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Crossed stitches · Beginner

Cross stitch on canvas

Two diagonal stitches that cross each other. On canvas it is worked over a single intersection or, for a larger cross, over two threads each way, as shown here.

Cross stitch on canvas: the finished stitch on canvas, twelve stitches, some slanting up to the right and some slanting up to the left, in two colors
The finished stitch on canvas. Every stitch runs from one hole to another; the two colors are only there to tell the stitches apart. In the steps, new stitches are red, and the numbers give the order: up at an odd number, down at the next even one.

How to work it

  1. Work the first diagonal

    Cross stitch on canvas, step 1: the first stitch on the canvas. Numerals 1 and 2 mark its ends, in working order.

    Work a diagonal stitch from lower left to upper right over two intersections.

  2. The crossing stitch

    Cross stitch on canvas, step 2: two stitches on the canvas, the one this step adds in red. Numerals 3 and 4 mark its ends, in working order.

    Cross it with a stitch from lower right to upper left.

  3. Cross every stitch the same way

    Cross stitch on canvas, step 3: twelve stitches on the canvas, the ten this step adds in red.

    Work the next cross beside it on the next two threads, so that the two share the holes along the edge between them, and the next row directly below in the same way. Keep the top stitch slanting the same way in every cross.

At a glance

Used for
small details; lettering; rugs; textured areas
Coverage
Full, slightly raised
Direction
Slanted both ways
Stitch length
Over 2 intersections

Cross stitch sits slightly above the canvas and gives a textured surface. It is a popular stitch for needlepoint rugs, and for making lettering stand out from the stitches around it.

Cross stitch has a long history on canvas. It was typical of sixteenth-century canvas work until tent stitch displaced it. Mary, Queen of Scots and her household stitched canvas pieces in it that are now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. It came back with Berlin wool work in the middle of the nineteenth century. Some stitch references list gros point among its other names; the name has since come to mean large tent stitches, on canvas of 8 to 15 holes to the inch.

There are two ways to work it. In one, each cross is finished before the next is begun. In the other, a row of half crosses is worked and each is crossed on the way back. On mono and penelope canvas, teachers say to finish each cross as you go, which helps keep the canvas from distorting. The row method can be used on interlock canvas.

Over a single intersection a cross takes the place of one tent stitch, so it can pick out a painted dot or a line of fine detail. Teachers use it for polka dots, tiny snowflakes and faces.

It pairs with tent stitch: a nineteenth-century encyclopedia uses tent stitch alongside cross stitch for the finer lines and the shaded parts of flowers and figures.

Tips

  • On mono canvas, finish each cross before starting the next.
  • Crossed stitches are layered, so a slightly thinner thread keeps them from getting bulky.

When it goes wrong

The surface looks ragged.
Cross every stitch in the same order so the top legs all slant one way, and keep the thread flat. With a stranded thread, pull the strands apart and put them back together before threading the needle so they do not twist.

Variations

  • Oblong cross. A taller cross, usually over two threads by four. One stitch reference warns that it leaves an unworked hole between stitches unless the rows are offset or a line of backstitch is added.

Questions

Which leg of the cross goes on top?
Either. One stitch reference says it does not matter, as long as the top stitch is the same in every cross.

Where to go next

Stitches

Guides