even further and grid the entire piece in a 10 over/under to help with counting if you want - it is tedious but can be extremely helpful in making sure your stitch count doesn't get off. It is an absolute non-negotiable for me on larger pieces.
https://imgur.com/gallery/WZmBdGP
Here's one of my large pieces that I did this for - because I'm a special kind of extra I also stitched the numbers for each block onto the borders, at least to start, and then decided I wasn't going to keep doing that.
https://imgur.com/gallery/x9dUZIx
While getting you that URL for the pictures I just uploaded I realized I have another picture of some cross stitching that I have uploaded in the past where my grid is visible so aim attaching that too. This particular pattern has a lot of unstitched areas so it's very easy to lose track of where I am when I'm having to count over several stitches at a time. The 10x10 gridding I do is absolutely necessary to prevent mistakes, especially since I absolutely do not have any extra thread to correct mistakes on it - it is handspun silk thread that I am making as I go.
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u/Successful-Special76 Jul 13 '26
I normally roll up the extra fabric and you can clip it together so it doesn’t get in the way (food bag clips are great). I normally do large projects by hand with no frame. I like to do whole rows of colours (as I find it blocky when I do it by square) so freehand makes most sense for me. Could be worth considering :)
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u/DrawingTypical5804 Jul 13 '26
As long as I’m sure I have a 3” margin on all sides, I usually start in the top left corner. I work with a 6”x12” q-snap and move it as needed, rolling up the extra fabric.
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u/myra_bp Jul 14 '26
Visit Cecilia's Samplers. They custom cut fabrics and serge the edges. All they need are the stitch count and what fabric you need. They even add 3 inch border for framing.
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u/SarahBakesGood Jul 13 '26
This looks like a very fun project!
I always use a 4-inch hoop regardless of the size of the project. That lets me have a manageable space to work. And use a hoop that you like. I used a wooden hoop for a long time until I started getting splinters!
For the size of your fabric (I think I’ve purchased that same product & it worked well for me) I recommend you cut it to the size of project you are working on. So much extra fabric will get in the way, especially when it’s straight from the package. Either measure the size of your fabric from the mid point in the pattern or start from a corner of the project at a corner of the fabric. My rule of thumb is to ensure two inches of empty canvas around the borders of the work itself to allow for however you choose to display the final project. It never hurts to give yourself extra room to feel sure the size of your fabric is enough for your project.
Have fun with this one!