Guides / Stitching
Many charts add a few partial stitches and an outline to the whole crosses. They are easy to read and worked with the same thread and the same needle.
Partial stitches soften a curve: a stitch cut in two or in four replaces a staircase step. Backstitch draws the fine lines a cross cannot, like a stem or a whisker. Here is how to recognise them on a chart, then how to stitch them with the same thread and needle as the crosses.
It is the first diagonal of a cross stitch, without the second. On the chart it shows as a square crossed by one diagonal line, or as a symbol of its own in the key.
It is used for light backgrounds, shadows and reflections: the colour is there, quieter, with the fabric showing through. Stitch it in the direction the chart shows; failing that, keep the same direction for every half stitch of the piece, as for the whole crosses in the guide to how to cross stitch.
A quarter stitch runs from one corner of the block to its centre. A three-quarter stitch is a half stitch plus a quarter stitch on the other diagonal. On the chart, a square split into two triangles, with two colours or one colour and white, signals three-quarter stitches.
They round off outlines: a curve stitched in whole crosses makes a staircase; with three-quarter stitches it becomes smoother.
Tip. When a square is shared between two colours, stitch a three-quarter stitch in the dominant colour, then a quarter stitch in the other. On linen, where each stitch covers two threads, the centre of the square is a real hole: one of the reasons stitchers move on to linen, described in the guide to fabric.
Backstitch draws lines: the outline of a design, a stem, whiskers, lettering. On the chart these are lines that follow the edges of the squares, or cross them diagonally.
It is stitched last, over the crosses, usually with a single strand of a dark colour. Black 310 gives a strong line; 3371, a near-black brown, or the grey 3799 make a softer outline that defines without hardening. The number of strands for each fabric is in the guide to preparing the thread.
Tip. Keep segments to one square, or two at most on a straight line: longer, they are loose and move. On a curve, short segments follow the shape better. Start and end this thread under the crosses at the back, as in the guide to starting and ending a thread.
For an eye, a button or a star, some charts mark a French knot, often with a small circle. Come up in the right hole, wrap the thread twice round the needle, then go down very close to where you came up, not in the same hole, keeping the thread taut with your other hand. Pull gently all the way through: the knot forms on the front.
One strand gives a small, discreet knot, two strands a nice round one. For the glint in an eye, a French knot in B5200 works as well as a cross.
Charts from the converter are in whole stitches, with no partial ones. When you download, the “Backstitch” option adds an outline round the colour areas, in a colour you choose: it is stitched in backstitch, last, as described above. To add a line in one precise place, a whisker or a stem, open the chart in the pattern maker. The guide to reading a chart recalls how these signs appear on paper.