108 guides · 8 stitches and techniques
Cross stitch guides
Plain how-to for counted cross stitch, from the first stitch to the finished piece.
Start here
New to cross stitch? Begin with the first card: it teaches the stitch itself.
How to cross stitch: a beginner’s guide
What to buy, how to find the center of your fabric, how to make your first stitches, how to read a chart and how to finish your piece.
Cross stitch for beginners
What the craft asks of you, what makes a good first project, and what to learn in which order, each step with its own guide.
What is cross stitch?
Counted embroidery in X-shaped stitches, worked from a chart. Counted and stamped, a short history, how hard it is and how to spell it.
Cross stitch supplies
Cross stitch supplies for a first project: cloth, a blunt needle, six-strand floss, small scissors and a chart. What each is for, how to choose, what can wait.
How to start a cross stitch
Find the center of the fabric and of the chart, count to the first stitch, and know when starting in a corner works instead.
How to start a cross stitch kit
Check what is in it, sort the threads against the key, find the center, pick the needle and read the chart before you stitch.
Stamped vs counted cross stitch
Stamped cross stitch is printed on the cloth to stitch over. Counted cross stitch is counted from a chart onto blank cloth. How each works and which to choose.
How to make your own stamped cross stitch
How to put a cross stitch chart onto plain fabric so you can stitch without counting: a grid of dots, Xs in a wash-out pen, waste canvas, stamped quilt blocks.
How to teach a child to cross stitch
The cloth, needle and thread that suit small hands, a first lesson in six steps, and how to keep it short and finished.
Cross stitch terms and abbreviations
Cross stitch terms and abbreviations from A to Z: count, over two, floss, WIP, UFO, frogging, ORT, SAL, confetti, parking, railroading and what DMC means.
Types of cross stitch
Counted and stamped by method, and by look samplers, silhouettes, pixel art, one color, full coverage, folk, primitive and modern.
Cross stitch ideas
Cross stitch ideas by what you make (bookmarks, ornaments, cards, coasters, gift tags, wall art), by occasion and by size, with patterns and how to finish each.
Stitching
How to start and end a cross stitch thread
How to start and end a thread in cross stitch without a knot: stitch over the tail, use a waste knot or a pin stitch, and run the end under the back.
Gridding cross stitch fabric
Gridding cross stitch fabric means marking a line every ten stitches to match the chart. How to grid with thread, a pen or pre-gridded fabric, and when to.
How to count cross stitch
One square of the chart is one block of the cloth. Counting from the center, from finished stitches and across a gap.
What order to cross stitch in
One color at a time, in blocks or row by row, where to begin, and what each way of working saves and costs you.
The parking method in cross stitch
The cross stitch parking method step by step: work a small block, park each thread where its color is next needed. With cross country and confetti stitches.
Changing colors and carrying thread
How to change colors when cross stitching: end one thread and start the next, and when a thread may be carried across the back, and how far.
The back of your cross stitch
What the back of cross stitch looks like, when a clean back matters and when it does not, and the habits that keep the back of your work tidy.
How to fix cross stitch mistakes
When to leave a mistake, how to undo stitches (frogging) without harming the cloth, and what to do if you run out of room.
Cross stitch stitches
Cross stitch stitches, from the basic cross, half stitch, backstitch and French knot to fourteen specialty stitches, each explained in a few lines.
Left-handed cross stitch
Holding the work, the two ways left-handed stitchers work a row, which way the legs lean, and reading right-handed diagrams.
Cross stitch tips and techniques
Cross stitch tips and techniques in one place: neat stitches, which leg goes on top, the English and Danish methods, stitching faster, and what to learn next.
Cross stitch tips for large projects
How to start a large piece, cut the cloth, choose a hoop or a frame, keep it clean, work in pages and track progress.
Full coverage cross stitch
Full coverage cross stitch means every square of the design is stitched and no cloth shows. What it asks of fabric count and strands, and how to manage one.
Charts and patterns
How to read a cross stitch pattern
A square is a stitch, a symbol is a color and the key names the thread. With the grid lines, center marks and blank squares.
How to print a cross stitch pattern
How to print cross stitch patterns so the symbols are easy to read: Letter or A4, actual size or fit to page, charts on several pages, and enlarging a chart.
Keeping your place on a pattern
Marking off finished stitches on paper or on a tablet, a magnet board, and protecting a paper chart.
How to make a cross stitch pattern
How to make a cross stitch pattern three ways: draw it on a grid, convert a picture, or chart words. Then choose the size, the fabric count and the colors.
