Special Stitches

Just as you have created a motif library, it is possible for you to create a library of stitches with representations of the different stitches you may have to work on a sampler. It is not important that the symbol you have created looks like a proper stitch diagram in itself, it is only there to represent a certain stitch. However, it is important that the symbol should occupy the same amount of space relative to a cross stitch, as the worked stitch itself. Here are some examples for you to see. On the left hand side you can see two very different examples of symbols for Algerian Eye. The version at the top is the one you see on the Judith Hayle Composition Infinity Chart - it is more diagrammatic, and I think it is easier to read. The bottom version is a more literal interpretation of the stitch, and it may be the one you prefer. On the right you can see symbols for Four-Sided Stitch and a Kloster Block. Because some of these symbols incorporate backstitches there may be a blank border of stitches surrounding the motive so load the motifs in a work file and see how they are composed. Once you ahve the motif downloaded, you can simply copy and paste and paste unitl you have the desired number of symbols you need for your chart.
To help you I have created a stitch library for you to download. You need to click on the link and save the file to the following folder C:\Program Files\FOCUSMM\JGDESIGNER\ - where is the name you gave to the folder called User (and you may still have it as User). Click here to download the Stitch Motif File.

Backstitch

Backstitch or double-running stitch is a common feature of many samplers. To create backstitch on your chart is very easy - though deleting it and copying it can be less than straightforward and at the end of this post I will describe a few pitfalls which I hope won't swallow you up.
To include backstitch in your project click on the zig-zag stitch below the various cross stitch symbols. Once you have chosen the colour you want to use, then you can start backstitching right away.
However, there are a number of choices you can exercise which will aid the legibility of your work. You can define the colour of your lines and the width. It is worthwhile experimenting until you find the backstitch that is right for you.

Here are some examples of how the backstitch looks at the thickness I chose for this example. The important thing to notice is that the line can be drawn from the mid position as well as the end position. You might find it easier to increase the magnification of your chart while working backstitch since it is easy to start or end your backstitch a half stitch away from where you probably intended. A line, once drawn, can only be deleted in its entirety, either by enclosing with the lasso and deleting, or by drawing the stitch again over the top. You cannot delete parts of lines. If you have a long line of stitches which you have created incrementally, you will never be able to delete it by drawing over the top, unless you remember precisely where you drew the original sections. To insert a long line of stitches, I usually work out the placement and first mark the limits of the line I want to draw with a special colour cross stitch which I later delete. This means I can draw the line all in one go. (And so delete it all in one go, if necessary.) The importance of closely defining motifs or elements when you are copying them for pasting or for adding to the motif library have been repeatedly stressed. However, for copying sections containing backstitch you will need to leave a gap of one stitch all around, otherwise if you copy on the line, it may or may not transfer correctly. If you are planning to print out a chart containing backstitch to work from then you will need to print out in colour, or find a way of annotating a black and white print to indicate the colour of the backstitch lines.

Organizing Multi-coloured Motifs

As you can see, I am still struggling with my perfect design. I think it will look much more subtle if more than one colour for each motif is used. Now that we have a system where one palette key controls the colour of each motif allowing its colour to be changed as quickly and easily as our minds, we can continue to make things easy for ourselves.

So let's organize the second colour used on each motif to be governed by the palette key directly below the main colour.

As you can see I have given each motif two colours and the secondary colours all lie below the first (main) colour. This will save a lot of time working out which colour is which for each motif when we want to make new changes. Remember we can always identify the colours associated with each motif by clicking on Palette on the top Tool Bar and choosing Find Colour to sample a colour in the motif. Then we know that all the colours in one column on the palette are associated with that motif. Now we can do the maths. The palette size allows control of 49 two-coloured motifs (remember we lose the first palette key because that governs the background or fabric colour of the chart) - or 24 x three or four coloured motifs. Now we have reached the limits of advanced colouring, we can start to talk about portraying various stitch types in the next few posts.

