Everyone develops their own stitching technique and I don't think that there is a right and a wrong way to do something. However rules-of-thumb can help to achieve a particular result. If you want to a piece to lie flat on a box top then it is worth spending time keeping the back of your work neat and flat so that it doesn't create ridges when mounted - but if you want to stitch an impressionist flower border, designing as you go then it makes sense to strand thread across the back from single stitch to single stitch. If you like to curl up with your stitching you may prefer to hold it freely in your had - but if you are keen on the most even result possible and have a pattern which involves counting over empty fabric to the next piece of stitching then a frame may be more suitable.

These suggestions are based on my own experience and are especially relevant to SDDS designs, charts and kits - they may not work so well with those produced by other designers!

• Study the chart and picture of the finished design before you start. Notice which symbols are used for which colour and how they work in the design - is one colour used for the ends of petals and another for the middle? Or are they mixed together? The more you understand how the design is put together the easier and more satisfying you will find working it.
• Get to know the colours you will be using. I think the beauty of the threads is one of the nicest things about embroidery. Study the range of shades and tones used. The original threads will have been mounted onto the thread card for you but you may want to change the colours or to stitch the design again. If you find it hard to sort the colours out then try looking at them in different lights, especially daylight. Two close colours are often easier to distinguish if you look at them with a third totally different colour.
• Look for a group of stitches close to the centre of the design which will let you start in the middle of your fabric. Stitch this patch first to be the foundation for your work and you can then move outwards from it. Instructions for each design will suggest where to start.
• Many colours will not form the nice neat blocks you often see in how-to-stitch instructions. Instead they look more like a spider or an octopus. It is easiest to start stitching such a shape in the middle - on the body if you like - and then go down each leg forming one half of the cross stitch, completing it as you work back towards the body ready to set off down the next leg!
• Charts are designed to be as easy to use as possible but you may like to enlarge it with a photocopier. You are very welcome to do this with my charts but please check the copyright statement first.