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Finishing · Easy

Cross stitch on crochet

To cross stitch on crochet, sew the crosses onto a finished piece with a blunt needle and a length of yarn. Plain single crochet (UK double crochet) is the fabric to use: its stitches make a grid, and each cross is sewn over one stitch. A chart drawn in squares gives the picture, one square for each cross.

How to work it

  1. Make a firm, plain fabric

    Work the piece in rows of single crochet, in a smooth yarn, with stitches tight enough to give the needle a firm ground. Each stitch is one square for a cross.

  2. Count out the design

    Count the squares of the chart across and up, and count the stitches and rows of the fabric. Mark where the corners of the design fall before you sew, so that it sits where you want it.

  3. Sew a row of half crosses

    A finished piece of single crochet, lying flat. Three slanting stitches in a second yarn lie over three stitches of one row, each from the lower left corner of its stitch to the upper right, all leaning the same way. The yarn comes up at the lower left corner of the next stitch and runs to the eye of a blunt needle, whose point is at that stitch’s upper right corner.

    Thread a blunt yarn needle and fasten the yarn at the back of the fabric. Bring the needle up at the lower left corner of a stitch and take it down at the upper right corner. That is half a cross. Go on along the row, one slanting stitch over each crochet stitch that the chart fills.

  4. Come back and cross them

    The same row on the way back. All four stitches carry a first slanting strand. On the two at the right a second strand has been laid over the first, the other way, and each is now a whole cross. The two at the left are still half crosses.

    At the end of the run, work back the other way: up at the lower right corner of each stitch and down at the upper left. Every cross then has its second strand lying the same way on top.

  5. Keep the yarn easy

    Pull each stitch only until it lies flat on the fabric. Stitches pulled tight draw the crochet in and pucker it.

  6. Fasten off at the back

    When a length of yarn runs out, or the design is done, take the needle to the back and weave the end into the stitches there.

At a glance

Used for
letters, names and short words on a finished piece; small pictures and patterns on a cushion, a bag or a pocket
Fabric
Single crochet in rows: dense, with the stitches in a grid.
One cross
Over one crochet stitch.
Needle
A blunt yarn needle with an eye large enough for the yarn.
Yarn
The yarn of the piece in another color, or a different smooth yarn or thread.
Chart
One square of the chart, one cross.
Order
All the first strands slanting one way, then all the second strands over them the other way.

Any chart drawn in whole squares can be used: one square of the chart is one cross, sewn over one stitch of the crochet. A cross stitch pattern, such as the ones on this site, can be used in this way.

A single crochet is close to square, but not exactly. Count how many stitches and how many rows your fabric has to the same length. If the two numbers differ, the picture comes out a little wider or a little taller than its chart. A cross can also be sewn over more than one stitch or row, for larger crosses, and the fabric is then planned to match.

Plain Tunisian crochet gives a grid of squares too, and is often cross stitched in the same way.

Tips

  • Work a small trial of the design on a swatch of the same fabric first, to see how the yarn and the crosses look.

When it goes wrong

My crosses look uneven.
The top strands lie in different directions. Sew every first strand of the design slanting one way and every second strand the other way.
The fabric puckers round the embroidery.
The stitches are pulled too tight. Sew with an easier hand, so that each strand lies on the surface without drawing the crochet in.
My picture came out squat, or tall.
The crochet stitches are not square. Count stitches and rows to the same length on a swatch before you start, and choose a chart, or a number of rows to each cross, to suit.

Questions

Can you cross stitch on crochet?
Yes. Rows of plain single crochet give a grid of small squares, and a cross is sewn over each stitch with a blunt needle.
Which crochet stitch is used as the ground for cross stitch?
Single crochet, worked firmly in a smooth yarn. Each stitch is close to square, and one cross covers it.
Can I use a cross stitch pattern on crochet?
Yes, if it is drawn in whole squares. Each square of the chart becomes one cross over one crochet stitch, so the fabric needs as many stitches across and rows up as the chart has squares.
What needle do I use?
A blunt yarn needle, also called a tapestry needle, with an eye wide enough for the yarn.

Where to go next

Stitches

Guides