How to cross stitch: a beginner's guide

Cross stitch is counting and making little X's. If you can thread a needle and count to ten, you can finish a pattern. Here's everything you need for your first one.

What you need

• Aida fabric. It has a grid of holes, so every stitch lands in the right place. 14-count (14 squares per inch) is the easiest to see.
• Embroidery floss. Each skein is six thin strands twisted together. Patterns list colors by DMC number, the most common brand.
• A tapestry needle, size 24 for 14-count. It has a blunt tip and a big eye.
• A hoop to keep the fabric tight, and small sharp scissors.

Read the chart

Every square on the chart is one stitch on one square of fabric. The symbol or color in the square tells you which thread to use, and the key matches each symbol to a DMC number. Bold lines mark every 10 squares, which makes counting much easier. Empty squares stay unstitched.

Find the center

Fold your fabric in half, then in half again, and pinch the corner to crease it. Where the creases cross is the center. On the chart, small arrows on the edges point to the center row and column. Starting in the middle means the design ends up centered with even margins.

Thread the needle

Cut about 18 inches (45 cm) of floss. Pull out the number of strands the pattern asks for, usually two on 14-count, one at a time so they don't tangle, then put them back together. Don't tie a knot. Instead, leave a 1-inch tail behind the fabric and catch it under your first few stitches. With two strands, you can also use a loop start: take one strand twice as long, fold it in half, thread the cut ends, and pass the needle through the loop on the back after your first half stitch.

Make the stitch

1. Come up through the bottom left hole of a square.
2. Go down through the top right hole. That's half a cross.
3. Come up through the bottom right hole and go down through the top left. That's a full cross.

The one rule that matters: keep the top stitch going the same way every time. It's what makes finished work look smooth. For a row of the same color, work all the bottom halves across, then come back along the row to cross them.

Half, quarter and three-quarter stitches

Some charts split squares to smooth curves and add detail. These are called fractional stitches, and they're less fiddly than they look.

A diagonal line through a square is a half stitch. Work only one leg of the cross, slanting the way the line goes.

A small mark tucked into one corner is a quarter stitch. Come up in that corner and go down in the center of the square. On Aida you'll push the needle through the middle of the fabric square, which is easier with a sharp needle.

A triangle filling half the square is a three-quarter stitch. Make a quarter stitch from the triangle's corner to the center, then a half stitch across it, so the long leg holds the short one down.

When two colors share a square, one gets the three-quarter stitch and the other a quarter. Give the three-quarter to the color in front, such as the outline of a shape, or follow the pattern's key.

Keep your place

Count in small groups and check each 10-square block against the bold lines. Mark off stitches as you finish them, with a highlighter on paper or by tapping them in the Track tab. Highlighting one color at a time makes it easy to see what's left.

Backstitch and French knots

Lines on a chart are backstitch, used for outlines and lettering. Do them after the crosses, with one strand: come up one square ahead, go down where the line starts, and keep going. Dots are French knots: come up, wrap the thread twice around the needle, and go back down right next to where you came up while holding the thread taut.

Finish neatly

End each thread by running it under four or five stitches on the back and trimming it. When you're done, wash the piece by hand in cool water with a little gentle soap, roll it in a towel, and press it face down on a soft towel so the stitches stay raised. Then frame it, or leave it in a hoop and trim the fabric behind.

Common first-timer mistakes

• Thread too long. It frays and knots. Shorter lengths are faster in the end.
• Pulling too tight. The fabric puckers. Let the stitch sit flat on the surface.
• Carrying thread a long way across the back. It can show through light fabric. Over more than three or four squares, end the thread and start again.
• Miscounting. Count twice, stitch once, and use the bold lines as checkpoints.

Make a pattern from a photo, free

Skeinshot turns any photo into a chart with DMC thread numbers, reads PDF and OXS charts you bought, and tracks every stitch on your phone, tablet or computer.