Backstitching. That tiny detail that somehow manages to be both essential and utterly maddening.
I’d been looking at the special threads people on Facebook kindly recommended, but the only way for me to get them was online. That meant no chance to see them in person, no way to judge how fine they really were. And of course, the postage for one skein cost as much as the thread itself, and without knowing if it would meet my need I was not inclined to order multiples to make the postage feel worth it.
A lot of people suggested using ordinary sewing thread instead. At first glance it looked too thick, but then I started wondering if the problem wasn’t the thickness at all — maybe it was just too black. A few encouraging souls even said the piece looked good enough without any backstitching at all.
I’d never seriously considered leaving it off. But it did make me pause.
So I laid out the options: from left to right, a dark blue, a very dark teal, and the original black. I stared at them, put them away, got them out again and dithered a bit. Eventually I decided to embrace the colours — blue for the blue dragon, teal for the teal one. It felt right, enough contrast without overwhelming the cross stitch.
I started with the blue, and honestly, the difference on the dragon’s face was instantly encouraging. It’s amazing how a few lines can bring a creature to life.
My mother asked why I was studying the pattern so intently when I was “just backstitching”. She had somehow forgotten that backstitching does not mean simply outlining the edges. If only it were that simple
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