How To Cross Stitch

Getting Started with cross stitching

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced stitcher, you’ve come to the right place for expert cross stitch advice. There’s a wealth of stitching knowledge here, all at the click of a button. Have a browse and learn something new today!

Follow these guidelines and you'll soon be stitching your first design:

faqs

How do I avoid getting in a muddle when unpicking mistakes?

Tricky unpicking is often the cause of untidy stitching. As you stitch, make sure that the top arm of each cross stitch is made in the same direction. This way, if you do need to do any unpicking, you will be able to do it simply by backtracking along your stitching.

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Cross Stitch TV

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making up

It’s always fun to try new ways of making up your cross stitch into different finishes. As well as giving you a chance to expand your skills, this means that you won’t run out of walls to show off your framed designs! Many stitchers can find it a bit scary branching out into cushions, doorstop and the like, or even going the extra mile and perfecting specialist finishes like biscornus and scissor keepers. But don’t worry – our step-by-step guides will show you how simple it is to master these techniques. We’ve also shared some handy tips to make your whole stitching experience that little bit easier.

Hannah Bells Editor of The world of Cross Stitching

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Tip of the day

Stop your fabric fraying

If you are short of time and need to protect the edges of your...

Members for your stitch club

1. Make posters, it's quite easy these days just on a home computer. Put these up in your local...

Thread colours

Be sure to check that your threads are colourfast before you start stitching. I didn’t...

glossary

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Click one of the letters above to advance the page to terms beginning with that letter.
Binca

A fabricThe material on which cross stitch is made, of the fabric is aida though evenweave and linen can also be used. Fabrics come in many colours and many counts. It can also be made of perforated paper or plastic. Only fabric especially made for cross stitching should be used for stitching, because the even spacing of the threads is very important – each type of fabric is made up of holes of an even stitch count. To stitch on other fabrics you can use waste canvas. with a low stitch countThis refers to the number of holes there are per inch of fabric. It can vary from 6- to 55- count. The higher the number, the smaller your cross stitches will be, so choose a size that you're comfortable with. The most popular size in cross stitch is 14-count aida, and this is usually stitched in two strands. Try comparing this with 16- and 18-count to see which one you like best.. It is really useful for teaching children to stitch, as well as adults who may have problems with their eyesight and not be able to see very clearly.

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