OK, imagine you have a square piece of fabric, and onto that you must sew a border of embroidery some distance from the edge. You’re doing it in hand, rather than in a hoop. I figure that left- and right-handers might do this differently.
As a leftie, I will hold the right edge of the fabric in my right hand, and sew with my left, travelling in an anticlockwise direction around the fabric. I am wondering if right-handers would prefer to hold it in their left hand, sewing with their right, moving in a clockwise direction. Or maybe you’d do something else.
What would you do? In your answer, please note whether you are left or right-handed.
No, this is not a trick that’s going to tell me something about your psychological make up or your deepest darkest secrets. Its a bit of market research. 🙂
Thank you!
White Threads is the blog of Yvette Stanton, the author, designer, publisher behind Vetty Creations' quality needlework books and embroidery products.
Yes, I am right-handed and would do it the way you describe. I always prefer to start from the top right and work my way down and to the left.
Thank you very much, Dangermom!
Hi, I am right-handed. I would start from the left side of the fabric and travel clockwise around the piece holding the work over my left hand, using my right hand to sew.
Thank you very much, Sue.
Hello Yvette, I am right-handed. To work something like this, I feel [trying to paint myself a mental picture here] that I would hold the fabric in my left hand [doh!!], start at the top left corner of the fabric [I’m more a top left corner gal], work the first border down the ‘left’ side of the fabric, turn the corner and so on, so I would be working in an anti-clockwise direction. I feel the reason I give for so doing is simply that whilst embroidering the border design, I would only need to be holding a smaller amount of fabric, not actually scrunching it all up as it would be working over on the right of the fabric and going in a clockwise direction. Hope my description is clear.
same as you, as a leftie, I hold material in right hand and sew anticlockwise – to the despair of the righthanded people I teach.
I am right-handed and do it the way you describe
Being Right Handed I would hold the fabric in my left hand and stitch with the right. The direction would depend on the stitch being used for the edge. I have been known to stitch buttonhole stitch with the edge of the fabric at the “top”, rather than at the side, and can work it in either direction.
Rhea
exactly as Sue said (I’m right handed)
I got out for a few hours, come home and there’s heaps of replies! Thank you all for your responses. Thanks also to those who have emailed me directly.
I’m still accepting responses – this thank you won’t close off the comments! 🙂
I am left handed and would start in the top left corner and stitch across the top and then down the right side and around
Veronica
I am a right hander and work left to right.
I’m right handed, and would probably work from left to right, although that might depend on the stitch..
Thanks Rachel. The question is not so much left to right or right to left, but clockwise or anticlockwise. Because if you say left to right, it means a different direction if you’re going along the top edge, to if you’re going along the bottom edge.
I do understand though, where you say it might depend on the stitch.
Hi Yvette,
I’m a leftie and I would do it the same way as you described you do it.
I am right handed and would hold the fabric in my left hand, starting with the top of the border working from left to right. Generally, I think I would work the left border next, then back up to the top right for the right side border. I would finish the bottom last.
As I think of it however, it might be less disruptive to the stitches to work the right border first and then the left border. But the truth is, I usually avoid working in hand and nearly always use a hoop or stretchers for any kind of stitching. For me, there is better control of tension that way.
It would depend entirely on what stitch I was working.
I am right handed, and like to put the needle down then brign it back up to the left of where it went down. So if I am doing stem stitch I would move in an anti-clockwise motion. If I was doing chain stitch it would be clock-wise.
Hi Yvette. I’m right handed. I would definitely hold the fabric in my left hand and stitch with my right but direction would depend on the stitch. Mostly, I think I would work clockwise but I recently stitched blanket stitch to finish an edge and I think I worked anti-clockwise!
Hi Yvette, I’m right handed and nearly always use a hoop which I turn around as I go so I’m always working clockwise so sometimes I’m working upside down. Well, I’m not upside down but the work is. Does that make sense? warmest, Suzy
Conplete sense. Yes, I get what you mean, and I turn my work as I go too.