I have had an email asking why I have basted stitches around the inside of the framework for the cutwork panel together with the center vertical and horizontal lines.
We are using these basting stitches for two very important reasons:-
to ensure that we have laid our satin stitch framework correctly, we cannot be one thread out
and
to act as a guide for which threads to cut when we return to this panel at a LATER stage.
I cannot emphasis enough how important it is not to take short cuts with this type of work. Threads can be repaired but it is fiddly and time consuming.
In the diagram below the light blue lines represent the threads of your linen, the green the satin stitches for the framework and the red the basting lines.
The little scissors show the threads we will be cutting LATER, the diagram to the right show the grid we will create when the cut threads are withdrawn.
The remaining threads will be reinforced by wrapping thread around them.