Cross stitch for beginners

Cross stitch is a grid of X-shaped stitches, each one made in the square where a chart tells you to put it. You need five things, one stitch, and a small first pattern. This page covers all three.

What you need

1. Fabric. 14-count Aida. It is a stiff cotton with visible holes in a grid, so there is nothing to count between stitches. "14 count" means 14 squares per inch. See Aida count explained.
2. Thread. DMC six-strand cotton floss (or Anchor, which is equivalent). You separate it and use two strands at a time on 14 count.
3. Needle. A tapestry needle, size 24 for 14 count. It has a blunt tip and a large eye. A sharp needle will split the fabric threads.
4. A chart. A small design, 40 to 70 stitches across, with 5 to 12 colors. The starter patterns in the Stitchpaper studio are sized for this; or convert a simple image of your own.
5. Small scissors. Optional: a 5 or 6 inch hoop to keep the fabric taut. Many people stitch Aida in hand without one.

How many strands of floss to use

Two strands on 14 count gives full coverage without bulk. Cut a length about 18 inches (45 cm), pull out one strand at a time from the six, then put two back together. Separating and recombining stops the strands twisting around each other.

The stitch

Every cross is two diagonal stitches over one square of fabric. Make all the bottom legs the same direction, then all the top legs the other way. If your bottom legs run from bottom-left to top-right, keep it that way for the whole piece; consistent direction is what makes finished work look even.

1. Start without a knot. Bring the needle up from the back leaving a 1 inch tail, and catch the tail under your first few stitches. (Or use a loop start: fold one long strand in half, thread the two cut ends, come up, and pass the needle through the loop on the back.)
2. Work a row of half stitches (bottom legs) across the area of one color, left to right.
3. Come back right to left, crossing each one with the top leg.
4. Finish by running the needle under four or five stitches on the back and trimming. No knots on the back: they show through when framed.

Tension: the stitch should sit on the fabric, not pull it. If the holes distort, you are pulling too hard.

Reading the chart

One square on the chart is one stitch. The symbol says which color. Start at the center, which the chart marks with arrows, and work outward. The full explanation, including the bold lines and page tiles, is in how to read a cross stitch pattern.

Your first project

Pick something you will finish in a few evenings. A good first chart is under 70 stitches wide, uses fewer than 12 colors, and has large blocks of each color rather than scattered single stitches. Open the pattern studio, choose a starter pattern, download the PDF, and you have a chart with a DMC key and floss estimate. If you want something personal, a simple logo, a pet's silhouette or a piece of pixel art converts cleanly with the photo converter; a full photograph is better as a second or third project.

Before cutting fabric, run the pattern's stitch dimensions through the fabric calculator and add a 3 inch margin on each side.

Common beginner mistakes

• Crosses facing different directions. Pick one and never change it.
• Knots on the back. Weave in ends instead.
• Long carries. Do not carry thread across more than about an inch of bare fabric on the back; it shows through light Aida. Finish off and restart.
• Starting at a corner without measuring. Start in the center, or calculate the margin first.
• Choosing a photo pattern first. Photo conversions have many colors and confetti stitches. They are rewarding, but not for the first week.