Cross stitch

How to work it

1. Come up at the bottom left

   

   Think of each cross as sitting in a small square. Bring the needle up at A, the bottom left corner of the first square.

2. Go down at the top right

   

   Take the needle down at B, the top right corner. This first diagonal is called a half stitch.

3. Come up at the bottom right

   

   Bring the needle up at C, the bottom right corner, straight below B. On the back the thread makes a short upright stitch.

4. Cross over to the top left

   

   Take the needle down at D, the top left corner, so the second diagonal lies over the first. That is one complete cross.

5. Work a row in two passes

   

   For a row, stitch a half stitch in every square from left to right. Then come back from right to left, crossing each one. It is quicker than finishing one cross at a time.

6. Keep every top stitch the same

   

   In a finished row the top stitches all slant the same way. Stick to one direction through the whole piece, even when you stitch crosses one at a time.

At a glance

Also called

sampler stitch, point de croix

Used for

borders and outlines; filling patterns and shapes; marking linens; counted cross stitch from a chart

Thread

Match the number of strands to the fabric and the size of the cross. Three strands of six-strand floss is a good place to start on ordinary cotton fabric. Use fewer strands on finer fabric.

Needle

On Aida and other evenweave fabric, use a blunt tapestry needle, which slips through the holes without piercing the fabric threads. On plain fabric with no holes to follow, use a sharp embroidery (crewel) needle.

Tips

• Plain fabric has no grid to follow, so supply one: waste canvas, water-soluble canvas, or a stick-on soluble stabilizer printed with a grid of dots.
• Decide which way the top stitch slants and keep to it everywhere. A top stitch that slants the other way changes how the shade looks.
• For a neat back, work level rows in two passes and upright rows one cross at a time.
• Finishing each cross before the next is the more secure way. Working a row in two passes is faster.

When it goes wrong

Some crosses look different from the rest

Their top stitches slant the other way. Unpick them and cross them in the same direction as the others.

The crosses are different sizes or lean over

Each cross needs a true square, with both legs the same length. On fabric with no grid, stitch through waste canvas or water-soluble canvas.

Left-handed

The stitch is the same. You can mirror the diagrams: start each cross at the bottom right and work the first pass of a row from right to left. Any order works as long as every top stitch slants the same way.

Variations

• Half cross stitch. Only one diagonal is worked. On canvas this is known as tent stitch.
• Upright cross stitch. One vertical and one horizontal stitch make a plus sign instead of an X. In rows, each row fits into the spaces of the one before.
• Double cross stitch. An upright cross and a diagonal cross are worked one over the other to make an eight-pointed star.
• Long-armed cross stitch. One leg of each cross is twice as long as the other, so the crosses overlap and form a plaited band.