Star Wars Cross-Stitch

For Christmas 2020, I made a Star Wars Cross-Stitch double picture of a stormtrooper and Darth Vader. I started it in the Summer and it took many months and hours despite being a relatively simple design (black/white).

Pattern here.

I chose this pattern for its simplicity. I thought that the opposing black/white patterns were a nice contrast.

The concept was easy. Black thread on white fabric and white thread on black fabric. At least in theory.

Design/Marking:

The pattern itself was well done and easy to follow. I chose to mark the fabric to aid in counting. On the white fabric, it was easy. I used heat erase pens and then ironed them out afterwards. With the black fabric, the pens would not show. I used a grease pencil which took a bit of washing afterwards to come out.

Sewing:

I'd made small projects on black aida cloth before, but something of this scale was difficult. Black fabric makes it hard to see the holes and while I do cross-stitch partially by feel, it still helps to see the holes. When I say "by feel" I mean that I no longer have to flip the piece over to the back to see where it should come through. I can orient the needle roughly where it needs to be and with the pre-existing holes, it's easier. However, the fabric between the holes is also porous and it's easy to slip the needle through the wrong spot.

 

I also learned that there are many differences in shades of white and I had to be careful to match them so that it didn't come out blotchy. The picture isn't perfect, but it is a uniform white throughout.

I'm glad that I did the white one first because it took much longer than the Darth Vader half. After hours stitching white on black, the black on white was a breeze and I was able to get through this half pretty quickly.

 

 

Framing:

 

Framing was a challenge, too. I purchased picture frames that would be the right height and width, however, picture frames are not meant to have thick fabric in them. They were meant to house only thin sheets of paper and forcing these frames closed was a challenge.

Final thoughts:

I will steer clear of black fabric again unless a project really grabs me. It is nowhere near as annoying as working with metallic thread, but it does have difficulties. Especially with the marking. I was worried for a time that the grease pencil wouldn't come out.

Overall, I enjoyed making this and when the recipient opened it, I could see genuine delight on their face. So all the trouble was worth it.