How to RAILROAD Your Stitches ✂ Cross Stitch for Beginners 🎒 CROSS STITCH UNIVERSITY

[@m0zarts-animation]

Lol thank you for stating the obvious for me - that the bottom stitch doesn’t need to be railroaded because it’s not showing 🤦‍♀️ I’ve just begun railroading and have been doing both. You’ll save me lots of time from now on!

[@robertaarrowsmith2860]

I have never railroaded in my 50 years of stitching. But I am going to try it. Love learning new things. Thank you, Kimberly. 🥰❤🪡🧵

[@BoobooK1620]

I love your videos! The most maddening thing about so many of these videos is the incessant yapping…on & on about personal information…adjusting & readjusting the camera…unclear instruction due to the excess chat. Your videos get right to it. I can find out what I need to know in 2 to 5 minutes…without hearing your dog barking or exploring what you had for dinner last night! Very professional. Thank you!!!

[@angieallen4884]

I have been doing counted cross stitch since I was a teenager in the 70s and not seen one resource talk about railroading!. I usually just let my needle hang to untwist the strands and start again. I will use this technique in future projects. Have been enjoying CSU very much; old dogs really can learn new tricks! TYVM!

[@jtkostick]

I have cross stitched since the 1980's. I have never seen railroading. But I have been frustrated in the past with certain threads that don't lie as flat as I would like. I will definitely be trying this technique. Thank you for teaching this old dog a new trick. 🤣

[@creativeladyplus]

Me, too !! I've never heard of Railroading, but will use it on my next project, Motorcycle for my son ( who's 53). Can' t wait to try . Thank you for sharing. Blessings to all!!

[@carolc3279]

Is the purpose of railroading so your needle doesn't have to untwist all the time?😊

[@13Moondancer]

It’s very neat but woe betide if you make an error and have to pull out your thread - aarghhhhh 🙏

[@angieallen4884]

@@13Moondancer It comes out just the same as when railroading isn't done. It's just as annoying but not more so!😅

[@juliannaburgess9177]

I LOVE cross stitching and done it for years. But not really satisfied with the appearance of stitches at times, just MISSING that "professional look" that should have developed after years of doing it. Using railroading HAS GREATLY improved that. ALSO I have found that using 2 single strands (esp for white) and matching them together and running them under a few stitches is the BEST to get the perfect cross stitch. TY loads and loads for these videos. I'm so pleased with my improvement. Have a happy day.☀️

[@yvonneketterman4795]

I’m 55 years old and I’ve been cross stitching since I was a young girl, my grandma taught me. I’ve really enjoyed each episode of CSU! I learn something all the time and never new about railroading. Thank you for taking the time and producing these episodes!

[@br6480]

This is the first time I’ve ever heard of railroading your stitches❤️. It sure beats dangling your thread and allowing it to unwind.

[@patriciakalisak4300]

I love the university idea it isn’t just for beginners.

[@cherrygingham]

Railroading, nice. Showing how to go up from a row you just stitched without un stitching that last stitch, priceless! Little things like that have been keeping me from enjoying stitching, I'm so glad to see how easy it is to get past little hiccups like those.

[@annettecgr96]

Something so simple makes such a difference. Thank you for the tip.

[@janepanovich9818]

I have always dreaded stitching with white and very light colored threads. Had never heard of RAILROADING until your video popped up. Thank you for making stitching with white “ non-horrible”.

[@nancyevans7609]

I will be trying railroading now that I see how nice the stitches look afterwards. Thank you for these great tips and tutorials on cross stitching 😊

[@melaniesorensen5105]

Life changing! I’ve been stitching for 13 years and never even knew about this! Thank you!

[@1funkychick]

I didn’t know railroading could be that simple. I’ve always heard people talk about using a laying tool when they railroad. I might give this a try.

[@suzannrogers1150]

I have cross stitched a long time and did not fully understand railroading. ALSO i had no idea how to speed up or slow down the speed of a video. So you can teach an old dog like me new tricks! Many thanks.

