Cross Stitch
for Absolute Beginners
Never made a single X before? Perfect. This is your start-here guide to floss, needles, patterns and making your very first cross stitch.
Cross stitch can look a little intimidating when you first see a pattern filled with tiny squares, colors and symbols.
But at its heart, cross stitch is wonderfully simple.
You make little Xs. One X becomes another. Those Xs become shapes, and eventually those shapes turn into something completely yours.
What is cross stitch?
Let's start with the very basics.
Cross stitch is a type of embroidery made primarily from small X-shaped stitches placed on a grid.
Traditional cross stitch is usually worked on Aida fabric. Stitchfetti works on the same basic grid system, except the stitching surface is built directly into your frame.
What do I need?
Meet your embroidery floss
What looks like one thread is actually six.
Standard embroidery floss is made from six individual strands twisted together.
For most 14-count Stitchfetti designs, you'll stitch with two strands at a time.
Around 18–24 inches is comfortable for most stitching. Super-long floss tends to tangle, fray and generally cause unnecessary drama.
Thread your needle
Pass the ends of your floss through the eye of your tapestry needle. A tapestry needle has a blunt tip because you're passing through existing holes rather than piercing fabric.
Make your very first X
This is the whole heart of cross stitch.
Every full cross stitch is made from two diagonal stitches.
With the front of your frame facing you, bring the needle up through the bottom-left hole, down through the top-right hole, up through the bottom-right hole, and down through the top-left hole. Use the four corner holes of one grid square; the thread crosses at its center.
Keep your Xs going the same way
Your stitching will look smoother if the top strand of every X travels in the same direction.
For example, make every bottom half like / and every top half like \.
How do I read the pattern?
Think of a cross-stitch pattern like pixel art.
Every square on your pattern represents one stitch. Each color or symbol tells you which floss to use.
Tension without the tension
Your stitches should sit comfortably against the stitching surface. Don't leave them floppy, but don't pull them as tight as humanly possible either.
Think: snug, not strangled.
What if I make a mistake?
Congratulations. You're officially a stitcher.
Everybody miscounts or stitches in the wrong hole eventually. Carefully remove the incorrect stitches and try again.
Stitchers call removing stitches frogging.
How do I finish my thread?
When you only have a few inches of floss left, turn the frame over and slide your needle underneath several existing stitches.
Pull the floss through and trim off the excess.
You can also use a small knot on the back of a Stitchfetti frame if that's your preferred method.
And when you're finished?
This is the part that makes Stitchfetti different.
There's no removing fabric from a hoop. No stretching. No mounting. No searching for the right frame.
Tie off your final thread, turn your piece around and you're done.
Your First-Stitch Checklist ✦
You officially started. ×
You don't need to know everything before you begin. Grab your floss, thread your needle and make one little X.
Then make another.
We'll figure out the rest together.