The basics

What you need to know

FABRIC

The most common material used for cross stitch is known as Aida cloth. It has a special weave to make sure the holes in the fabric are evenly spaced so your stitches stay nice and square and even. Aida cloth comes in different ‘counts’ that indicate the number of threads per inch. Most cross stitch is completed on 14 count Aida, as are the patterns in this book. You can use a different count fabric, but make sure you do a little sample to see whether you need to use more or less strands of thread when you stitch.

Some people like to clean, dry and iron their fabric before use. If it has fold creases in it, that’s a pretty important step. However if your fabric is brand new and free of folds, that’s not really necessary.

EMBROIDERY HOOPS

Embroidery hoops aren’t essential to use, but they do make life a lot easier and will help keep your fabric tension nice and tight. There are already millions in the world so if you don’t have one, check the craft supplies at your local thrift shop before you go buying a new hoop. You can get hoops that double as round hanging frames. If you decide to use one of these, make sure your fabric tension is very square and even before you start stitching. Make sure you keep your hands and working area clean so you don’t have to wash the fabric again when you finish.

To use, simply lay your fabric between the two rings of the hoop and tighten the screw to bring tension to your fabric. It’s best if you can use a hoop that is a little bigger than your project area so you don’t have to keep moving it around and squashing your stitches.

NEEDLES

There are all sorts of needles out there and cross stitch has its own special type. Cross stitch needles are thin, with a blunt end and a long thread hole. Again, it’s not essential to use a specialist needle but it does make stitching a lot easier.

THREAD

Embroidery thread, aka floss, comes in small skeins that are made up of six strands of thread twined together. Each colour has its own code so you can follow patterns and get the colours exactly as they are intended to appear. There are quite a few companies in the world who make embroidery thread - all with their own code systems - but the main one is DMC from France. The patterns in this book use DMC codes as the colour system. If you already have thread from another company you can find converter tools online.

Please be aware; the colours in this book are simply a guide. You can change to any colour scheme you want.

LET YOUR CREATIVE JUICES FLOW!