TIPS FOR CROSS STITCHING.

1. CHOOSE A EASY PATTERN FROM A MAGAZINE OR BUY A KIT THAT HAS EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN IT.
2. READ THE DIRECTIONS AND PATTERN CAREFULLY, DOING THIS CAN PREVENT MOST MISTAKES.
3. COUNT TWICE! SOMETIMES YOU WILL NEED TO COUNT A THIRD TIME IF THE FIRST TWO DON'T MATCH, IT WILL SAVE TIME IF YOU WERE WRONG THE FIRST TIME.
4. UNLESS YOU ARE WORKING ON SOMETHING THAT HAS EDGES THAT CAN'T FRAY, MAKE SURE TO OVERLOCK, ZIG ZAG OR TAPE THEM.
5. HAVE A LITTLE BAG FOR YOUR THREAD GARBAGE. THAT WAY YOU DON'T LOSE ANY AND FIND LITTLE THREADS ON THE FLOOR LATER.
6. AFTER DOING SEVERAL STITCHES, LET THE THREAD AND NEEDLE HANG BELOW THE FABRIC. THIS ALLOWS THE THREAD TO RELEASE SOME OF THE TWIST THAT GETS IN IT FROM MAKING YOUR STITCHES.
7. ANOTHER HANDY CROSS STITCHING TIP IS WHEN YOU'RE READY TO CHANGE THREAD COLORS, JUST SIMPLY PULL YOUR NEEDLE THROUGH THE STITCHES ON THE BACK OF YOUR FABRIC TO HOLD YOUR THREAD BEFORE YOU SNIP IT OFF WITH SCISSORS. MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A LITTLE BIT OF THREAD SO THAT IT DOES NOT COME LOOSE AND UNSTITCHED. CHANGE YOUR THREAD COLOR AND START ON THE NEXT AREA OF YOUR PROJECT AS YOU DID BEFORE.
8. ONE KEY FACTOR IN LEARNING TO CROSS STITCH IS REMEMBERING NOT TO KNOT YOUR THREAD. KNOTTING THREADS IN A CROSS STITCH PROJECT WILL MAKE YOUR END RESULT LOOK LUMPY AND UNEVEN. JUST PULL YOUR THREAD THROUGH YOUR AIDA CLOTH AND MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A LENGTH OF THREAD ON THE END IN THE BACK. YOU CAN KEEP THE BIT OF TAIL FROM GOING COMPLETELY THROUGH THE FABRIC BY HOLDING ONTO IT ON THE BACK OF YOUR FABRIC AS YOU MAKE YOUR FIRST COUPLE OF STITCHES; THEY WILL OVERLAP AND HOLD THE THREAD IN PLACE.
9. CROSS STITCHING REQUIRES YOU TO USE A SIX STRAND OF FLOSS OR THREAD AND SEPARATE IT INTO INDIVIDUAL THREADS. YOUR PATTERN WILL TELL YOU HOW MANY THREADS YOU'LL USE AT A TIME. MOST OFTEN, THE LARGER THE WEAVE OF YOUR FABRIC, THE MORE STRANDS OF EMBROIDERY FLOSS YOU'LL NEED AT A TIME. DON'T REWIND YOUR FLOSS AND BY ALL MEANS DON'T LET IT GET TANGLED OR BUNCHED UP.
10. BEGINNERS MAY WANT TO USE AN EMBROIDERY HOOP TO HELP REGULATE THE TENSION OF YOUR STITCHES. HOWEVER, AT ANY LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE, IF YOU FIND YOUR CLOTH PULLING IN ONE DIRECTION, AN EMBROIDERY HOOP IS A MUST.
11. WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE STARTING TO WORK TO REMOVE NATURAL OILS.
12. GOOD LIGHT AND A COMFORTABLE CHAIR WILL MAKE YOUR WORK MORE PLEASANT.
13. WORK FROM A PHOTOCOPY ENLARGEMENT - EASIER ON THE EYES.NEVER MARK UP YOUR ORIGINAL CHART. USE A FELT PEN TO MAKE MARKINGS.
14. MAKE ROWS OF DIAGONAL STITCHES, WORKING FROM LOWER LEFT TO UPPER RIGHT OF EACH "SQUARE."
15. CROSS WITH A ROW OF OPPOSITE DIAGONALS, WORKING FROM LOWER RIGHT TO UPPER LEFT. (
16. MAKE YOUR STITCHES TAUT, FLAT AGAINST CLOTH, BUT NEVER TIGHT.
17. START A NEW ROW BY BRINGING THE NEEDLE DOWN TO THE LOWER LEFT OF THE NEXT ROW.
18. TAKE CARE WITH YOUR TENSION. JUST A TINY BIT TOO MUCH TENSION WILL WARP YOUR FABRIC - AND UNFORTUNATELY IT MAY NOT BE EVIDENT UNTIL THE WORK IS COMPLETE. I USE A HOOP EVEN THOUGH I’M NOT A BEGINNER, I FIND THAT IT IS EASIER TO WORK.
19. ENJOY ENJOY ENjoy.