Now that you have selected your chart and gathered all the materials, tools and accessories that you will need, it is finally time to start stitching! Even now, as quite an experienced stitcher, I find that there is something rather intimidating about placing that very first stitch in a new project, so I quite understand that for a new stitcher it could be quite a daunting process. Therefore, I think we should go nice and slow and take it step by step.

 

1) Where to Start

I mean this quite literally: where do we start? You can, of course, start anywhere you like, but my personal preference is to start in the top left-hand corner if I am stitching a full-coverage piece, and to start in the middle for all other designs. 

To Start in a Corner.

You will will first of all need to know the size of your stitched area. You will probably already know this as it would have come been necessary to calculate the size of the piece of fabric to buy, but if you have forgotten, you will often find the stitched area printed on the chart itself. NOTE: The stitched area printed on the chart will only be accurate if you are stitching on the recommended fabric. If not, you will need to calculate the stitched area yourself. You can calculate the stitched are by dividing the stitch count by the fabric count. 

Example: I have a chart the stitch count of which is 121 x 179. My chart tells me that if I stitch it on 16 count aida, the finished stitched area will be 7.5” x 11.25”.  I have a lovely piece of 28 count evenweave, but I know that the stitched area on 28 evenweave will be larger than the 16 count aida, so how do I calculate the new stitched area? 
First I need to remember that when stitching 2 over 2 on 28 count evenweave, we are only using every other hole of the fabric, so really we are stitching into only 14 holes per inch. So, I will make my calculations by pretending the fabric is 14 count. 

121/14 = 8.65
179/14 = 12.78

Therefore, we can say that our stitched area on 28 count evenweave will be approximately 8.65” x 12.78”. Now I might like to have a one inch boarded around my design and then another two inches running around that so that I have enough fabric for framing. So I need to add three inches around all four sides. 
8.65” + 3” + 3” = 14.65”
12.78” + 3” + 3” = 18.78”
My piece of 28 count evenweave need to be at least 14.65” x 18.78”

If my piece is big enough, then I will make first make sure it is oriented correctly and then measure down three inches, and across three inches and that point is where I will place the very first stitch (the stitch that is in the very top left hand corner of my chart).

Note: I know many of us prefer to use metric measurements, but as fabric count is always measured in holes per inch, I find it easier to work in inches first and then convert the final numbers back into centimetres. 

Starting in the Middle

The easier option, in my opinion! 
To find the centre of your fabric simply fold it in half, open it back up, fold it in half the other way and you will see a cross has being made in your fabric. The centre of this cross, is the centre of your fabric! Just please- PLEASE- make sure you have the orientation correct before you start stitching. 
To find the centre of your chart, find the marker (often an arrow or inverted triangle) on the top of your chart and the same on the side of your chart and follow the lines from both these markers towards the middle of your chart. The point where these two lines intersect is the centre of your chart. 

Now that you have decided where you are starting, you can place your fabric in your hoop or frame.

 

2) What thread to start with.

Look at the symbol of your first stitch and then find that exact symbol on your thread list. That’s the thread you’re going to start with.

NOTE: Occasionally, you might find that there are two thread numbers beside one symbol. Often in this case you are being asked to hold one strand each of two different colours together and stitch with them as though they were one thread. 

3) How to Start.

When making your very first stitch of a fresh thread, you need to think about how you are going to secure the thread so that it doesn’t come loose as your stitch. There are several ways of doing this, but the three most popular are:

The Loop-Start Method

A favourite of mine, the loop start method is brilliant for when you are stitching with two strands of thread of the same colour. Simply take one strand of thread, double it over (so that you have “two” strands) and thread your needle. You will have two tails: one that is a loop and one that is the two ends of the thread. You want the loop tail to be the longer tail. 

Below you will see a (rather crude) diagram of how I make my cross-stitches. I have numbered the four holes to make the explanation easier. 
To work the loop-start, insert your needle into hole 1 and pull through your thread until only the loop is remaining.

 Now bring your needle out through hole 2 and pop it through the loop and pull your thread though.

