How big is it?

This year’s design is 86 x 118, approximately the same size as the 2016 and 2018 designs (Tyrion and Home is Where The Heart Is). The size of your completed sampler will depend on the gauge of fabric you decide to stitch. For 14-count fabrics, your finished piece will be 6.14”x 8.42”; 16-count fabrics will be 5.38” by 7.38”. These would frame up nicely in a 8×10 or 6×8 inch frame, respectively (sorry all measurements American).  REMEMBER to allot a generous border around this finished dimension when selecting and cutting your fabric.

Choosing a fabric

This year’s image was designed and colors selected for stitching against a light background. We recommend “antique white” (what we used), or white, cream or another light, neutral color. Surely someone will go out and find a crazy tie dye fabric, and that’s totally cool (shine on, you magical bitches), but know that the image may not come out as clearly, or the colors convey with the same balance, as they do on a neutral background.

The pattern was designed and test stitched on 16-count Aida. We recommend 14 or 16 gauge fabric this year. This pattern uses cross stitches, quarter stitches, (optional french knots), and extensive backstitching (detail work in week 10). If you plan to use an evenweave fabric rather than Aida, be certain that you select an appropriate gauge, and plan to skip over threads to accommodate the quarter stitches and backstitching. Using a higher gauge fabric (18-count+) will yield smaller squares, and may make it harder to see the finer details.  Going lower than 14-count may make it harder to cover the squares without adjusting the number of threads you stitch with. There are numerous blended entries this year. (We’ll do a video on this soon.) Blends combine two different colored threads stitched together. We stitched the design with two threads at all times, unless otherwise noted.  Using an even number of strands is critical to the balance of the blends and the overall design; if you typically stitch with 3, plan to shift to 2 or 4, and pick your fabric gauge accordingly.  Again, we stitched the design with two threads on 16-count antique white Aida fabric.

Should I grid?

Personally, we’ve never gridded (grod?), but many stitchers swear by it, and it could potentially make it easier to follow a chart of a mystery pattern if you are using different colors to hop around an image you’re not yet familiar with.  That said, you absolutely don’t need to grid, just count carefully.  Consult the Steotchalongers 2019 page for more advice and opinions on it.  Again, we have never grod.

What else?

You might want a sharp (embroidery) needle for the backstitching in week 10, so that you can confidently stitch over and into your cross stitches with greater ease. (Tapestry needles are blunt-ended, great for stitching the Aida, but tricky with the detailing.)

Threads

Here is a list of the threads you’ll be using to complete the image for Steotchalong 7 (weeks 1-10). Week 11 will offer a number of borders and text images to accompany this image. The majority of those finishes will not require any additional thread colors, but some endings might add a few more colors (or you may find yourself choosing a different palette for your text). We have tried to minimize the number of colors required, but it’s a fucking work of art this year.

You’ll see the threads listed in groups by very loose estimates of thread needed for each color.  Many of you likely have a number of these colors already from our previous stitches together (BROWNS, looking at you), so take a glance at your existing stash before buying out all the 3799 at the craft store.  Local stitchers can go in together on some of the lesser-used threads, or share extra floss with others in the group who might have trouble acquiring all the colors. You know, community-like.

Group 1 (12” or less needed)

• 168 pewter- vy lt
• 350 coral- md
• 433 brown- md
• 644 beige gray- md
• 760 salmon
• 3753 antique blue- ul vy lt
• 3772 desert sand- vy dk
• 3863 mocha beige- md
• 3799 pewter gray- vy dk

Group 2 (20” or less needed)

• 434 brown- lt
• 453 shell gray- lt
• 648 beaver gray- lt
• 793 cornflower blue- md
• 818 baby pink
• 928 gray green- vy lt
• 931 antique blue- md
• 932 antique blue- lt
• 3747 blue violet- vy lt
• 3752 antique blue – vy lt
• 3770 tawny- vy lt
• 3773 desert sand- md
• 3774 desert sand- vy lt
• 3782 mocha brown- lt
• 3809 turquoise vy dk
• 3810 turquoise dk
• DMC Light Effects DLE 168 silver (or any silver metallic thread you have on hand)
• DMC Light Effects DLE  E3821 light gold (or any gold metallic thread you have on hand)

Group 3 (20” or more needed)

• 318 steel gray- lt
• 415 pearl gray
• 435 brown- vy lt
• 436 tan
• 437 tan- lt
• 597 turquoise
• 598 turquoise- lt
• 712 cream
• 738 tan- vy lt
• 739 tan- ul vy lt
• 754 peach lt
• 761 salmon- lt
• 762 pearl gray- vy lt
• 819 baby pink- lt
• 822 beige gray- lt
• 841 beige brown- lt
• 842 beige brown- vy lt
• 930 antique blue- dk
• 948 peach- vy lt
• 950 desert sand- lt
• 961 dusky rose- dk
• 962 dusky rose- md
• 3756 baby blue- ul vy lt
• 3779 terra cotta ul vy lt
• 3790 beige gray- ul dk
• 3831 raspberry- dk
• 3848 teal green md
• 3849 teal green- lt
• 3864 mocha beige- lt
• 3866 mocha beige- ul vy lt
• 3884 med light pewter (if unavailable, next best is 04 “dark tin” , finally 317 “pewter gray” in distant 3rd, 3884 or 04 are strongly preferred.)
• ecru
• white

Pattern 1 drops August 17.