Quick and Easy Colouring and Recolouring of Sampler Motifs

A couple of nights ago I asked you to consider colouring each of your motifs uniquely before saving them to your motif file. It may seem anathema to set up a lovely motif library and then give your motifs uncoordinated and arbitrary colours. But the thing is it doesn't matter. What does matter is the ability to colour and recolour quickly when you are designing a new project using your motifs.

Please admire the lovely colours I have not chosen for the motifs in my motif folder. See instead how they are all completely different colours. Note that their colours have overwritten the colours that were in the first three places in the palette. If I had introduced another colour, it would have gone into the fourth palette place - and so on.

The motifs are now in my new project file and I plan to work them into a stunning design. I have worked through a number of colour schemes, but it just isn't geling for me, so I have decided to play safe and colour them all the same colour - this lovely chartreuse - I know that will work.....perhaps.... So now here we are, wall to wall chartreuse. See that the first three places in the palette are all the same colour - but there are still three separate palette places for my motifs, each motif is governed by one of these palette places.

So, now the idea of wall to wall chartreuse seems less exciting and I have decided to go back to the idea different colours for the motifs. The trouble is, how do I know which chartreuse relates to which motif? Easy. Click on Palette on the top Tool Bar, then click on Find Colour and a dropper appears. Just click the dropper on the motif you are wanting to recolour and look down at the palette to see which of the greens is highlighted, and there you are.

There is also another way of finding the link between colour and motif and that is by right clicking on a colour in the palette and then clicking on the Turn on/off option. Now look to see which motif has vanished, and you have identified the link. Well, now you are clear on that, I shall just get back to recolouring my motifs until they are perfect........talk to you tomorrow.

Don't be a Loser - Back Up is Best for Motifs

I know Bertie was really upset when, after working really hard and long setting up her motif library, she accidently pressed a delete key. I know I was going to talk some more about colour toight, but I do feel a responsibility for all your hard work and we'll talk now rather than too later about how simple it is to back up your motif files. You don't need me to shout at you, we've all lost precious data at one stage or another still have the lines on our cheeks gouged by bitter tears. Let's create a new folder in C:\Program Files\FOCUSMM\JGDESIGNER by clicking File>New>Folder on the Windows top Tool Bar.

And we'll name the new folder something like Backup Motifs.

Now all we have to do is Control+Click on all the motif folders and when they are all selected, simply drag and drop them into the new folder. When you back up next time you will be asked if you wish to replace existing folders and you will answer: Yes. Now we'll all vow together to back up motifs whenever we make changes to motifs folders. Raise your hands and say after me : I do solemnly promise to make regular back ups of motifs folders ..... and all my data on a regular basis. Now that is what I call Advanced Motif Managment. Back to colours tomorrow.

Making the Most of Motifs

Yesterday we did a bit of housekeeping and set up some files ready for us to save motifs. Tonight we are going to isolate the swan from the Beatrix Potter Sampler, tidy up it by cutting and pasting it to a workfile, recolour it, and save it as a motif in our special custom library. This means when we are designing a new project we no longer have to toggle between files. We can simply go to Function on the top Tool Bar and pick out easily the motif we want. And there is an even bigger bonus in store for you which we'll talk about at the end of the post, but first let's get down to basics.
To create a motif we could simply lasso anything on the sampler and save it directly as a motif. However, many of the motifs need extraneous stitches clipped away and so, once we have lassoed our object, we copy and paste it to another file.

I have set up a file called Work for this purpose and I click on File on the top Tool Bar to bring up the list of the four lastest files so I can simply toggle between the files I am using.

Once it is cleaned up in the new file, I am going to recolour it blue by double clicking on the palette tablet which is its colour and then by choosing another one to replace it. Now, I am going to lasso it very precisely so the lasso touches all the edges. This means when I come to paste the motif from the library, I know where the limits of the motif are for exact placement in the new projects. To save it as a motif, I click on Functions on the top Tool Bar, choose Motifs and then select Save As Motif.

I am now asked to name my motif, so I am going to call it Swan. When I have OK'd that I need to save it in the Motif Library.