Now, double back on yourself and put the needle back through hole 2. The knot should pull to the back of the fabric.

 Your thread is now secure and you can complete your stitch in the normal fashion (see below).

 

The Waste-Knot Method

For times when you won’t be able to use the loop-start method (for example when you are using an odd number of threads), you might like to try the waste-knot method. 
For this method to work, you need to thread your needle and tie a knot in the end of the longer of your two tails.

Now, insert your needle at a point to the left of where you plan to make your first stitch. Your knot will sit here and hold your tail secure while you stitch.  Now bring your needle up where you want that first stitch and work away as normal.

The idea is that as you stitch, the thread attached to your which is now running across the back of your fabric will be secured by other stitches. 

Eventually, that thread will be completely anchored and secured and you can snip off your knot. 

Securing in Established Stitches

Once you have a established stitches on your fabric, you can use theses to secure new threads. Simply turn over your work (so you are looking at the back) and run your needle through the back of a row of stitches. This will secure the tail of your new thread and you can turn your work back over to the front and work away. 

 

 

4) Stitching on Aida vs Evenweave/Linen

Although a cross-stitch is a cross-stitch no matter the fabric it’s worked on, there are a few differences in the way we make those crosses, depending on whether we are stitching on aida or evenweave/linen. 

Stitching on Aida

Stitching on aida is a real breeze and so it’s no wonder this is the fabric often favoured by new stitchers. To make a cross-stitch on aida, we take each individual aida block as the centre of our stitch and work into each of its four corners. When we talk about working on aida, we say that we are stitching ‘over one’ as we are making our stitch over one aida block. 

Stitching on Evenweave and Linen

In this blog post I will only be talking about stitching over two threads on evenweave/linen as this is, by far, the most common way to stitch on those fabrics. If you would like to know more about stitching over one threads on these fabrics, you will find more information about this in the next blogpost. 
When we stitch over two threads, we must remember that there will be an empty hole at the centre of our stitch and an empty hole between each of our entry holes. We work the legs of our stitch over two threads, so please remember to jump across a thread, across a hole, across a thread again. 

No matter what fabric you are stitching on, I beg you to please, please, PLEASE remember to keep the legs of your stitches consistent. If your bottom leg is slanting to the right (like mine is) then please remember to have all your bottom legs slanting this way. If you start reversing the direction of your legs half way through your project, your finished piece will look a little odd when the light hits it. 

 

5) The English Method vs The Dutch Method

When stitching a horizontal row of the same colour, you have a couple of methods to choose from:

English Method

With the English method, you work each stitch individually, completing both the bottom and top leg of the stitch before moving on to the next stitch. Many stitchers argue the English method results in more even stitches and a better overall appearance. 

Dutch Method

The Dutch method involves you stitching all of the bottom legs in your row before turning back to complete all the top legs. This is my preferred method as I find it to be quicker and quite fun.

 

6) Finishing Your Thread

When your strand of thread starts to run low, or you are simply finished with that colour, you need to first secure the end of your thread before you can move onto the new thread. To secure your thread, simply run your needle in through the back of a few existing stitches and this will anchor in your thread. You can then snip away the excess.

7) The Perils of Twisted Threads

Due to the way we turn our needle when stitching, it is inevitable that our threads will start to twist. Twisted thread can result in knots (see below) or can cause your stitches to look a little messy. To untwist your threads, you can either let the needle hang under its own weight and let the threads untwist on their own, or you can start introducing a little quarter turn of your needle every few stitches in the opposite direction to that in which the thread is twisting (this one is a little hard to explain, but when you start stitching, you will develop a “feel” for your thread and you will know which way to turn the needle).

8) Knots

Knots are inevitable when stitching and although they may, at first, appear to spell disaster, not all is lost! Most knots are actually quite easy to deal with.

If you pop your needle in to the loop of the knot and apply a little upward pressure, you may find that the knot releases quite easily.

If you can’t get the knot out, you may have to cut it out. If you do this, you may need to pull out a few stitches so that you are left with enough thread to weave in.