Berlin Embroidery Designs – Tanja Berlin
Hi Val
You should be aware of what is going on the back of the embroidery when you are working from one area of the design to another, as a thread at the back of the work could show through as a shadow on the front of the work if there is no stitching in that area. When possible feed the needle and thread behind the stitches at the back of the work to get in position for the next area. When working on the body, if there is no stitching yet, you can carry the thread from one section to another across the back of the work as the next sections of stitching will cover up the carried thread.
I would not be concerned about finishing a dark thread behind a dark thread or light thread because there are stitches on the front of the work so you will not see the thread, as long as the thread is finished exactly behind the stitches that have been worked and is not showing at the edge of the stitches.
You do not want to have lumps of stitches on the back so just be careful that the ends off the threads are finished off neatly. The occasional loop knot on the back of the work is okay, just make sure that the loop knot is sewn to the stitches at the back of the work so that it does not become loose.
Below is a picture of the back of my embroidery so you can see that it is not the same as the front.
This technique can be worked two sided, but it is complicated enough to get the front looking good, to also get the the back to look good. It would require a great amount of concentration and planning to get the back the same as a front, so I do not worry about what the back looks like.
Tanja
