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Cross stitching is a relaxing and rewarding hobby to do. It involves placing stitches of different colours on fabric to form a picture. A pattern tells you where to place the stitches, with each symbol on the pattern representing the colour to use. Cross stitching is very easy to learn, as most patterns use only a few different types of stitches. Here is a list of the five most common stitches that are used in cross stitching, with a brief description of how to do each one.
Cross Stitch
This stitch is really two half stitches that cross each other to form a small "x". It doesn't matter whether the bottom stitch goes from bottom left to top right or from bottom right to top left, as long as the bottom stitches all go in the same direction. That will mean that all your top stitches will also go in the same direction, giving your finished piece a tidy look. Also, when stitching, if you have a row of stitches to do, you can always do the bottom stitches first for the whole row and then work your way back doing the top stitches.
Half Stitch
A stitch that runs diagonally. It can go from bottom left to top right or bottom right to top left. If you do two half stitches going in different directions over the same square (ie: one stitch goes from bottom left to top right and the second stitch crosses over that by going from bottom right to top left) then you will have formed a cross stitch. Work all half stitches going in the same direction, unless the pattern states not to.
Quarter Stitch
This stitch is half the size of a half stitch. It starts in any corner of your aida cloth and then ends in the middle of the square. Quarter stitches are mainly used in petite cross stitch, but they can be found in more complex cross stitch patterns. Don't worry, quarter stitches are easy to do and your pattern will tell you what corner to start the stitch in.
Three-Quarter Stitch
This combines a half stitch and a quarter stitch together, hence the name. For example: if you did a half stitch going from the bottom left to the top right, then you could place the quarter stitch going from the bottom right corner to the middle. As an alternative, you could have the quarter stitch part go from the top left corner to the middle, instead of the bottom right to the middle. Your pattern will tell you exactly how to place the three quarter stitch. The purpose of the three-quarter stitch is to allow a cross stitch pattern to have more detail in it.
Back Stitch
Back stitching is a line of stitches used to outline other stitches and can also be used to write letters or numbers. Back stitching is often done with one thread to create thin lines. The more threads that are used, the thicker the lines will be. The lines help to add definition to a picture, for example, to show the edges of an object or to add facial features such as eyes.
Final Words
Most patterns will only use cross stitches, half stitches and back stitching, so learn these stitches first. If the pattern requires any other kind of stitches to be used, it will tell you how to place them. Finally, remember that for cross stitches and half stitches, it doesn't matter in which direction you go, as long as all the stitches go in the same direction.
Now that you know what stitches are used in cross stitching, are you ready to get started?
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