BASIC GUIDE TO Co un ted

CROSS STITCH

Supplies FABRIC NEEDLES

You will need: Counted cross stitch is most commonly The best needles to use for cross stitch Embroidery fabric {linen/evenweave/aida}; worked on ‘evenweave’ linen or aida are blunt tapestry needles. The blunted cloth. These fabrics are woven with the end means that the needle passes only Stranded cotton embroidery thread; same number of threads per inch in the through the ready-made gaps between Tapestry needle(s); warp and weft, meaning that the holes the threads rather than piercing threads

Small, sharp scissors; between the woven threads form a grid or blocks in the fabric, and this keeps your stitches nice and neat. Pattern sheet; of squares (like graph paper) that correspond to the pattern you are A pen or pencil; I find size 24 or 26 needles work well for following. A comfy place to sit; the most commonly used fabrics. Aida fabric is woven in blocks which Good lighting; and create very obvious squares to work Patience! from, making it perfect for beginners. {Optional embroidery hoop or frame} Squares are formed on evenweave or THREAD linen by stitching over two threads at a time. Stitching on linen or evenweave The most commonly used thread for HO O PS & takes a little more thought, but the finish counted cross stitch is stranded cotton. is far nicer. Threads are loosely twisted together so that their six strands can be easily split FRAMES Evenweave fabrics come in different for stitching with different thicknesses

thread ‘counts’. The higher the count, the depending on the weight of your fabric finer the fabric and the smaller your Using a hoop or a frame when you are and size of the stitches. It is mainly down stitches (and the finished design) will be. stitching is entirely optional, though I to personal preference how thick you Linen is counted by the number of find it makes cross stitch a lot easier and wish your thread to be. individual threads per inch and aida is helps to keep the stitches looking neat. I like my stitches to completely cover the counted by the number of blocks per I prefer to use hoops and frames that inch, so stitches worked on a 14-count backing fabric with no gaps and so I accommodate the entire design in one go aida will be the same size as those prefer to use quite thick threads for my rather than moving a smaller hoop from worked on a 28-count linen because the embroidery – the table below is a guide place to place, but again this is entirely linen is worked over two threads at a to the number of strands I use for down to personal preference. time. different fabrics, but feel free to increase or reduce the strands as you wish for Just remember that hoops are measured If you are new to counted cross stitch a your own stitching. by their maximum diameter, so if you are good fabric to start with is 14-count aida looking for a hoop to house a pattern or 28-count linen as the stitches are large Number of Aida Linen that measures 7 x 7 inches, the chances enough to count easily while you get the Strands are it will not fit into a 7 inch hoop! hang of things. Patterns state the size of the design when stitched on this size 4 14-count 28-count fabric, so be sure to allow extra fabric for 3 16-count 32-count DELILAH MAKES a lower thread count/looser weave. Correspondingly, less fabric will be 2 to 3 18-count 36-count WORK FOR IDLE needed for a higher thread count/tighter 2 20-count 40-count HANDS weave.

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