Cross Stitch for Beginners

Cross stitch is not new. In fact it's been around for hundreds of years in one form or another. Today there is a wonderful variety of both modern and traditional cross stitch designs available for stitchers. If you would like to learn cross stitch and play a part in this tradition we invite you to take a look through different lessons tutorial for beginners, and try it for yourself.

How to Start:

It is best to center the cross stitch design by starting in the middle so that your stitching fits onto the piece of fabric without going off to one side. An easy way to do this is to lightly fold the fabric in four to find the center point. This point should coincide with the center of the chart, which is normally marked with arrows at the top, bottom and sides. The center of the design is normally the best place to start stitching. Most stranded cotton threads are made up of six strands. Separate these out into the correct number of strands for stitching. The color key shows which shade of cotton to use for each symbol on the chart. 

Start your first design:

Start Stitching To begin the cross stitch, thread your needle and bring it up through the fabric, leaving a short end of cotton at the back, and work over this with your first few stitches to secure it. When there are enough stitches in place you can start off a new color by first running it through the back of the existing stitches. To finish a color, run your cotton under several stitches at the back to secure it.

Working a single cross stitch The fabric shown in the diagram on the left is aida, and it is very popular for cross stitch. This is a block weave fabric, with a hole at the corners of each block, which is nice and easy to work. Imagine that each block is represented by one square on the chart. To make one cross stitch: bring the needle up through hole 1, down through hole 2, then up through hole 3, and finally down through hole 4.

Working a row of cross stitch To make a row of cross  stitches: work across the fabric in the order shown on the top part of the diagram on the top, and then back to complete the crosses as shown on the bottom part. Always cross over in the same direction. It is quicker to work cross stitches in rows wherever possible.Try not to join up separate areas of the same color with long runs of thread at the back of the work. This is not only unorganized and may show through the fabric at the front, but will probably mean you will run out of the thread supplied in the cross stitch kit. It is better to cut and fasten off your thread at the back of the needle work as normal, and start again at the new area of the design.

Working a Row of Half Cross Stitch Many projects now have areas worked in half cross stitch, for example to give a "soft focus" background. This stitch is literally half of a cross stitch (up through 1 and down through 2), as shown on the left.

Work a row of Back Stitch To make a row of back stitches: bring the needle up at 1, down at 2, up at 3, and down at 4, and so on, as shown on the diagram on the left. Notice that 1 and 4 use the same hole. Back stitch is used to great effect on many designs to represent and bring out areas of stitching, adding drama and sharpness to the needle work. It is basically a row of stitches, maked on the chart by a row of lines. The back stitch is not normally worked until the cross stitch has been completed.Back stitch is often worked with just a single strand of thread.

Working Part Stitches It is sometimes necessary to have more than one color on a single block of fabric. Imagine a cross stitch design with a dark grey sloping roof and a blue sky above it. If the roof slopes from the right up to the left the designer will often make a part stitch of blue in the top right of the fabric block and a grey part stitch in the bottom left of the same block. Where two colors share one square on the chart, work a 3/4 stitch in the more prominent shade, and complete the block with a 1/4 stitch of the other shade, as shown in the diagram on the left. Make your own hole with the needle in the center of the block. The combination of 1/4 stitch and 3/4 stitch often looks better than two 3/4 stitches, where you end up with a bulky four strands across the middle of a block of fabric.

Cross Stitch Needles and Threads Cross Stitch Needle Cross Stitch Thread Good quality color-fast stranded cottons such as Anchor or DMC are a great advantage. Most stitchers cut their threads into approximately  1/2 meter, unless they are already supplied in per-cut lengths. This is a convenient amount of thread on the needle and avoids tangling and other problems. Different cross stitch effects can be obtained by using different numbers of strands. However, on many projects you will find 3 or 4 strands used or 11 count fabric, 2 or 3 strands on 14 count, and 2 strands on 16 and 18 count fabrics to give a good coverage. Tapestry needles are ideal for cross stitch. This is because they have a rounded point which goes easily through the holes without splitting the fabric. Use size 22 for 11-count fabric, size 24 for 14-count fabric, size 26 for 16-count and 18-count fabric, and size 28 for finer fabrics.When you have finished, be sure to trim any long loose ends carefully, so that they do not show through the fabric when your picture is framed.

Hoops and Frames Most people use an embroidery hoop or small tapestry frame to hold their cross stitch fabric. This keeps the fabric tight and makes the project easier to handle while being worked. Also the hoop or frame can be held in a stand, which leaves both your hands free. This will allow you to work with one hand under the fabric and one over, which is generally more efficient, and saves the strain of having to hold the work while stitching it. There are several advantages of a frame for cross stitch, as against an embroidery hoop. The top of the needle work is attached to the top bar, and the bottom to the bottom bar. This makes it easy with larger projects, to "roll up" the next section for stitching, rather than having to remove the fabric from the hoop to reposition it. It also avoids the circular marks on the finished cross stitch project, which often result from handling the hoop.