So the back of your cross stitch project is messy… who cares? Don’t stress too much over it, but keeping the back of your cross stitch project tidy can avoid you tangling your thread. Here are a few tips to keep the back of your design as clean as possible:

• Pull your thread taut each time you come up through the fabric while stitching. This prevents loose thread on the back of your cross stitch that can get you tangled up later on!

• When tacking down your thread, do your best to run it through threads of the same color.

• If your next stitch is more than 20  squares away, it is easier to tack down your thread and begin using a new thread to complete the remaining stitches for the color.