Cross stitch software and apps
Cross stitch software with nothing to download: a pattern maker, a photo converter, a text generator and graph paper, on a computer, a tablet or a phone.
Making a pattern in a spreadsheet
Square cells, fill colors, a symbol in each cell, a heavier line every ten squares, and printing.
Making a pattern in an image editor
How to convert a photo to a cross stitch pattern in Photoshop or GIMP: resize it to the stitch count, cut the colors, enlarge without smoothing, and add a grid.
How to resize a cross stitch pattern
Change the fabric count to change the finished size, or double every stitch. With the arithmetic and a table.
How to cross stitch letters and words
Choose an alphabet that fits the space, count how wide the word is, center the line, and space the letters evenly.
How to sign and date your cross stitch
Where a signature goes, initials and a year in small letters, backstitch or cross stitch letters, and what to do with no room left.
Cross stitch patterns for other crafts
How to use a cross stitch chart for fuse beads, graph crochet and latch hook, square for square: how big it comes out, and why knitting changes the picture.
How to cross stitch a circle
Why a circle on a chart is made of steps, how round each size looks, how to count one, and how to smooth it with part stitches.
Fabric
Cross stitch fabric
What Aida, evenweave and linen are, what the count means, how 14, 16 and 18 count compare, and how to tell what count a cloth is.
Aida cloth
Aida cloth is a cotton fabric woven in square blocks with a hole at each corner. What it is made of, its counts, why it is stiff, and how to pick a count.
Linen for cross stitch
What it is, how it differs from Aida and evenweave, the usual counts worked over two threads, what the named kinds mean, and its colors.
Cross stitch on evenweave and linen
What over two means, why 28 count matches 14 count Aida, where the first stitch goes, and stitching over one.
What you can cross stitch on besides Aida
You can cross stitch on almost any fabric. How to stitch on plain cloth, felt, tulle and canvas, what the fabric names on labels mean, and printed backgrounds.
Cross stitch fabric colors
How the color of Aida or linen changes a cross stitch design: white, antique white and cream, colored and dark cloth, sparkle fabric, and how to pick one.
Cross stitching on black fabric
Why the holes are hard to see, and what helps: white under the cloth, light, a taut hoop and a grid.
Preparing fabric for cross stitch
How to cut the cloth with a margin, stop the edges fraying, press out creases, soften stiff Aida, and what the selvage is.
Fabric counts
14 count Aida cross stitch fabric
14 count Aida has 14 squares, and so 14 stitches, to the inch. Two strands, a size 24 needle, a size chart for common designs and the cloth to cut for each.
18 count Aida cross stitch fabric
18 count Aida has 18 stitches to the inch: small, close crosses and a smaller design. One or two strands, a size 26 needle, a size chart and how to see it.
16 count Aida cross stitch fabric
16 count Aida has 16 stitches to the inch, a step finer than 14 count. Two strands, a size 26 needle, a size chart, and what changes for a 14 count pattern.
11 count Aida cross stitch fabric
11 count Aida has 11 large squares to the inch, with holes that are easy to see. Three strands, a size 22 needle, and a size chart with the cloth to cut.
28 count cross stitch fabric
28 count fabric is evenweave or linen with 28 threads to the inch. Stitched over two threads it matches 14 count Aida. Strands, needle and size charts each way.
25 count cross stitch fabric
25 count fabric is evenweave or linen with 25 threads to the inch: 12.5 stitches to the inch over two threads. Strands, needle and size charts both ways.
32 count cross stitch fabric
32 count evenweave and linen have 32 threads to the inch. Stitched over two threads they match 16 count Aida. Two strands, a size 26 needle and the size charts.
22 count cross stitch fabric
22 count cross stitch fabric is usually Hardanger cloth: 22 squares to the inch over one, or 11 stitches over two. Strands, needle and size charts each way.
Less common fabric counts
The less common cross stitch fabric counts in one chart: 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 20, 24, 26, 27, 30, 36 and 40 count, with stitches to the inch, needle and strands.
Cross stitch fabric size chart
Stitches to inches and centimeters for every common fabric count, the cloth to cut for common designs, and what a fat quarter holds.
Thread and needles
Cross stitch thread and floss
Cross stitch thread explained: six-strand cotton floss, how to separate the strands, how long to cut, the makers and their numbers, and other threads.