You can see I have taken my own good advice and renamed all those JG motif folders with a Z prefix so that my folder is right at the top of the list. And I have set up a file called Quaker in my folder to hold the Quaker motifs. So I just save to that.
Now, I can open any file and simply call back that motif by choosing Function>Motifs>Load Motif and I know by the name of my file where to retrieve the motif. And look, I am given the stitch dimensions of that motif - how helpful. Now I can paste the motif exactly into my new projects, knowing that the corners of the paste box line up with the edges of the motif. And once it is there, I can recolour it with a double click on the palette. No more paint cans and backgrounds turning purple, no more stitch by stitch colouring of diagonal rows (yawn, yawn, double yawn). OK - we are done with that. Now I want you to take on a really big idea. If you take time to recolour each motif with an arbitrary (I know you hate purple - never mind) but unique colour before you pop it into your motif file, then when you bring a number of them back you can change the colour of each individual one when it is in situ until you have the right colour combination you desire. And if you want to make two or more motifs the same colour in your new project, it is no problem, you can do that. And having done that you can easily change your mind - items that you have recoloured the same shade can be separated back to individual colours again. Tomorrow, I shall show you how that actually works in practice. But if you want to start recolouring and setting up your motif file tonight, you might want to think about colouring your motifs uniquely. Trust me, I'm a stitcher!

Naming and Organizing Motif Files and Folders

The first thing you can do today is to step out from behind the anonymous mask of User and insert something of your own identity into the software - it is yours, after all. On your computer find and click on the following folder: C:\Program Files\FOCUSMM\JGDESIGNER. In this folder you will see another folder called User. Click on the name of this folder twice (not on the folder itself which will open the folder) and you will see that you are able to edit this file name. You can now change it to whatever name pleases you. I have changed mine to Jacqueline's_Motifs so you can see. Here is a tip - if you would like to find your folder quickly in the motif library list (which you saw yesterday) then you need to do something to ensure your folder is at the very top or the very bottom of the list, and not hidden in the middle somewhere - and as we progress, you will find that you can add even more folders, so having them all together is a bonus. Either prefix your folder with a letter before J in the alphabet - or - go through the other folders and rename them all by prefixing the JG with Z - or ZZ if your parents gifted you with the name Zyna.


When you have renamed the folder, double click on the folder itself to open it and you will find a file inside called....User....well, you know what to do with that now, don't you? You can give this file any name you want. However, when you have experimented with that, pause to reflect how you might start to organize the motif collections which will be coming through soon. Maybe you have purchased all the Ackworth School Quaker Motifs and you might want to file some of them away in the motif library. So, might it be a good idea to have a file called something like Quaker? Maybe you would like to separate Quaker motifs from Quaker alphabets, in which case you need two files. How do you do that when this is a propriety file format and you cannot access it directly? Let me tell you how you can work round this with a few clicks and in no time at all you will have created 20 files for yourself, at least (otherwise you are not trying hard enough!).First we need to set up an empty file which you can use as a template file to create as many new files as you ever will want, when you want them. So right click on the file called User (or formerly called User) to copy it, now go up one level so that you can see the JG folders, click on the folder called JGTransport to open it (it doesn't have to be this folder, it could be any of the others).
Paste the file you have copied here.

Now rename it New_Motif_File, right-click on it and select Copy, go back to your folder and open it, then paste the file into your folder.

Now rename the file to whatever you want. You can keep on going just by pasting and renaming to heart's content now. Don't worry if you find you haven't chosen the most apt names this time round, it is easy enough to rename your files when you see how exactly you will be using them.

Now create new folders for yourself by using the Windows Tool Bar and choose File>New>Folder.

Name one of your folders Motif_File_Template_Folder and paste a New_Motif_File in there. You will only use this file for setting up new files and you will be able to find it more easily in the future than by trying to remember which JG file you stored your template in. In fact, now you have created this template folder, you can go back to JGTransport and tidy up after yourself by deleting the New_Motif_File from there. Isn't it great to be in control! Tomorrow we shall start to pop some motifs in the files you have created today.