Leisure Craft - Tewkesbury

Cross Stitch is a very simple craft, but time consuming.

The Aida material has holes in it in the form of a square.

Aida Material

The chart/design has a square grid with symbols on it; each square on the chart/design represents one square on the material. The symbols represent the DMC different cottons.

There is no printing on the material. You fill in the design with the appropriate colour on the material with a cross stitch. Beads are treated in the same way. Warning! Once you start a project you will not want to put it down!

Charted Designs
Each square on the chart represents a space in which a cross-stitch should be made. The symbol in the square specifies the colour to use as shown in the Colour Key.

Getting Started
Work your design centred on the fabric. Follow the arrows on the chart to find the centre of the charted design, count the threads or fold the fabric in half and then in half again to find its centre.

Cotton
To stitch, separate two strands from the six-strand twist. Pull one strand at a time to avoid tangles. Use two strands for cross-stitch and one strand for backstitch unless otherwise instructed.

To begin, bring the threaded needle through the front of the material. Hold an inch of thread against the back. To finish off the threads and to begin new ones, weave the thread through the backs of several stitches at the back of the material, do not knot the thread.

Cross Stitch
The cross stitch is formed in two motions. Follow the numbering in Fig 1 and bring the needle up at 1, down at 2, up at 3, and down at 4, to complete the stitch. Work horizontal rows of stitches, Fig 2, wherever possible. Bring the thread up at 1 and continue numerical sequence, working half of each stitch across the row and completing them on return.

Go to Fig3>>

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Fig 3

Also refer to Fig 3 for an example of completed cross-stitch

Backstitch
Backstitches are used to outline or make lines and are worked after the cross stitches have been completed. They may slope in any direction and are occasionally worked over more than one square of the fabric. Fig 4 shows the progression of several stitches; bring the thread up at odd numbers and down at even numbers.

Sometimes you have to choose where to end one backstitch colour and begin the next colour.

Fig 4

Finishing Off
Wash the cross-stitch in cool water with a mild soap. Rinse well. Roll in a towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Place face down on a dry towel or padded surface and iron carefully. Frame or finish as desired.

Additional Supplies
Size 24 or 26 blunt-pointed tapestry needles are suitable for this fabric (Aida 14). Choose a small sharp pair of embroidery scissors and use them just for needlework. If you like to use a frame, choose an appropriate sized tapestry wooden roller frame with a screw-type tension adjuster.

Happy Stitching

Ethne