Cross stitch needle size chart
What size needle to use for cross stitch on each fabric count, as a chart: size 24 for 14 count Aida, size 26 for 16 and 18 count, and which kind of needle.
How many strands for cross stitch
How many strands of thread to use for cross stitch on each fabric count, as a chart: two strands on 14 and 16 count Aida, three on 11 count, and why.
How much floss for cross stitch
How much floss a cross stitch design takes: what a skein holds, an estimate of the stitches one skein works on each fabric count, and the method behind it.
Organizing floss and supplies
Bobbins, floss drops, bags and boxes compared, how to label thread by number, and how to keep one project's colors together.
Metallic and specialty threads
How to stitch with metallic thread, blending filament, glow in the dark thread and variegated floss in cross stitch without the fraying and the tangles.
Adding beads to cross stitch
Sew each seed bead on with a half stitch, lock it with the second leg, and which needle and thread to use for it.
Blended threads in cross stitch
What two color numbers for one symbol mean, how to thread one strand of each color, and how to keep the blend even.
What to do with leftover floss
Keep each length with its number, use it up on small designs and scrap projects, and save the snippets.
Cross stitch thread conversion
How cross stitch thread conversion works: why no conversion chart is exact, a short DMC to Anchor table that two charts agree on, and how to substitute a color.
Finishing
How to wash and clean cross stitch
How to wash cross stitch by hand, step by step: test the colors, cool water and mild soap, rinse, roll in a towel, dry flat. And when not to wash a piece.
How to iron cross stitch
Face down on a thick towel, a warm iron on the back, and what to do about creases, hoop rings, beads and metallic thread.
Removing stains from cross stitch
How to remove stains from cross stitch fabric and get mold out: what is safe for mildew, yellowing, smoke, rust, pencil and pen marks, and when to stop.
How to frame a cross stitch
How to frame a cross stitch from start to end: clean and press it, choose the frame size from the design's size, mount it, and decide on a mat and glass.
How to mount and lace cross stitch
Cut the board, center and pin the piece, then lace the back side to side. Pins and self-stick board too.
How to back a cross stitch
When a piece needs a back, and how to add one in felt, in cross stitch backing fabric, or with iron-on backing for cross stitch.
How to finish cross stitch edges
Stop the cloth fraying while you stitch, then finish the edge for good with a hem, a fringe, whip stitch or blanket stitch.
How to hang cross stitch
In a frame, in a hoop, or from a dowel through a sewn channel, with what each one needs on the back and where not to hang it.
How to finish and display cross stitch
Every way of finishing cross stitch, from a frame or a hoop to an ornament or a pillow, and how to display and store it.
How to finish cross stitch in a hoop
Center the piece, tighten the hoop, trim the cloth, gather the back with a running stitch and cover it with felt.
Things to make
How to finish cross stitch ornaments
A padded ornament over board with a felt back and a hanging loop, a stuffed pillow ornament, and small frames and hoops.
How to make a cross stitch bookmark
What fabric to stitch it on, the size to stitch and cut, and how to finish the ends with a fringe or sew on a backing.
How to make a cross stitch pillow
The size to stitch, adding fabric borders, sewing the front to an envelope back, and choosing an insert or a filling.
How to make a cross stitch card
Size the design to the window of an aperture card, tape the piece behind it and close the flap, or stitch on card.
Small things to make from cross stitch
How to make cross stitch pins, patches and keychains, a flat fold that stands on a shelf, a block finish and a small wall hanging from a finished piece.
How to make cross stitch magnets
How to make cross stitch magnets for the fridge: stitch a small design, stiffen it, back it with felt, glue on a magnet and leave an edge that cannot fray.
Needle minders
What a cross stitch needle minder is, how its two magnets hold a needle on the cloth without piercing it, and how to make your own from a small stitched piece.
How to finish a cross stitch stocking
Cut the stitched front, a back and two lining pieces, sew three seams, turn it, add a cuff and a loop.
Cross stitch quilts
How a cross stitch quilt is made: counted or stamped blocks are stitched, joined into a top, layered over batting and a backing, quilted, bound and washed.
Temperature cross stitch projects
What a temperature cross stitch is and how to plan one: which reading to record, how to set the ranges and colors, how big a year comes out, and how to keep up.
Other surfaces
Cross stitch on clothes with waste canvas
Baste it on, stitch through both layers, dampen it and pull the canvas threads out one at a time.
Cross stitch on crochet and knitting
One cross over each single crochet or knitted stitch, which yarn and needle to use, and how big a chart comes out.