[@susanmckee8034]

Click on the three dots on the top right of your screen. Several items will display. Changing playback speed is one of the items.

[@rayandkathybussieres495]

You can also fast forward a bit by double tapping to the right of center screen…..

[@tinatippin5705]

Wow...I have never heard of railroading. I may have done it accidently, but never with purpose. I will give this a try on row 3 of All the Trimmings. Thank you, Kimberly for doing this. It's great. Learning is so much fun.

[@juanitadrexel339]

Have stitched for about 50 yrs and had never heard of this before. Great. Thanks. When you go down with the railroading stitch, looks like the thread is going to tangle, but it doesn’t.

[@kimmcvitty3580]

I am a very old an experienced cross stitcher who has never heard of this! Very interesting.

[@lisaverizzi5428]

I’ve been stitching for years but never knew what railroading was. Thanks for including this.

[@jillvalko675]

I have done cross stitch for years and have never heard of railroading! Thank you. I'm really enjoying this.

[@Lindawarner1953]

Wow, this is a game changer! I've stitched for 35 years and this is a totally new technique, it's now in my bag of tricks. Thank you

[@loribowringmichaud6565]

I had no idea about railroad stitching. Someone in a group I belong to just mentioned it so I Googled and found this video, thank you so much! I was just cursing a few minutes ago as I was stitching with white. This would have helped!

[@jacquelinesemones9845]

Just saw your cross stitch channel today. I have been cross stitching now off and on for about 40 years. I learned from some friends that I worked with. Thought I would check out your channel. So started watching all the videos. I have never heard of Railroading stiitches. I will have to give it a try. Thank you Kimberly

[@myrnajones4512]

I agree that you should always railroad white stitches. But I still don't like how they look, so I started using 3 strands of white floss on 14 count. I like the coverage. Thanks again for sharing.

[@karenroth5146]

I have been cross stitching for many years and have never heard of it....I will try it next time and see the results...

[@amymcdade2086]

I am a complete beginner & tried both normal & railroading my stitches after watching this. I have to say my railroad stitches do look a lot flatter & nicer than the ones I didn't do it on. I'm definitely a fan of railroading & will be adopting this method every time I do a light colour. Thank you Kimberly.

[@pamelawinkel1561]

I learned this technique from watching Kimberly on her Flosstube. Can not believe I cross stitched for years and never knew this. It really works and looks nice.

[@katking367]

Never heard of this stitch, but I'm going to try it. Thank you!

[@gaylebenigar7883]

I’ve been cross stitching for many years & never knew this technique! You can teach an old horse new tricks! Thank you!

[@alisoncaronflyingfree]

I just took up railroading about a week ago and I am loving it. I have been doing it too the bottom stitches as well but on my next project I'll just do the top since doing both makes for very slow going. Thanks much for sharing.

[@marilynmckenzie2111]

Thanks for your demo. I now know how to railroad properly!. Greetings 🇨🇦

[@susananderson8428]

I just discovered CSU. Wonderful tips and tricks so far and I considered myself pretty good since I learned from my Mom about 60 years ago! I also do stamped embroidery and wonder if you have tips for that as well. A lot of my patterns (for both forms on larger count cloth or designs) calls for 3 strands of floss. How do you split strands with an odd number of strands? Also, do you show rolling your needle to avoid thread twists? I'm excited to check out more videos. I have so many questions I hope you answer about framing and finishing. Excited to keep going.

[@FatQuarterShopFlossTube]

Hello Susan! I would split alternating splitting. We recommend having two strands on left of needle with 1 strand on right of needle, and then the next time have one strand on left with two strands on right. It may not matter. You can also unthread needle and separate the strands and put them back together.

[@jaydeedee1191]

Apple 🍎for teacher, i really think i can do cross stitch. I was feeling so confident i bought lori holt’s stitch cards.....😉

[@MrsOhgi]

I tried Railroading and my stitches look much better!

