Tutorial Tuesday

Cross Stitching Tutorial

I love to cross stitch but have had much time to do it lately. I decided to work on a cross stitch project that would only take a few hours to do. It is just lettering so for a counted cross stitch it is on the easy side. If you do not know what a counted cross stitch is, here is the definition: It is when there is no picture printed on the cross stitch fabric and you actually have to look at the example and count out how many stitches to do.

I know there directions are kind of hard to understand. It is easier to physically show then to say. Hopefully the pictures help.

1. First step is picking out what size hole fabric you want and getting a loop. There are lots of different size holes. The basic or average size hole you want is either 16 or 18 count. And all that means, is that the holes are bigger, the bigger the number. My fabric is on 18 count. The loop I am using is to hold the fabric taught so it is easier to work with. You can move it when you need to. For this project, I didn’t have to move my loop at all since it was big enough. They have loops in many different styles and sizes. I prefer wood only because sometime you can decorate them with ribbon after the cross stitch is finished and hang them on a wall



2. Before you put the loop on the fabric, you want to fold the fabric in half both ways to determine where you center is. The find your center on your pattern. That is your starting point.

3. You want to want to pull the needle up from the bottom left corner of the square until you have a little embroidery floss left, like ½ in. You need to hold that floss sturdy while you put the needle down through the top right corner to make ½ an “x”. In the back, the floss will start to make a loop as you pull it. Put the end of the floss inside the loop to secure it into place

4. If you have a bunch of stitches in a row, it is easier to do all ½ “x’s” going from left to right. The when you are going back to finish the “x” you go right bottom to left top

5. For lettering, sometimes it is easier to do individual x’s so that you are not pulling your floss to far in the back. You do not want to see the floss through the fabric.



6. When ending your letter, you just put your needle through a few of the stitches gently in the back and pull. This makes the floss secure.

7. When starting the next letter, you count out from your previous x and start there.

8. If you have to switch floss in the middle of a letter, you pull the floss through some of the stitches already in the back, and make a small knot when the floss is looping. It makes it nicer in the back.

And here is the final lettering.