Neat Stitching??

A couple of posts ago Annette(who shows as anonymous so I can't contact you direct - please feel free to email me Annette) asked if I could share some stitching tips for neat stitching.  After I got over my laughing/choking fit, I tried to think about how I stitch and really had a bit of a blank! I've given it some thought and come up with a couple of ideas.  I'd love you to add your own tips and ideas for stitching neatly via comments if you'd be so kind. 

Here comes the disclaimer folks! I in no way claim to stitch the 'right' way - if there is such a thing - and I certainly think there is a lot neater work out there than mine, but here goes:

Current block from Natalie Birds 'Tis the Season' Stitch-along blog project

I'm not sure really what to say about the way I stitch, other than that I use a small hoop for embroidery(though not always for cross stitch). I have finally come to the conclusion that using an iron on backing/batting like Parlan or lightweight Pellon does help the final result with stitcheries, though I still have occasional issues with the fabric puckering after the piece has been pressed. (Check out the comments on this post for lots of suggestions about this.) It makes a big difference in stopping your threads showing through from the back, and I think it helps the tension too. I haven't used any backing in my AGJ quilt blocks, and I regret this now, as I'm worried that when the quilt batting goes in behind it that all my dark thread shadows from the back of the work will be obvious from the front.

Mini block from Leannes House 'Butterfly Garden'

I am very fussy when I'm backstitching that my needle goes down in the same hole as made by the previous stitch. If they don't quite line up, or I get a bit of a random stitch I will unpick it - that's just my perfectionist nature coming out, sorry! It does mean I'm not a fast stitcher though! Often my uneven stitches are because I have traced poorly and am having to cover the uneven lines I've drawn with Pigma pen. Neat tracing = neat stitching as all we're doing is following the lines anyway.

As far as needles go, I think the finer and longer the better - the longer they are I think the more relaxed your hand is - and the finer they are you don't need to pull on them so hard - so then you don't get an aching hand after lots of needlework.  Bear in mind the finer they are the harder they are to thread, so if you're visually challenged like I am becoming, you  might need to use some kind of threader contraption. Must get my eyes tested one of these days. lol

Thread - I almost always use 2 strands of embroidery thread(usually DMC - though I'm a little smitten lately with Cosmo threads.)  The Birdie Stitches BOM I'm stitching this year calls for stitching with 6 strands, but I don't like the look - it comes out too chunky looking for me - and it's hard work dragging 6 threads through fabric with pellon on the back too!  Each to their own though and if that's what you like the look of - go for it.

Stitch length - I do try and keep the length even,  though I wouldn't say they're perfect.  I usually end up stitching some projects with bigger stitches than others, just depends on what the project is - ie Birdie Stitches I am making all my stitches bigger than normal, main thing is to keep them consistent.

From Hatched and Patched 'A Gardeners Journal'

From Hugs n Kisses 'Stitching Round the Block'

I really, really hate leaving long tails of thread on the back of the work, and I always tie them off and thread them down under a line of stitching to hide and secure them as soon as I've finished with that thread.  It's just my pet peeve, the same with cross stitching too - I hate the back of my work to look like a dog's breakfast of jumbled tangled threads. 

There are days when no matter how hard I try things just don't look right, maybe the threads get all fluffy, or the fabric won't stay at the right tension in the hoop.  Also I've found it really hard to stitch neatly in black or very dark colours, for some reason they look thinner to me - might be a trick of the colours or maybe my eyes. lol

Most of all - practice, practice, practice, even if, like me, you have to start lots and lots of projects, it means you'll get more practice.  LOL  They do say "Practice Makes Perfect', and of course, enjoy your stitching too!

Any more help anyone can give here via comments would be great, as I'm always looking for pointers too, and I've found before when I've asked for help everyone is so obliging, so THANKS!
Thanks also for sticking with me for all this waffle today.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend...............Nicky