[@evecarr7440]

I’ve been cross stitching for over 20 years and have never heard of railroading but I love the way it looks so I’m definitely going to use it.

[@fernandeleblanc2569]

From Canada, I like the railroading I like the flat stitches for me it looks much better Thank you.

[@kathynaugle2661]

I'm jumping on that train and riding the railroad! I tried it and am loving it. Thank you!

[@debanderson1075]

I am loving this class. Thank you so much for taking your time to be our instructor. I have been stitching for years and never knew what Railroading was. I had heard the term. I cannot wait to try it out tomorrow. I happen to be working on a white snowman and it should be a perfect test.

[@deborahprairiestitcher]

Thanks for the lesson. I have never heard of railroad for stitching. I won't try it on this project because I am using supplies that I had (18 count aida and a single strand of thread) but will try it sometime when I am using two threads.

[@SimplyThirdStreet]

I learned from you to railroad my white stitches. White gets so funky. It’s been a help. 👍

[@patriciatreslove4449]

I have wanted to try this for ages but had no idea how to do it, thank you for sharing

[@joannecutrone4809]

Never head about railroad stitches. I love doing railroad stitches. Thanks for the tips you give.🥰

[@carolynwatts2942]

Thank you for teaching a better way to cross-stitch. You are appreciated very much. Stay safe, God bless you and your family .🐐👍🙏🙂

[@terryblair966]

I love to cross-stitch and have done so for about 30 yrs and never heard of this stitch. Thank you for teaching me something new and you're right it does make the stitches look better. Thank you so much !

[@juliebeard6424]

Thanks again Kimberly, wonderful lesson and video. Oh yes, I too am a fan of rail roading. Thank you , You Tube you got it right by magnifying the stitching for me. My eyes are getting terrible. It really made watching so much better! 💙💙

[@barbaraquigley4359]

I’ve cross stitched for years and never railroaded. Thanks for the tutorial! I will definitely give it a try.

[@denjackson]

I self taught myself and I didn't know about this...Thank you... I'm definitely going to be watching the rest of these tutorials.

[@beverleyshaver864]

I’m excited to try this method to improve my stitches.

[@a.sobriquet6220]

What a great idea, and so much easier than using a laying tool!

[@robinb6281]

I railroad mostly on my white stitches. The rest it depends on the piece. If it is flowing i don’t. It is a personal preference. Thanks for the video Kimberly

[@HeatherKelly]

Wow I can immediately see a difference! Thanks for your classes!

[@debbieweigle8420]

I have never tried railroading but think I might give it a try just to compare. Thanks Kimberly!

[@lindamorse6188]

I've been stitching a very long time and never knew this. Thank you. It has made such a huge difference in my stitching.

[@lorettasmith7594]

I am LOVING cross stitching! Didn’t think I’d love another hobby as much as I love quilting but I do!! Thank you Kimberly and The Fat Quarter Shop for putting this university together and introducing me to cross stitching!!

[@Shshehbjfkfkc]

New stitcher here! I've been getting quiet frustrated with myself because my stitches don't seem to lay as flat as I want! Definitely trying this, thank you! Happy Monday! 🪡

[@evelynthayer7829]

I love how your teaching makes it so easy to understand. I definitely am learning new things. Thank you so much! Just love all you do

[@MsKarenMR]

Always wanted my stitches to lay more even but had forgotten about about railroading since I had heard about it in my early days of learning. At first, I didn't want to take time to railroad, but now I see you sailed through it so easily. Comparably, if it's going to make a difference, which it does it's worth it for a nice piece where I spent my time enjoying Stitching. Thanks so very much for Sharing!!

[@judithh4238]

I don’t like how my white stitches look! This will be great to try. Thanks Kimberly

[@jenbenda]

Thank you! I love that there is still something new to learn after all these years of sewing.

[@reneeriley6629]

Yes, learned about railroading from you, Kimberly, and I do like the way the stitches look especially when using white.

