The red bird is the first bird you’ll see in the beginning levels. This one has no special power and is just the plain old projectile bird. Tapping on one achieves nothing but that does not mean the bird isn’t useful. In fact, it’s a well-rounded bird with average power.
The red bird is the iconic bird that appears on the app icon.
Source: iphone.appstorm.net
This was the first bird I have decided to cross stitch. First I looked up at the real image of that bird and then I cross stitched it. It was not that easy. I spent some time but I think that the effect is very good.
Tips and Tricks
Don’t cut your floss too long. A 16- to 18-inch length is perfect.
It won’t get too tangled, but you won’t be rethreading needles too often either.
Separate the length of floss into individual threads.
The popular cotton flosses from DMC, Weeks Dye Works, Sampler Threads and Crescent Colors are 6-ply threads. If I am stitching on fabrics that are 14-count or 28-count (over two), or a tighter weave, I separate into 6 strands and then reassemble into 3 2-strand sets. If I am stitching on fabrics with a looser weave, I reassemble into 2 3-strand sets.
Straighten the floss by dampening it.
As part of the separating step, I also dampen the floss and pull it straight to get rid of any kinks or twists. As I separate the strands, I lay them out flat and by the time I begin to reassemble them they are dry.
Make your stitches consistent.
In other words, make sure the top “cross” stitches all go in the same direction. I typically begin a stitch from upper left down to lower right, and complete it from upper right to lower left.
Complete one stitch at a time if you are using an overdyed, variegated floss.
This makes the subtle color changes more visible in your stitching. However, if you’re using solid-color floss, you can do the first part of the stitch for an entire row and then go back and do the top cross stitch. If you have a large area to fill in, this makes a lovelier finish because the floss lies more evenly and flat.
Use a hoop.
My preference is a spring hoop, but a tension screw-hoop will work fine. You can certainly stitch without a hoop, but I think the stitching turns out neater if you use one. My preferred hoop is a 5-inch spring hoop. It allows for a large enough area for stitching, is easy to put on/take off, and is small for travelling (when I get most of my stitching done).
Thread many needles at one time.
This is probably obvious to most people, but I had to learn it for myself. When I first learned to do counted cross stitch (in about 1982), someone gave me a needle. I had a variety of floss skeins that had been passed down to me, so I would thread the one needle I had, stitch with one color until it was time to use a different color, pull out the old thread and rethread the needle with a different color, and repeat throughout the project. The result was lots of pieces of thread that I needed to keep track of until I needed that color again. I was probably mid-way through my second project when it dawned on me that needles were cheap and I could thread lots of them with all of the colors I needed for the project and not waste time threading/rethreading the needle whenever I needed to switch colors or even when I needed more of the same color.
Don’t leave a project in the hoop when you aren’t stitching.
If you do, you may stretch the fabric, damage existing stitches, or create creases.
Choose the right size needle for the project.
If I’m stitching with 2 strands of floss, I typically use a #26 cross-stitch needle. If I’m stitching with 3 strands, I use a #24 needle. A few years ago I was introduced to the shorter, petite needles – and I love using them. It’s easy to eke out a couple more stitches from a length of floss, which is often just enough to keep from having to rethread a needle.
Don’t skimp on fabric size.
Admittedly I like to use up pieces of fabric for small projects. However, if the fabric is too small, I won’t be able to use my hoop. Or, when stitching close to the edge, some of the fabric won’t be caught in the hoop. Whenever possible, you’ll want your fabric to be 1-1/2 to 2 inches bigger all the way around the design area. pattern and can be used on any count fabric, the count of the fabric determines the size of the finished stitching.
Source: bountifulheirlooms
Cross-stitch is a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches in a tiled, raster-like pattern are used to form a picture. Cross-stitch is often executed on easily countable evenweave fabric called aida cloth. The stitcher counts the threads in each direction so that the stitches are of uniform size and appearance. This form of cross-stitch is also called counted cross-stitch in order to distinguish it from other forms of cross-stitch. Sometimes cross-stitch is done on designs printed on the fabric (stamped cross-stitch); the stitcher simply stitches over the printed pattern.
Fabrics used in cross-stitch include aida, linen, and mixed-content fabrics called 'evenweave'. All cross stitch fabrics are technically "evenweave", it refers to the fact that the fabric is woven to make sure that there are the same number of threads in an inch both left to right and top to bottom (vertically and horizontally). Fabrics are categorized by threads per inch (referred to as 'count'), which can range from 11 to 40 count. Aida fabric has a lower count because it is made with two threads grouped together for ease of stitching. Cross stitch projects are worked from a gridded pattern and can be used on any count fabric, the count of the fabric determines the size of the finished stitching.
Source: Wikipedia