Backstitch is not my favourite but it does make a huge difference on certain pieces. The stitch instructions always tell you to first do all your full and half cross stitches and leave the backstitch to the very last. In pieces like this with a huge amount of backstitch I prefer doing bits of it in between so I don't get annoyed when I have to do it ALL in one go.
Also doing the backstitching helps discover tiny errors that I have made or crosses I missed:
Backstitch can be done in different ways. In this piece I choose to do one backstitch over two threads next to each cross stitch over two threads. In other pieces it might be nicer to have your backstitches span several cross stitches. This is particulairly useful when your backstitch is not aligned with the cross stitches but crosses over them.
The next picture shows backstitches spanning stitches. Imagine trying to pierce the needle through the stitches trying to create a straight line! That would be next to impossible and create a jagged backstitched line at best.
So how you backstitch completely depends on the design and foremost your preference!
Now to show you how backstitching can really make a picture come alive I have taking a picture of the living room bit of the Victorian Dollhouse before and after the backstitch.
Can you see the picture go *pop*? I sure can!
So despite the backstitching being an evil that can be utterly boring it can really be worth the effort to create an everlasting masterpiece you can enjoy forever.
Happy stitching!
