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PART 1. Selecting Your Materials
1
Choose your fabric. Although cross
stitch refers to the way in which you create a stitched
pattern and not to a particular fabric, it is most often
done on a type of material known as Aida cloth. This
material is loosely woven in a grid pattern that makes
lining up all your stitches easy. Aida fabric comes in
different sizes which refer to the number of stitches
that can be created in 1 square inch. The options are
typically 11, 14, 18, and 28.
- It is easiest to start on an Aida cloth that
uses an 11 or 14 stitch count, as this provides
larger spaces for your cross stitch. The higher the
number of stitches, the smaller your crosses will
be.
- If you don't want to use Aida cloth for your
cross stitch, other popular options are linen or
fiddlers cloth. Both these lack the same wide spaces
Aida cloth provides for beginners though.
2
Select your thread. Cross stitch is
great because it offers so much freedom on the part of
the maker, particularly in the color options of thread.
Embroidery floss is typically used and can be found in
hundreds of colors.
- Each skein of embroidery floss comes in six
threads, but only 1-3 will be used for cross stitch
at a time.
- Embroidery floss comes in both matte colors as
well as iridescent and metallic. The latter two are
a bit more difficult to work with and cost several
times more than the former.
- If you have a difficult time doing cross stitch
with your thread, you can get waxed thread or use a
bit of beeswax to prep your thread before starting
your stitching. It will help the floss to thread and
tie off easier.
3
Choose a pattern. Cross stitching is
as simple as matching the grid on a pattern of choice to
the grid in your cross-stitch fabric. Choose a pattern
from a booklet or online, and gather embroidery floss in
colors to match.
- As a beginner, it may be best to start with a
simple cross stitch. Find a pattern that is small
and doesn’t involve too many details and uses a
total of 3-7 colors only.
- You can create your own pattern using your own
images and a computer program or a bit of graph
paper if you don't like the patterns that are
available.
4
Get an embroidery hoop. This is a
double ring made of plastic, metal, or wood that secures
your cross stitch as you work. Although you can create a
cross stitch without one, embroidery hoops are
incredibly helpful and relatively inexpensive. Small
hoops are easier to hold but must be moved often, while
large hoops require more of a grip but need to be moved
around your needlepoint less.
Part 2
Making Your
Own Pattern
1
Choose an image. Any image can be
created into a cross stitch pattern, but simple ones
with easily definable shapes are best. Choose a picture
or drawing that has only a few colors and lacks a lot of
detail.
2
Adjust your image. You may want to
crop and enlarge your image so that you focus on only a
single portion of the original picture. If you have a
photo editing program, use a "posterize" feature to
transform your picture into easily definable shapes.
Convert your picture to grayscale before printing so
that choosing colors to match the values is easier.
3
Trace your image. Print a physical
copy of your image and gather a piece of graph paper.
Lay the graph paper over the top of your printed image
and trace the outline of the most basic shapes. Try to
limit the amount of detail that you copy over.
4
Choose your colors. With your image
and shapes traced, choose 3-7 colors to use for your
cross stitch. Use colored pencils that match your chosen
colors to shade in the shapes, focusing on a grid
pattern and avoiding curved lines.
5
Use a computer program. If drawing
your own pattern by hand isn't your deal, try using an
easy computer program to convert your favorite image to
a cross stitch pattern. Programs such as "Pic 2 Pat"
allow you to choose the size of the pattern, number of
colors, and amount of detail included in your finished
pattern.
Part 3
Doing a
Basic Cross Stitch
1
Cut your fabric and floss. The size
of your fabric will depend on the size of the pattern
you are using. Each small square on the cross stitch
fabric is representational of a single stitch (or ‘x’
shaped cross), and can be counted across to get your
exact size. Your embroidery floss should be cut to a
length of about 36” to begin.
- Embroidery floss comes in strands of six
threads, but typically only one is necessary for
cross stitching. Gently pull apart the groupings of
threads from the center and use a single thread for
each section on your pattern.
- Some patterns may call for multiple threads to
be used at once, so make sure to check yours before
assuming the use of a single thread.
- If you run out of thread for your pattern, don’t
fear! One of the great things about cross stitching
is that you can’t tell where you start/stop from the
front. Simply cut additional thread and start again
from where you left off.
2
Thread your needle. Take your single
thread of embroidery floss and create a loop at the end.
Wet the center of this loop (by licking it or using a
drop of water) to make threading it easier. Then pull
the loop through, leaving the two tail ends (one should
be very short) to hang out the opposite side of the eye
of the needle.
3
Begin your cross stitch. Count on
your pattern the number of grid spaces to the first
stitch (typically the centermost stitch), and insert
your needle from the bottom. Pull the thread all the way
through, leaving a bit of the loop at the bottom. Then,
cross the thread down or up diagonally and pull the
needle through the loop underneath to create a stable
anchor for your stitching.
- It doesn’t matter if you start your cross stitch
going ‘////’ or ‘\\\\’ as long as you are consistent
with this pattern over the entirety of your project.
- With every stitch you make, thread your strings
over the loose tail in the back to secure it to your
cross stitch fabric. This will also make it less
likely for your cross stitch to unravel from being
tugged or pulled.
4
Continue stitching. Using the same
‘x’ stitch pattern, work outwards from the center of
your cross stitch until you have completed the pattern.
If you run out of thread at any point, tie the floss off
in a knot at the back and cut a new piece.
5
Finish your piece. When you have
completed the pattern and added an optional backstitch
border, tie off your thread underneath your cross
stitch. Tie a simple knot on the backside of your
pattern, and cut off any remaining thread.
6
Wash your cross stitch. Hands are
naturally very dirty and oily, and as such make the
fabric of your needlepoint dirty as well. Frequent hand
washing cans help to limit the amount of grime that is
transferred to your fabric, but a ring of dirt around
your embroidery hoop is nearly inevitable. Gently hand
wash your cross stitch with soap and water and allow to
air dry when you are finished with it.
4 Practicing More Advanced Cross Stitch Techniques
1
Create a quarter stitch. Quarter
stitches are, as they sound, 1/4 of a completed 'X'
shape in a cross stitch. These can be used to add subtly
curved lines and lots of detail. To Create a 1/4 stitch,
bring your needle from the corner of one of the boxes
through the center of the box. This should create a
single leg of the "X" shape.
2
Make a three-quarter stitch. This
stitch is another commonly used stitch for creating
detail in your pattern. It is made by doing a half
stitch (a complete diagonal stitch) and a quarter
stitch. The appearance is of an "X" with only three legs
instead of four.
3
Create a back stitch. To create a
solid border around your cross stitched figures, use a
single strand of embroidery floss (black is usually
used) and back stitch around the outline of your
pattern. To create a back stitch, work vertically and
horizontally (rather than creating ‘/’ or ‘\’ shaped
stitches, form ‘|’ or ‘_’ shaped stitches) around your
figure. Pull the needle up at the top of a box, and then
back through at the bottom, repeating this pattern until
you have completed the border.
4
Do a French knot. Although this is
not a traditional cross stitch, it can be used to create
small dots or spots on your needle point. To create a
French knot, pull your thread up through your fabric.
Wrap your needle around the thread 2-3 times near the
base of the entrance of the thread. Insert the needle
back down into the fabric near the origin, holding the
thread taut as you do so. Pull the needle all the way
through to complete the French knot.
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