hey all...

I am reaching out to try to figure out a messy little problem i have with stitching..

i have trouble stitching where there is a background block of stiches that another color is stitched in the middle of.

the stitches are all squeezed in and tend to look sloppy. That's why I don't like cross stitching color blend photo-like designs..i'd rather do the more traditional primitive sampler type.,

So..if i have a design that has a date stitched on top of a solid background,what is the best way to keep the stitches neat?Is it better to stitch the background first, keeping spaces for the top design-- stitch over the background? or is it better to stitch the top design first and fill in thee back? Either way my stitche come out a mess if i'm stitching a name or number against a solid background.

Thanks for any tips and advice.

pat in Jersey