A Beginner's Guide to Crosstitching, Preparing to Sew

Twenty years ago, I was looking for a unique gift to give my grandparents for Christmas. While visiting the crafts section of a local store, I came upon a counted crosstitch kit that displayed the Lord's Supper, the perfect gift. Being inexperienced at the time, it took many months of learning, re-doing and marathon sewing to finish the piece. The time and effort were well spent, for as soon as the gift was received, it was framed and proudly displayed where everyone who entered their home were sure to see.

To begin, you will need a list of supplies: A pattern book, 11-count Aida cloth-a material with small squares in it usually used for embroidery and crosstitching, colored thread, size 24 needles, a hoop to keep material taut while sewing, sharp scissors and an area with good lighting. Kits are available that have everything needed except the hoop and scissors.

Once supplies are gathered, some preparations will need to be done before sewing can begin:

Preparing the material; cut off the woven material at the edge of the cloth, the selvage, along with any strings. Bind the material by placing regular masking tape around the edges to prevent fraying.

Finding the center of the material; to do this, fold the fabric in half from top to bottom then from side to side and place a pin or needle at the intersecting tip. When the material is unfolded, the center should be marked by the pin or needle.

Placing material in a hoop; first make sure you have the correct hoop size by separating the two halves and placing the material over the smaller half. The material should hang over one or two inches, if it does not, you may need a smaller hoop size, if it hangs over too much, a larger hoop or needlework frame may be used. After placing and centering the material over the smaller half of the hoop, loosen the screw adjuster on the outer ring and place over the fabric and inner ring. Slightly tighten the screw, pull the corners to make the fabric flat then finish tightening the screw. When working on your piece, you will want to have the screw in the hand holding the hoop so that the thread, also known as floss, will not catch on it while stitching.

Preparing the needle and thread; cut a twelve inch length of six strand embroidery floss, choosing the color that will be used at the center of the fabric. Separate the strands of the floss and thread the embroidery needle with two strands of the floss. Make sure to leave a tail on one side and not have the floss the same length on each side of the needle.

Preparing the pattern; find the center of the pattern and mark it by placing a small dot with a pen. Kit patterns are usually, always marked.

Beginning to sew; on the pattern, count the number of blocks from the center of the pattern back to where the color chosen begins, then count back the same number of blocks from the center of the material. Now you are ready to begin crosstitching. From here, you can decide to work all the areas requiring the color you began with, or you can work smaller areas, changing colors as needed.

Finish your project by framing it, then be sure to display it in a prominent place for all to see.