[@littlequiltsong9576]

I love this tip - thank you! I don't usually railroad, but will in future if I find my floss not lying flat enough.

[@janicebehn7038]

Another great video! I had never heard of railroading until I started watching Fat Quarter Shop floss tube! It has made such a difference in the way my stitches look. 😁

[@kathylara3655]

I am so happy to learn this. Thank you.

[@patriciaruppert201]

Thank you for demonstrating how to railroad. I never really understood but now I get it. Thank you. ❤️

[@vallang4832]

I will try this now in my project. Thank you

[@genevievegiella9066]

Love ❤️ this ……. Make the stitching look much nicer ,TY

[@karenjones4982]

I love railroading! I had never seen the technique until I recently starting watching you. Thank you Kimberly for helping my stitches look so much better even after years of cross stitching!

[@WaterfallFW]

I wish I had the patience for railroading it makes the stitches look so nice. Thank you for sharing, have a great day!

[@carolanncurrid8246]

I had heard of separating the two threads before putting them back together to thread the needle, but not “railroading”. Nice to learn something new. I think this will be good for the white and light threads on a dark fabric! Thanks!

[@pattyw7952]

I haven't started my project yet but thank you for this tip! I will try this right from the beginning.

[@greggsbeckymoore349]

Thanks for showing me something new! I've been stitching for more than 30 years and this is the first time I've heard of this. I'll try it on a smaller piece to experiment with it, should be fun!🙂

[@helenmerkis6420]

I always learn something new with your videos Kimberly. Thank you for doing this and thank you to FQS.

[@BexfromTexas]

You make learning fun Kimberly! You're a gifted teacher 😃

[@pattijackson5605]

Thanks for the railroading tips Kimberly. I had never done that before in all my years of cross-stitching. I will definitely be trying that out later today! Thanks again.

[@youngbloodsuz]

Thank you for showing this technique..I’m stitching on 18-count Aida for the first time and will definitely try this. Thank you for such great demonstrations. I’d be very interested in demonstrations of any other stitches and/or techniques. Have a lovely day..Suzette

[@paulinecook138]

This is new to me. I'm definitely going to try it. Thank you Kimberly!

[@luciabeaumier9738]

I tried railroading and it does help the stitches to lie flat

[@thisiskatiebrown]

I always railroad my stitches! I know it slows me down, but the finished look is so worth it. Another great tutorial Kimberly! 🥰

[@hollywaddell6727]

I'm curious to know if you railroad the first half of the cross (which lies on the bottom), or just the second pass which forms the top stitch to finish the cross stitch?

[@thisiskatiebrown]

@@hollywaddell6727 Hi Holly! I only railroad the top stitch. If my thread is looking really twisted on the bottom stitch, I will take the needle off and smooth out the thread, just so it doesn't make the overall stitch bulky. Hope that helps!

[@hollywaddell6727]

Katie Brown Good to know. If my thread gets overly twisted, rather than unthreading the needle, I run the needle down the thread toward the base fabric and smooth out the strands. That way I don't have to spend time re-threading the needle. Thanks for your reply, I think I had heard of "railroading" but forgot what it was. This would be especially important if one is intending on entering a piece into a county fair, or exhibit. If the competition gets tight, I know the judges get their magnifying glasses out to check each line of stitching to see they are all crossed in the same direction, have even tension, so I bet they even check to see if the threads are laying flat, not twisted.

[@thisiskatiebrown]

@@hollywaddell6727 that's a great tip about running the needle down toward the fabric!! Such a simple idea, can't believe I never thought of it.. I learn something new all the time! Thank you for sharing! Good luck with your stitching 💛

[@susananderson8428]

​@@hollywaddell6727 I'm having more difficulty threading needles so knowing about running the needle down to straighten the threads sounds like a plan. I generally roll my needle in my hand as my threads start twisting but I have to be careful which way I roll it! Your method may be a good trick!

