Beginning Crosstitching, How to Make a Watermelon Crosstitch Design
The materials needed: 11-count aida cloth, needle, scissors, hoop, and embroidery floss. The colors of floss you will need are a dark green,black, white, dark melon or pink and light melon or pink.
Prepare your materials by finding the center of the material and marking, placing the material in the hoop, and threading the needle using two strands of floss.
Since this project is done with directions instead of a pattern, we will start at the bottom of the project and work our way upwards, we will also complete a color before we move on to the next.
Starting with the needle threaded with dark green, count down seven blocks from the center. Now count eight blocks to the left from there, this will be row 1.
Row 1: Crosstitch fourteen crosstitches. Row 2: After going up to this row, move two blocks to the left and make three crosstitches. The last crosstitch on this row will be right above the first crosstitch on row 1. Row 3: Go two blocks to the left and make two crosstitches. Row 4: Go two blocks to the left and make two crosstitches. Row 5: Go one block to the left and make one crosstitch. Row 6: Go one block to the left and make one crosstitch. Row 7: Go one block to the left and make one crosstitch. Row 8: Go one block to the left and make one crosstitch. Row 9: Go one block to the left and make one crosstitch. Row 10: Go one block to the left and make one crosstitch. Row 11: Make one crosstitch right above the one on row 10. Row 12: Go one block to the left and stitch one crosstitch. Row 13: Make one crosstitch above the one on row 12. Row 14: Go one block to the left and stitch one crosstitch. Row 15: Make one crosstitch above the one on row 14.
Now, go back to row 1 of the dark green. Go to the last stitch on the right and move up to row 2. Once you are on row 2, go one block to the right, this should be diagonally to the right of the last stitch on row 1. Make three crosstitches. Rows 3 through 15: Follow the directions from before, except you will go to the right each time, instead of to the left.
Change the thread in the needle to white. Fill in all of the empty spaces on row 2 of the green between the left and right sides, this is row 1 of the white. Row 2: Go three blocks to the left and crosstitch three. Row 3: Go two blocks to the left and stitch two. Row 4: Go two blocks to the left and stitch two. Row 5: Go one block to the left and make one crossstitch. Row 6: Go one block to the left and make one crossstitch. Row 7: Go one block to the left and make one crossstitch. Row 8: Go one block to the left and make one stitch. Row 9: Go one block to the left and make one crosstitch. Row 10: Make one crosstitch right above the one on row 9. Row 11: Go one block to the left and make one crosstitch. Row 12: Make one crosstitch right above the one on row 11. Row 13: Go one block to the left and make one crosstitch. Row 14: Make one crosstitch right above the one on row 13.
Now go back to row 1 of the white. Go to the last stitch on the right and move up to row 2. Once you are on row 2, go one block to the right, this should be diagonally to the right of the last stitch on row 1. Make three crosstitches. Rows 3 through 14: Follow the directions for the white from before, except you will go to the right each time, instead of to the left.
Change the thread to dark melon. Fill in all of the empty spaces on row 2 of the white between the left and right sides, this is row 1 of the dark melon. Row 2: Do the same as you did for row 1, filling in all of the spaces. Row 3: Go two blocks to the left and make five crosstitches. Row 4: Go two blocks to the left and make four crosstitches. Row 5: Go one block to the left and make four crosstitches. Row 6: Go one block to the left and make four crosstitches. Row 7: Go one block to the left and make three crosstitches. Row 8: Go one block to the left and make three crosstitches. Row 9: Make one crosstitch right above the first one on row 8. Row 10: Go one block to the left and make one crosstitch. Row 11: Make one crosstitch right above the one on row 10. Row 12: Go one block to the left and make one crosstitch. Row 13: Make one crosstitch right above the one on row 12.
Now go back to row 2 of the dark melon. Go to the last stitch on the right and move up to row 3. Once you are on row 3, make three crosstitches. The first crosstitch on this row will be right above the last crosstitch on row 2. Row 4: Go one block to the right and make four crosstitches. Row 5: Go one block to the right and make three crosstitches. Row 6: Go two blocks to the right and make two crosstitches. Row 7: Go one block to the right and make one crosstitch. Row 8: Go one block to the right and make two crosstitches. Row 9: Go one block to the right and make one crosstitch. Row 10: Make two crosstitches, the first one of these will be right over the one on row 9. Row 11: Go one block to the right and make one crosstitch. Row 12: Make two crosstitches, the first one of these will be right over the one on row 11. Row 13: Go one block to the right and make one crosstitch.
Change the thread to light melon. Fill in all of the empty spaces above row 2 of the dark melon, this will be row 1 of the light melon. Row 2: Fill in all of the blocks of this row with light melon. Row 3: Go one block to the left, make five half stitches, skip one block, fill in rest of the row, work back to beginning of the row crossing stitches, making crosstitches. Row 4: Go one block to the left and make two half stitches, skip one block, make four stitches, skip one block, make five stitches, skip one block, make two stitches, skip one block, fill in the rest of the row and make crosstitches. Row 5: Go two blocks to the left and make twenty stitches, skip one block, fill in rest of row and make crosstitches. Row 6: Go two blocks to the left and make ten stitches, skip one block, make seventeen stitches, skip one block, fill in rest of row and make crosstitches. Row 7: Go two blocks to the left and make fifteen stitches, skip one block, make ten stitches, skip one block, then finish row and make crosstitches. Row 8: Go one block to the left and make seven stitches, skip one block, make nineteen stitches, skip one block, fill in rest of row, making crosstitches. Row 9: Beginning right above the last row, make twenty, skip one block, make seven stitches, skip one block, then fill in rest of row, making crosstitches. Row 10: Go one block to the left, make three stitches, skip one block, fill in the rest of the row, making crosstitches. Row 11: Beginning right above the last row, completely fill in this row with the light pink.
Change the thread to black and fill in all of the empty spaces in the light melon, these are the seeds of the watermelon.
This design can be used to make a book marker or a bib, use your imagination and be creative. Most of all have fun.
