Cross stitch is great fun and genuinely easy to learn. Follow these and you will be stitching in no time.
Preparing the fabric
Cut the fabric at least three inches larger than the finished design on every side. That leaves room for mounting and framing, and you will regret not having it.
Stop the edges fraying before you start – whipstitch around them, use masking tape, or run a line of machine zigzag. Aida and evenweave both fray steadily as you handle them over weeks.
Find the centre by folding the fabric in half both ways, and start there. Charts mark their own centre for the same reason: starting from a corner means any counting error pushes the design toward an edge.
The needle
Use a blunt tapestry needle, not a sharp one.
This surprises beginners, and it is important. The needle should pass between the threads of the fabric, through the holes that are already there, rather than piercing the fabric itself. A sharp needle splits threads and distorts the weave.
Size 24 suits 14 count fabric. The needle should pass through without forcing and without falling out.
Thread
Around eighteen inches. Longer thread tangles, knots, and wears thin from being pulled through the fabric so many times.
Stranded cotton comes as six strands; most cross stitch on 14 count uses two. Separate them and put them back together before threading – the strands lie flatter that way and give better coverage.
Starting and finishing
Do not knot the thread. Knots show as lumps through the front and can work loose.
Use a loop start, or run the tail under the first few stitches on the back. Finish the same way, weaving under existing stitches.
Keeping it even
All top stitches in the same direction. Every cross has an under-stitch and an over-stitch, and all the over-stitches must lie the same way. This is what makes a piece look uniform, because light catches the threads consistently.
Decide at the start and never vary it.
Do not pull tight. The stitch should sit on the fabric, not drag it. Over-tight stitching puckers the fabric permanently.
Keep the back tidy
Not vanity. Long strands carried across the back show through pale fabric and catch during framing. Keep carries short and finish threads properly.
And the backstitch
Work it after all the cross stitch is done. It is the outlining that sharpens the design, and it makes a far bigger difference than its share of the work suggests. Beginners often skip it and wonder why the piece looks soft.
