How do I cross stitch?

There are 5 basic types of stitches: full stitch, quarter stitch, back stitch, and French knot. Instructions on how to do each kind of stitch are below.

Full Stitch: This is the basic stitch in the shape of an “X”.

 Come up through the fabric at the bottom right corner of the square and pull your thread taut. Come down through the fabric at the top left corner of the square. Come up through the fabric at the bottom left corner of the square and down through the fabric at the top right corner.

Quarter Stitch: This stitch adds a level of detail to your design.

 The design will show a quarter stitch on one quadrant of a square. Begin the stitch from the corner indicated in the design  and end the stitch in the middle of the square on your fabric.

Half Stitch: This stitch adds a level of detail to your design. 

The design will look like quarter stitches that are opposite quadrants from each other of a square. Come up through the fabric at the bottom corner of the square as indicated in your design and pull your thread taut. Come down through the fabric at the top corner of the square as indicated in your design.

 Back Stitch: This stitch adds a finishing touch to your cross stitch.

Come up through the fabric where your design shows a line and down through the fabric according to the design. If the line is very long, consider completing the line in multiple stitches.

French Knot: This stitch is typically used to stitch text and to add detail to your design.

 Come up through the fabric where the design shows a French knot. Pull the thread taut and then wrap the thread around your needle once. Instead of coming back through the thread in exactly the same spot, catch one thread from the fabric with the tip of your needle and come down through the fabric after pulling the wrapped thread around your needle taut. When creating your next stitch be sure not to pull your French knot through the fabric.