BASICS OF STITCHING
The 1-2-3’s to help with your A-B-C’s!
Your floss comes in 6 strands, but you will only need one at a time. Isolate each thread as you are ready to use it. Separating the floss smoothly is best as it will keep the tangle factor low - a kinky thread will cause knots and stress as you stitch. Pull your thread slowly and allow the tail to spiral naturally as you pull.
Feed one end of the thread through the eye of your needle and pull the end through until one of the ends is about 2 inches shorter than the other. If you want start with the simplest technique, knot the longer end. If you’d like a cleaner look, leave it untied and see the Loop Stitch below.
Choose your first stitch wisely and count a few times to confirm your place. You can start anywhere, but the accuracy of your first stitch is super-duper important as it will anchor the rest of your pattern. You’ll want to pick a corner of the square to always be the first corner of each stitch (we favor the bottom left.)
TO KNOT OR NOT TO KNOT…
Pro: Using knots to secure your ends can be a quicker process and is much simpler to learn
Con: The knot may show on the front of your piece over time. Additionally the loop stitch is easier to undo if you make a mistake and gives a much neater look to the back
You need to tie a fat enough knot to not let the thread slip through your fabric as you pull your stitches taut. Tie the knot at one end and start your first (or next) stitch. It's quick.
STARTING A THREAD
The loop start may look complicated at first, but quickly becomes a joyful way to begin. The short of it is that you are securing the tail on top of your piece while creating a loop to stitch through and tighten.
Step 1: ↓ Pick a corner that is few squares away from your first (or next) stitch. Stitch down and leave a tail long enough to secure with your thumb.
Step 2: ↑ Stitch up through the hole that is one space diagonal from the corner where you will start your stitch (upper-right for us). Secure the tail with your thumb as you pull the thread taut.
Step 3: ↓ Stitch down through the hole that you just came up through and keep a small loop’s worth of thread on the top of your fabric
Step 4: ↑ Stitch up through the hole where you would begin your stitch (bottom-left for us).
Step 5: → Thread your needle through the loop you made and pull the thread parallel to your fabric until the loop tightens and secures itself.
Step 6: ↓ Stitch down through the hole that the loop came through (upper-right) until the knots pops over to the back.
Step 7: Cross that stitch or continue on with your pattern.
Once you have made a few complete stitches, you can snip the tail from the front. This leaves the perfect length of a tail on the back.
LOOP STITCH START
2 ½ BASIC STITCHES
The foundation. The OG. The X.
The basic idea behind cross-stitch embroidery is to sew an X wherever there is an X on your pattern. This simple strategy lets you be creative with how you plot your work. You can choose to complete the border and then move to the inside of your piece. You can plod along vertically or horizontally, completing one row or column at a time. Or you can go the English method, completing one X at time. Or you can stitch with complete chaos, go ahead. As long as, in the end, there is an X on your piece where there is an X on your pattern, your design will shine.
Choose the method that helps you keep count best and consider changing it up for different areas of your pattern. As you stitch, count slowly and often. This will minimize the only bigger bummer than a Bigot - having to undo your hard-won stitches.
These instructions will get you started with a single X. For strings of vertical or horizontal stitches, see the examples.
Step 1: Bring your needle up from the back of the fabric where you would like to begin. *You can start in any corner and stitch in any direction as long as you follow the logic of the stitch. We usually start our stitch in the lower left corner, so that is what you'll see in the examples.
Step 2: Stitch down through the hole that is diagonally opposite your current stitch (the upper left corner for us)
Step 3: Stitch up through one of the remaining corners of the square you are stitching. At max efficiency, the direction of this stitch will be determined by whether you are stitching vertically or horizontally and which direction you are going.
Step 4: Complete the X by stitching down through the remaining corner of your square.
Since we want these kits to be simple for new stitchers, we lean heavily on the X stitch. Very rarely, a pattern will include a half stitch or a back stitch. We would never leave you without the guidance you need for absolute success. If you end up falling in love with cross-stitch, you’ll find these skills useful.
HORIZONTAL X-STITCH
HORIZONTAL X-STITCH
VERTICAL X-STITCH
VERTICAL X-STITCH
A half stitch is quite literally that. It’s one half of a full X-stitch. One single diagonal line. The direction of the symbol (/ or \) on your pattern will indicate which half to stitch on your piece. It can be used to create dimension and edging.
HALF STITCH
The back stitch is used to make sharp, clean lines and is usually utilized to emphasize an object's egde or details. It can also be used to create shapes that require non-diagonal stitches. This is a basic stitch that is used in all types of sewing and embroidery. Essentially you stitch a step forward on the back of your fabric and then stitch back on the front of your piece. Backstitches can span more than one square at a time, but generally look cleaner with single stitches. Play around and use your judgement.
BACK STITCH
BACK STITCH
There are a few ways to secure the end of a thread. The two basic choices are to tie a knot or to stitch your thread under existing stitches. You. should start to consider ending your thread when you have about 2-3 inches of thread left. The shorter the tail, the more likely you are to pull your thread too tight and skew your design.
THE HIDEY STITCH
FINISHING YOUR PIECE
If your piece is crumpled, you can safely use an iron to smooth it. If you wet it or use the steam setting, it will regain its crispness!
We have given you an extra row on each edge of your fabric. If you didn’t tape your edges, you may see a bit of fraying and can remove this fray to fit perfectly in your frame. Alternatively, if you have stitched too tightly and have a slightly smaller piece in the end, you may need to keep this extra row. Test your piece in the frame and trim accordingly.
Instructions for using your frame are included with packaging, but the quick and dirty is that you can pop out the glass and place your design inside. If you choose to display your sign on a shelf you will also pop out the prop piece and snap it into place. Easy. peasy.
Once you have found a beautiful place to display your new sign, follow the steps in your smudging incantation (included with your kit) to seal you space. Ideally, you did this at the start of your project as well. You don’t need to take this too seriously, as any level of intention will help you keep unwelcome guests out of your life.
Please share! With us, with friends, with your socials. We LOVE to see your work (finished or still in progress)!