Cross stitch on perforated paper
Its count, the needle and strands, how to stitch without tearing it, and where to cut round a finished piece.
Cross stitch on plastic canvas
Which count to buy, which charts work and what size they come to, how many strands cover it, and how to cut and edge it.
Aida band and banding
A strip of cross stitch fabric woven with finished edges, sold by width and count. How many stitches fit across it, and what it is used for.
Can you embroider on Aida cloth?
Can you embroider on Aida cloth? Yes, for counted and geometric stitches. For drawn designs with curves, plain closely woven cloth is better. Here is why.
Joining two pieces of fabric
What to do when cross stitch cloth is too small: sew plain cloth to the edges for more margin, see how canvas workers join two pieces, or start again.
Dyeing cross stitch fabric
How to dye cross stitch fabric before stitching: tea and coffee staining step by step, using fabric dye, rinsing and setting, and what dyeing does to the cloth.
Hand-dyed cross stitch fabric
What hand dyed and overdyed cross stitch fabric is, which designs its mottled color flatters, whether it runs when washed, and how to choose a piece.
Cross stitch on pegboard
Pegboard cross stitch, step by step: yarn through the holes of a pegboard makes a giant design. How big a chart comes out, what you need, wire mesh and fences.
Good to know
Cross stitch hoops, frames and stands
Whether you need a hoop for cross stitch, and which holder suits which work: hoops and how to use one, scroll frames, clip frames, stretcher bars and stands.
Cross stitch hoop size chart
What size hoop to use for cross stitch: a chart from design size to the smallest hoop that clears it on 14, 16 and 18 count, for stitching and for display.
Grime guards
What a grime guard is and when it helps, and how to make a grime guard for a cross stitch hoop or clip frame: the strip to cut, the elastic, and the sewing.
Stitching in comfort
How to cross stitch without hurting: where to put a light and a magnifier, how a magnifier's strength is stated, how to sit, and when to rest hands and eyes.
Taking cross stitch on a plane
Can you take cross stitch on a plane? What the security authorities' own lists say about needles and scissors in hand luggage, country by country, with dates.
Diamond painting and cross stitch
What diamond cross stitch and 5D diamond painting are, how diamond painting differs from cross stitch, and whether a cross stitch chart can be used for one.
Punch needle and cross stitch
Can you cross stitch with a punch needle or an embroidery pen? What the tool makes (loops, not crosses), which cloth it needs, and how the two crafts differ.
Put together your own cross stitch kit
Cloth cut to size with its margin, the threads from the key, a needle, a hoop and the printed chart.
Is cross stitch good for you?
Is cross stitch a good hobby for your mind? What studies of needlework and other crafts report about relaxation, attention and mood, and what they do not show.
Machine cross stitch
Can an embroidery machine cross stitch? What machine cross stitch designs are, why a chart is not a machine file, and how the result differs from hand work.
Cross stitch at fairs: entering and judging
How cross stitch is entered and judged at a fair: the classes for counted work, the usual entry rules, what judges look at, and how to get a piece ready.
Donating cross stitch supplies
What to do with cross stitch supplies you no longer want: the kinds of place that take thread, fabric and kits, what they refuse, and how to sort it first.
Keeping a cross stitch project journal
What to write down for each piece, paper or spreadsheet, tracking progress, and rotating several works in progress.
Stitches and techniques
Stitches
Backstitch
How to backstitch in cross stitch, step by step on Aida: where the needle comes up and goes down, when to work it and how many strands to use.
French knot
French knots in cross stitch, step by step: how many wraps, where the needle goes back down, why a knot pulls through or sits loose, and what to use instead.
Half stitch, quarter stitch and three-quarter stitch
How to work each one, how a chart marks them, and why they are easier on evenweave than on Aida.
Starting
Loop start
Cross stitch loop start, step by step: fold one strand, thread the cut ends, and catch the loop behind the first stitch. For two, four or six strands.
Threading a needle
How to thread a cross stitch needle with stranded floss: fold the end over the needle, pinch it and push the eye onto the fold, or use a needle threader.
Working methods
Double-sided cross stitch
Double sided cross stitch shows a whole cross on both faces of the cloth. The four journeys that make it reversible, step by step, with front and back drawn.
Railroading
Take the needle down between the two strands so they lie flat side by side. With laying tools and how tight to pull a stitch.
Starting a new row
Work a row of half stitches and back, then step to the row below or above without a long thread across the back.
Ready to start? Choose a small pattern, or see everything for cross stitch.