I am incorporating some cross stitch into a quilt top (just for four cornerstones). I'm using a water soluble canvas grid over 100% cotton fabric. It may be a silly question, but should I use a light weight fusible webbing on back after I do the stitching to keep the threads from loosening? If so, would you have any suggestions? Thanks!!!!! :D

Good question Ducky! I have a piece of cross stitch I finished years ago that I would like to use as a center in a wall hanging.

I am sure someone will answer!

I have a different answer for each one of you.

Ducky, I would use a fusible estabilizer before stitching. Cotton doesn't have the stability of Aida, linen or evenweaves and your stitches may be a bit loos without a stabilizer. Iron something on the back before.

Beachlady, if your piece is stitched on Aida or any other "normal" cross stitch material, you can use it in the center of a quilted wallhanging with no further treatment. Your doubts will come in when is time to quilt it. Do you quilt over the cross stitched area or not. I have tried both ways. I did not like it when I didn't stitch over the cross stitch. It looked like it had a bump in the middle. There are two things you can do. You can use a matching very fine thread and outline the major parts of the cross stitch, or you can use invisible nylon thread or a matching monofilament and stipple over the entire piece. either one of the two works well for me, depending on the piece.

I want to see both your pieces.

Maria

Maria, I already have three of the four patches cross stitched. Do you think a stabilizer on the back would hold the stitches well enough? I don't have time to restitch these little guys.

You stitches will not get undone no matter what. They may be a bit loose depending on how thick is the thread of the water soluble grid. Are you using waste canvas, or something thinner? If it is thinner than waste canvas you probably will not see the difference. Since you have 3 done, I would go ahead and do the last one the same way and then add the stabilizer to all the same way.

What are you stitching?

Thanks, Maria, I appreciate your help. I'm not using the thread waste canvas. It's the plastic-like, very thin grid, so I'm hoping it doesn't make a big difference on the stitching. I was thinking that I should buy a light weight permanent stabilizer for the back of them, as they are for the International Round Robin, and they will be handled several times. I've never put cross stitch into one of my quilts before....and now I have all these different questions going through my head. :roll:

I made a wall hanging for my DD with some of the very first cross stitch blocks she did. Even thought it was a wall hanging I used a fusible stablizer on the back of the blocks. I did not "quilt" in the usual way, I used baby buttons in the sashing and I think I stitched in the ditch.

That sounds pretty. I would love to combine counted cross stitch and quilting. Two of my favorite things.