These are the tips I learned over the years:
1. Decide how high you want your letters to be? Do you want two or three open spaces above and below each letter?
2. I count how wide each letter is, then count space between each letter, then count the two open spaces you leave before and after your name. Add this all up. If you do not have an odd number, you edging will come out on the wrong side. You will either have to make your letter one block wider or smaller to come up with the right amount.
3. I learned to use a magnetic line minder (like in counted cross stitch. I used two different colored highlighters...pink and blue. I started with the straight body of the graft and the first block I highlighted blue, skipping the next block and highlighting the next block in blue...all the way across to the end. If you start with one color, you should end with that color on the rectangular body and on the ends of your pattern. Blue will represent right to left. Pink will represent left to right. showing you which way to crochet each row..
4. Check your graft thoroughly. If there is a mistake in the graft, there will be a mistake in the work.
5. Wash your name in Woolite or dish detergent and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Soak until you have prepared your board.
6. Leave the board wrapped in the clear plastic it came in. I use the clear laminate shelving paper and with DH's help I cut a piece the length of my board. I peel it and stick it to the cellophane wrapping on the board.
7. The easiest and best way I have found to block these names is to use a cardboard dressmakers cutting board. I mark the center of my name on the graft (half of the number you ended up with rounded off) and I start pinning on the 18th line on the dressmakers board. I pin all down the center of the middle line first. WITH my thread & tension that is every eight rows down and 9 rows across. You will find that you are pinning around each square. I squeeze excess water out of name to begin with (don't wring), then I keep a spray water bottle handy to keep it wet as I am pinning. I sit on my bed with a towel running up my chest to catch running water and towels beside me. I have a hand towel I put on bottom edge of board to also catch excess water. I have a fan above me and one beside me as me good sewing light gets hot and this takes several hours if you do it correctly.
8. I use regular sized ball headed straight pins for the middle and the longer ball headed pins for the edging. The edging is the last thing you will pin...the body first (one side and its edge, then the other side and its edge)
9. Once it is all pinned, spray it again really wet. Then let it stand on a rug to dry overnight.
10. Measure how many inches you finish with in width and length.
11. I buy the thick mounting boards (in black usually) and add 2" to width and length. With yardstick, draw your cutting lines with a pencil, marking two or three times. With a box cutter, cut along the lines you have marked. All along edge of your cut board mark lines 1" from outer edges. Then take you pencil and draw these lines as a guide to place your pins. Center your name on the board and pin all around it...you can almost lay the pin flat to the board and push it stright down to anchor your work..
12. After you have pinned your name to the board, take saran wrap or a clear garbage can liner, cut the bottom and up one side. Place it lengthwise along your name, turning one end on back and tape, then pull the other end taught and tape. Do this to the sides. This will protect it from oil from hands and from spills until you get it framed or stitched to fabric
13 These names are prettier if placed on a dark matt (or fabric for wallhanging) If you are framing them Navy, burgundy, hunter green, dark brown, or black are great)
14 The main thing to remember is to have your frame shop stitch them to the matt. If they do this, they will not fall between the glass and the matt. Glue will not hold in hot humid weather and ruins your work. If they are stitched, they can be handed down from generation to generation
Hope this has helped you all. Start with this pattern first, then you progress to learning how to make your closed blocks on edges, so you can make it in one piece. This is what I did. Took me years and many many names and welcomes to perfect this. For a wedding gift, I make the name and below it center the mo., day, and yr of the wedding. You will see numbers on one of the alphabet grafts I sent. God Bless and Good Luck. Believe in yourself...you can do it!