[@halleluyah757]

I hope I can! Thank you. PS: it has become apparent that I purchased the wrong size QSnaps, as I have had to move them a lot in order to stitch the border

[@joannebreeding2815]

Can't wait to try this. Learning so much from you. Thank You

[@C12133]

I will definitely try railroading on my stitches. I have been looking at my stitching and wondering why they didn’t look better. I would try a few things hoping it would help. I’m loving this class!! Thank you, Mrs. Jolly!!!😍🧵🪡✂️📚🎓

[@denisereynolds9471]

Great tip. My white stitches look sloppy so I’ll try this technique

[@gaylacedarpark3094]

I've done it on some area, but I think I'll make sure to do it on the white stitches. 👍

[@Marny5580]

I would like to see the BACK of the work. I would also love to learn how to ccs so the back looks almost as good as does the front. Would you, or have you, done a video on that? Thank you!

[@FatQuarterShopFlossTube]

Hello Marny! We have a video available here that can help you kzbin.infolYlEL9uWSM4

[@bwalker3675]

What a great tip! Been doing cross stitch for years, and always had a very bumpy result. Thanks so much!

[@amyc6710]

I Love this series! Thanks so much to Kimberley for showing us all how to cross stitch! So fun. I enjoy learning all of the different techniques and it's great to know how to railroad your stitches and why. Thanks again, looking forward to next week's episode!

[@debbieflaugh4332]

Thank you. Will give it a shot

[@GIL3969]

Really look forward to your video on Monday’s! Have learned so much!!

[@dawndavis224]

Love CSU 💙💙. I love that I learned something new today. Thank you. 😊

[@forHisham]

I will be trying railroading on my next project. You mentioned that it is good for light colours. I wanted to know what makes it good for light colours? What are you looking for in a piece of work that shows that it has been done well?

[@GIL3969]

Hello posted two questions from last week. 1. Which lamp/ magnifier do you recommend? 2. When you don’t start in the center, how do you ensure the design will be centered? How do you know how far over from the side to start??

[@deborahryan8452]

Use a ruler and measure it. Subtract the final width of the stitched area from the width of the fabric, divide by two and measure in that amount. Mark it with a pin and do the same for the height. Where the two intersect will be your starting point. Sorry, I don’t know much about lamps.

[@FatQuarterShopFlossTube]

Hello GIL! Kimberly typically uses the Halo Go if she's stitching on the go and when she stitches at home she uses the Omega Magnifier: www.fatquartershop.com/halo-go-rechargeable-table-magnifier-daylight-company www.fatquartershop.com/omega-3-5-magnifier-daylight-company We have a tutorial here on how to figure out where to start stitching: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZ2xhqGpoa5pmaM

[@GIL3969]

@@FatQuarterShopFlossTube thank you!!

[@myraludik4232]

Very good tips thank you Kimberly

[@creativeladyplus]

Thank you so much for sharing!! This is very helpful. I have never heard of this stitch but am eager to try on my next project. Blessings and Gratitude!

[@angelastoutenger7944]

Another great tutorial Kimberly! Railroading does make my stitches look nicer. Learned that tip from you when I started watching FQS FlossTube. On one project I did railroad the bottom and top stitches but that does take more time. Even with railroading I don’t like how my white stitches look. I tend to redo them over and over until I sort of like how they look. Finished the borders last week and waiting for your next lesson. I keep learning so many tips from you so I don’t want to move ahead on my own (even though I’ve been cross stitching for years). See you next time.

[@susanhernandez7770]

Love that technique.😀

[@wilmaakastitchedbyjean3679]

Thank you for showing and explaining. I will start trying this technique

[@janeserpa1006]

I am enjoying this project and love learning along with everyone else. I can’t wait to to start some new projects.

[@angelabatterman6381]

Using bee's wax on my floss, I find railroading helps the floss look better, plumper.

[@tracychinavare5487]

I like to railroad when I notice that my stitches aren’t laying down nice. It’s a cool option to have.

[@judyholasek-fritz7119]

Great new tip! Thanks