As needlework and craft enthusiasts we often pick up hints and tips for various crafts along the way.
In this section, we aim to share all of those tips with you to help make that task a little simpler. Covering the basics, through to tips on how to complete your projects.
1. Each symbol on the chart represents one stitch you have to complete on your fabric.
2. Your chart will be accompanied by a key, this identifies which colour and how many threads you should use for that symbol.
3. You will usually be given the colour codes for different makes of threads, for example, the chart above lists the colour codes for DMC, Anchor and Madeira silks. Although different makes of thread may come out in slightly different shades, although the basic colour will be the same.
Hold the tail of the thread and the back of your fabric, underneath where you are going to start stitching, and secure the thread with your first few cross stitches.
This is our prefered method, however it can often take a couple of attempts.
To be able to use this method, you need to have a loop in your thread, start with a longer thread and fold in half. Thread the loose ends through the eye of the needle. start your stich as normal, once you have completed half of your stitch pass the needle through the looped end of the silk and pull taut to secure the thread.
If you are looking for a neat back then this may be the method for you.
Tie a knot in the end of your thread. Push the needle through from the front of the fabric, away from where you are starting to stitch. This is a similar method to the loose end start, but leaves your second hand free rather than holding the thread at the back of the fabric. Once you have stitched over the end of the fabric, you can snip off the knot.
Aida has groups of threads woven together to form distinct blocks. It is the easiest type of fabric to work with, especially for beginners. The cross stitches are usually made over one block of the fabric. It is better for whole stitches.
Stitch direction depends on whether you are left handed or right handed as to which direction you are most comfortable stitching in. As a right handed stitcher I prefer to work right to left.
It is normal to start the stitch in a bottom corner, bringing your needle through the hole from the back of the fabric, then go down the opposite hole at the top, up again through the other bottom corner and back down in the remaining top hole.
Rather than completing individual stitches across a row, if you have 6 stitches of the same colour, why not try 6 half stitches in one direction and then come back with half stitches in the opposite direction.
Should you make a mistake, this method of stitching is much easier to undo than individual stitches.
Evenweave fabric is usually stitched over two threads, with each cross covering a 9 hole square.
The principle of creating a stitch is the same as if you were completing your project on aida.
And again, as a quicker way of completing a line of stitches, we suggest you use half cross stitches and then double back on yourself, as illustrated.
A blunt needle often works better than a sharp needle as it guides into the holes in the fabric rather than creating holes.
Half stitches are simple, they are simply half of what you would do to make a complete stitch.
Bring your needle through from the back of the fabric, then push it back through the hole in the opposite corner at the top, bring the needle back through the hole directly below, but instead of going through the other top hole to complete the cross, continue to work in the direction of the stitch, copying the stitch you have already completed.
Half stitches will often be used for lighter areas of stitching, for example sky or background to give depth to a finished piece.
Sometimes when working with a cross stitch chart you will see a small symbol in the corner of a square. If you see this symbol, it indicates that you should make a three quarter stitch.
The process of this uses techniques already covered by making a half stitch, ensuring that the stitch is in the right direction according to the corner the symbol is placed in on the chart. Come up through the bottom hole as though you were going to complete a full cross, but rather than putting your needle through the hole in the corner, you need to push it through the fabric half way so you replicate the stitch in the illustration.
This is much easier if working on evenweave as the hole is already there. If you are working on aida, you may find on this occasion that a sharper needle is more appropriate as you will have to 'make' your own hole in the fabric.
Backstitch will usually be shown on your cross stitch chart by coloured lines.
It is the finishing touch for your piece of work and should be done once your cross stitch is completed, usually only using one strand of thread.
Backstitch requires you to follow the pattern carefully, the length of stitch will often vary.
The illustration shows the basic principle of backstitch, bringing the needle up from the back at point 1, down at 2, up at 3, down at 4 and so on.
Beads can be attached to a cross stitch project, usually once complete. Beading can look very effective when applied correctly, and sometimes it is important to remember that less is more.
The bead should be attached using a half cross stitch. Bring the needle up from the back of your fabric in the bottom right hand corner of the square. Thread the bead on your needle, and push the needle through the top left hole.
Check your needle size with the hole in the bead to ensure that the bead can pass the eye of the needle freely. Use a small eyed needle and ordinary sewing cotton rather than embroidery silks.
1. Bring your needle up through the fabric from the back and using your thumb and forefinger hold the thread firmly from where it emerged...
2. Keeping the thread fairly taut, twist the needle twice around the thread. If you want a larger or smaller knot then you can vary the number of twists...
3. Whilst still keeping hold of the thread, push the needle down into the fabric, close to the hole close to where it emerged. pull the needle through gently to form a knot.
Wash your work to refresh and clean the fabric and the threads. It is natural that it will pick up dirt and grease from your hands as you are working with it. You can get specialist shampoos for embroidery, these do not contain anything which could harm your embroidery. Use lukewarm water, and rinse thoroughly afterwards, ensuring the water runs clear. Iron your stitchin by placing it face down on a towel with a clean cloth over the top, press with a warm iron until almost dry. The following stages show you how to secure your own work onto acid free board for framing.
1. Position your mount board, ensuring that it's acid free over the centre of your design. I recommend that you sandwich a piece of 2oz wadding between the board and your project. This gives the final piece a much softer look once it is framed. Push pins through the fabric and into the board along the top edge.
2. Pull the fabric gently, keeping the design centred and pin along the bottom edge of the board. Starting from one end, lace the fabric from top to bottom. When you get half way, stop lacing and start from the other end.
3. Pin and lace the remaining two sides, mitring and slipstitching the corners as you go. Gently pull all of the threads together in the centre and knot them to secure. Your stitching is now ready to be framed.
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