Cross-Stitch: A Fun and Easy Hobby!

Are you looking for a fun new hobby to occupy your time? Something that’s not too time-consuming and that can fit in a small space? Something that allows you to express your creativity without spending hundreds of dollars on tools and supplies? Well, look no further than cross-stitch for a great way to spend your spare time and create gifts that can last a lifetime!

Cross-Stitch has been around for decades, with patterns ranging from simple alphabets to intricate recreations of famous paintings. And while some crafts require plenty of instruction and tutorials before you can even think about creating a piece you can pick up a starter kit and get into cross-stitch within a single hour!

First, let’s take a look at a starter kit and see what you get in this small package. Many craft stores and retail outlets sell these kits for such things as Christmas ornaments or small quick projects. Find something that appeals to you, such as a humorous quip or a sweet animal picture.

Inside your kit you should find a single sewing needle, possibly a bit blunter than those in your regular sewing kit. Enclosed will be a single piece of mesh – we’ll get back to that in a second. You’ll also find a set of colored threads, more than enough to finish the project. As well you’ll have a pattern from which to work.

Let’s look at the pattern first. This is set out on graph paper, meaning that the image is set on a series of connected squares. In fact, if you hold the picture away from your eye you can make out the finished product, even though it’s only in black and white at this point.

For those of you who used to do Paint-By-Number kits the layout is familiar. Within the squares are a variety of symbols; each corresponding to a colored thread usually enclosed in the kit. Your job, if you wish to accept it, is to sew each color onto the mesh and create the final product.

But that’s further down the line – let’s first set up your threads and figure out where to start. Separate your threads by color lots and then figure out which symbols match which threads. Some crafters find it easier to organise the threads by taking a piece of cardboard and either punching out holes or cutting small slits to hold the thread. This way you can pencil in the symbol next to the actual colored thread (or floss) and have it at hand when you need it.

Now let’s look at the actual mesh. If you take a close look you’ll see that it’s not a solid piece of cloth but actually a weave of solid thicker threads up and down and side to side, like a wicker basket. What you’re going to do with the threads is fill in those squares, going through the empty spaces in the weave and connecting with other empty spaces. There are many different sizes of mesh, some with weaves so small that they qualify as linen and are almost invisible to the naked eye.

Many cross-stitchers prefer to set the mesh into a wooden or plastic frame in order to hold it taut and make it easier to hold as well as see the stitches. Again, many craft stores as well as major retail outlets carry special frames that help hold your mesh tightly and give you a clear picture of your project.

But where to start? After all, you want the picture in the center of the mesh and you don’t really want to start at one side and try and count your way in. Here’s a great tip on how to center both your piece and find a place to start on your pattern.

Take the mesh and fold it in half, then in half again. This will create two folds that will intersect in the center of the mesh and give you the center point. Now look at your pattern. All cross-stitch patterns usually have a small arrow pointing at the center row vertically and horizontally. Follow the two arrows to the center of the pattern and now you have your starting point! By matching up the center of the pattern with the center of the mesh (found where the two folds meet) you’ll be certain of having your design in the exact center without fail.

Now that you know where to start, let’s get your floss set up. Pick up a single thick piece of colored thread that matches the center symbol of your design. If you take a closer look you’ll see that it’s actually made up of six much smaller threads, called strands. Usually cross-stitch requires only two of these strands, but check the pattern – there are cases where you may use three or even four strands in order to make one piece of the design stand out from the others by being thicker.

Separate two strands of floss from the main thread and put them aside. Now let’s thread your needle. This should be nothing more difficult than threading a needle for regular sewing, but take your time and leave plenty of extra thread on each side.

A cross-stitch is exactly what you think it is – a stitch that goes across the mesh. What you’re going to do is start at the lower left side of the square and end your first stitch at the upper right. Then you come up again at the bottom right and travel over your original stitch to the upper left, creating a thread “x” when finished. It may not look impressive at first but put a few dozen of these stitches together and you’ll be creating magic!

First, let’s get back to the center of the mesh that corresponds to the center of your pattern. Bring the thread up through the bottom left of the square. Here you have a choice for how you handle the floss. You can put a small knot at the end of your floss and have the knot stop you from pulling the thread all the way through. Or you can leave a small “tail” on the other side of the mesh and tuck it under other stitches as you go along. Either way works for keeping your floss from pulling free as you continue to stitch, so it comes down to personal preference.

Back to your first stitch! Now obviously you don’t want to do a single “x” next to another one of the same color and waste floss, so what you need to do is come up on the bottom left of the square and down through the upper right then up through the bottom right. But then don’t continue to the upper left to finish your “x”, instead move to the next upper right as if you had forgotten how to finish the stitch. This will result in a pattern looking like “///” if you have three stitches to do.

Then come up on the bottom right of the last stitch and start finishing off the “x”‘s, creating a line of finished stitches – “XXX”. This will not only save you thread but also create a nice smooth finish on the underside of the mesh, not bumpy or disjointed. It may not seem like much to the casual stitcher but when you get around to framing your finished work it may prove to be troublesome. So try to make all of your stitches as clean as possible with little knots or bumps on the back of the mesh.

So now you’ve done your first row in a single color. Let’s mark off your progress on the pattern in pencil, just in case you discover an error later on and have to make a change. But now you want to change colors and move to the next symbol.

As with regular sewing, the ending can be as important as the beginning. If you just snip off the end of your floss it may grow loose with time and even unravel. One option for you is to run the needle under other finished threads on the back of the mesh, securing the thread. You may also choose to knot the thread, leaving the knot on the underside of the mesh. It’s your decision, of course, but make sure that the floss is secure and not likely to pull free by accident.

Change out your floss to the next symbol and keep on stitching! Be sure to take short breaks every now and then to rest your eyes, since cross-stich can be very tiring on your vision and can cause eye strain.

Now we come to the bane of every cross-stitcher. Backstitching.

Almost all cross-stitch kits have backstitching, from only a few stitches to literally hundreds. Backstitching is a way of highlighting some areas of your finished pattern over others by simply creating a different color border. What this usually entails is a single strand of floss and a lot of quick stitching in a straight line up, down and around the different colors you’ve already placed on the mesh. It may seem insignificant at first but backstitching can change a picture from just looking nice to looking beautiful as different areas of the pattern are brought out to the viewer. So while it may seem tedious and annoying backstitching is a necessary evil of cross-stitching.

Let’s jump to the finished product now! You’ve got a beautiful picture laid out in front of you – now what? Well, let’s get it framed!

There are professional framers that will be willing to frame your work for a price or you can attempt to do it yourself. Many small kits such as Christmas ornaments include plastic frames and quick instructions for you to mount your finished picture for display. No matter which option you choose be sure to find a frame that will highlight the hard work you’ve put into your creation and compliment the beautiful colors of your cross-stitch!

Cross-stitch can be a fun and rewarding hobby for young and old. Even youngsters can get into starter kits and explore the creative side of themselves as they do simple stitches and create memorable pieces for themselves and family. Why not stop by your local craft store or the craft area in your retail store and pick up a small kit – who knows, maybe you’re a stitcher at heart and just didn’t know it!