Guides / Stitching
A cross stitch is two diagonals crossing inside one square. The movement takes ten stitches to learn; what makes a piece look good is doing it the same way every time.
A cross stitch goes through the four holes round each block of the fabric: one diagonal from bottom to top, then a second over it, the other way. The movement is learnt in ten stitches; what makes a beautiful piece is evenness. Here is the movement, the two ways to chain stitches, and the habits that give a neat, even surface.
Think of one block of the fabric as a small square with a hole at each corner. The stitch goes through those four holes, never through the middle of the block. If the fabric and thread are not ready yet, the guides to fabric and preparing the thread are waiting.
Tip. Pull just enough for the thread to lie flat on the fabric. A stitch pulled too tight pinches the block and shows the holes; one too loose makes a loop that catches.
It is the only real rule. Whether you start with “/” or “\”, keep the same order for every stitch of the piece: the top diagonal must always lean the same way.
A stitch crossed the wrong way goes unnoticed on its own. It shows in the whole: light catches those stitches differently, and they make dull patches in an even surface.
When you pick the work up after a break, look at a finished stitch before you start: the top diagonal reminds you of the direction.
This is the method just shown: each cross is finished before moving to the next. It is also called the English method. It suits single stitches, irregular outlines, diagonals and areas where the colours change often.
It uses a little more thread, and the back shows tidy little vertical lines.
For an area of one colour, two passes are faster. This is the so-called Danish method.
Tip. The hand keeps the same movement for a whole row, and the stitches come out more even. It is the most comfortable method for backgrounds and large areas of colour.
Two neighbouring stitches share two holes. Where you can, come up through an empty hole and go down through one already in use. Coming up through a full hole catches the strands of the neighbouring stitch and fluffs them up.
Start from the centre of the fabric, which matches the centre of the chart, and work area by area. Stitch one colour over a small area, end the thread, move to the next, always counting from a stitch already made. The guide to reading a chart explains how to find that centre and count without getting lost.
Many stitchers start with the dark colours, such as 310 or 3371, which draw the outlines, then fill in with the light ones: a dark thread crossing under a pale stitch would show. If the chart has backstitch outlines, keep them for last: they go over the crosses, as the guide to half stitches and backstitch shows.
It happens to everyone. For one or two crosses, unthread the needle and ease the thread out hole by hole with its tip.
For a larger area, cut the stitches on the front with pointed scissors or a seam ripper, pull the pieces out from the back, with tweezers if needed, and restitch with new thread: unpicked thread is worn and no longer covers as well. Holes stretched a little close up again in the wash.
Want a first piece to practise on? A small chart among the motifs or flowers in the gallery, in three or four colours, is finished in a weekend. Or make your own from a photo with the converter, keeping five or six threads.