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I’ve been doing cross stitch for as long as I can remember, my mum taught me when I was young. When you tell people that you cross stitch, they often say things like ‘it’s too complicated’ or ‘I would forget where I’m at on the chart’. But for me, cross stitch is the perfect beginner’s embroidery and here’s why.
Table of Contents
What is cross stitch?
Cross stitch is one of the simplest forms of embroidery and creates clean and attractive pieces of sewing that can be just an inch or two big right through to huge pictures. The charts are easy to follow with every little block being one cross stitch.
There are six basic stitches used in cross stitch:
- Cross stitch – the basic x shape stitch that has two overlapping stitches from four holes of the material
- Half stitch – one half of the X stitched diagonally
- Quarter stitch – from one corner to the centre of the square of material
- Three-quarter stitch – combines the half and quarter so you have one stitch diagonally from one corner to another and the second stitch from another corner to the centre
- Back stitch – a straight stitch that is used in outlining that is horizontal or vertical as well as diagonal
- French knot – a small knot that adds a feature such as an eye or a tiny flower
When you start out, aim for patterns that use the cross stitch and back stitch until you get the hang of it – there are plenty of these!
Getting started
The starting point of your product is your chart. Look for something that you will use – so if you have someone who loves dogs and has a birthday coming up, why not stitch them a dog birthday card? Or a small sampler as a memento for someone who is getting married? Start with something quite small while you are learning so you don’t get overwhelmed by the size of the chart and all the colours.
Cottons
Next up, you need cottons. There are two main brands, DMC and Anchor and few other ones. Each cotton will have its own number (different on each brand) and the chart will tell you which cottons you need. If you buy a kit, it will come with the cottons.
Material
Like cottons there are different types of material to stitch on. My favourite is called Aida and it is measured in squares per inch – 14 is a common one, 16 or 18 are also okay for slightly larger designs. One square on a chart will be one square on the materials. Other types of material might have four squares being one square on the chart.
Other equipment
You will need a needle or two for your stitching. Blunt needles are common for embroidery, but I often use sharp ones. More pain if you prick yourself but easier to work half and three-quarter stitches. You might want a small frame to keep your material tight – I don’t but it is a personal preference.
There’s a great beginner’s tutorial here on those first few stitches:
There’s no right or wrong way to stitch but I tend to finish each stitch before doing another one. Other people do all one half and then go back over to do the other. Only thing I would say is to be consistent – start and finish in the same place for each stitch to create a unified look.
What to make
The thing we make the most are greetings cards – you can see them all on our eBay shop! These are mostly smaller images and they are great fun, don’t take too long and we can sell to make a little money to buy more gear. If you are just making for yourself, think about things like needle cases, small pictures, glasses cases, even small patches to go on clothing.
If you are making for gifts, then you can be a little wider in your scope. There are lots of accessories to use with stitching charts such as cake bands, trinket boxes and picture frames. You can make some truly keep-able presents with your own stitching.
Finishing the piece
There might be different steps to take depending on what you are doing with your stitching but is a good step to iron all pieces before you mount them. Place the stitching face down on a fresh towel and iron the back on a low temperature. This helps raise the stitching.
If you do get the material a little dirty while stitching, then you can clean the stitching with a little cold water and a tiny amount of liquid soap or dishwashing liquid. Then put it between two towels to dry flat.
Get cross stitching!
There’s no reason not to have a go at cross stitching, it is simple to learn and there isn’t much equipment needed to get started. You can make things for yourself and for others and might soon find yourself making things to sell like we do!
Have you tried cross stitching? What’s the favourite thing you have made? Tell us in the comments!
