Smart Bitches Cross Stitches 101

I recently received a lovely email from Linda:

You’ve mentioned your cross stitch projects on the site before, but I wondered (since we’re going into high crafting season) if maybe you could do a general post about it? Because I have questions and they are pretty basic. I’ve done cross stitch here and there over the years, always from a kit, usually bought at a craft store but I’m working on a very small project now that I got on Etsy.

Here are the questions I’m running into:

• Where can I get an embroidery hoop that works well with cross stitch fabric and doesn’t need to be adjusted every 10 seconds?
• Where’s a good place to buy cross stitch kits? (Or, where are your favorite sources?)
• How does it work when you buy just a pattern? I keep seeing that for designs I like, but then where/how do I buy the fabric and all the floss?
• When you buy the pattern does it tell you what colors they used?
• And is it just regular embroidery floss? And then where do you buy that?

Normally I’m all knitting all the time, but I’m having some issues with my wrists, plus cross stitch makes pictures and that is super fun!

I know this is slightly off topic, but not really since I was listening to your podcast while cross stitching earlier and remembered that you’ve talked a little about it before. As always, thank you so much for an informative, entertaining, and enlightening podcast and website that I’m very happy to support every month!

As I said to Linda, I am delighted to answer cross stitch questions. I really like cross stitching quite a bit, and with all the subversive and terrific kits and patterns, I’d be delighted to help you stab things with needles over and over and over. It’s very satisfying, and the results can be even more delightful.

As one of my favorite cross stitchers on Instagram, BadAssCrossStitch, said:

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Just as Elyse has her love of knitting, I love cross stitch.

Beginner Instructions

Let me start with basic instructions, as I have a few resources to share.

I learned to cross stitch from a Subversive Cross Stitch kit, which came with a hoop, Aida (that’s the cloth you stitch on), floss, needles, and a pattern with instructions. Her kits are around $20, and that was everything I needed to get started on my first project, which was a gift for a co-worker who had been diagnosed with cancer. From there I went on to “Fuck Off I’m Reading” bookmarks, and haven’t looked back.

The process of cross stitching is really pretty simple. You’re making an X with embroidery floss. But much like knitting, the variables within “make an X with floss” mean that you can create some truly stunning stitchy art. Subversive Cross Stitch has a page of links and animated images illustrating the different stitches.

I learned to knit using a children’s book, which I still have, though I don’t knit very much. It’s called Kids Knitting, and it was very, very helpful. So I also want to recommend a craft book that’s aimed at children, but would very likely be a great asset to someone learning to cross stitch.

SBTB commenter EC Spurlock wrote I Can Cross Stitch, and sent me a copy a few years ago when it was released. It is a perfect learning guide, I think: there are photographs with cross stitches, half and quarter stitches, back stitching, and how to finish a thread, too. Then there are patterns of different sizes (including a beautiful alphabet pattern I really like) and project ideas, too.

So if you’re looking to learn, I recommend a kit that includes all you need, and I Can Cross Stitch, which takes you through the process step by step.

Buying Kits, Patterns, and Supplies

Linda asked:

• Where’s a good place to buy cross stitch kits? (Or, where are your favorite sources?)

There are so many excellent cross stitch kits, and so many excellent places to buy them. When I lived in Jersey, I lived near a truly magical store called The Edwardian Needle that carried every supply for needle crafters. But most craft stores such as JoAnn Fabrics and Michael’s carry cross stitching supplies. And of course, there are a lot of things you can buy.

As I mentioned, the first kit I purchased was from Subversive Cross Stitch, and I recommend them most vigorously. A kit includes the hoop, fabric, needle, and floss you need.

Other sources I like for all-in-one kits:

• Lindy Stitches on Etsy has a number of beginner kits for around $20.
• PyroDogPins on Etsy has a few kits that made me laugh. I snorted audibly at this one:

A search on Etsy for “beginner cross stitch kits” yields many, many options. I think a fun way to learn is to be motivated by a pattern that gives you a lot of joy. (For me, that involved patterns with curse words but I’m presuming no one is surprised by that.)

• How does it work when you buy just a pattern? I keep seeing that for designs I like, but then where/how do I buy the fabric and all the floss?
• When you buy the pattern does it tell you what colors they used?

Patterns are often sold as digital PDFs (one of my 2018 projects is to start developing all my cross stitch pattern ideas into PDF downloads, so stay tuned) but they will tell you that colors of embroidery floss to buy. There are a few major brands, such as DMC or Anchor, and most patterns will tell you the different numeric colors you need for those brands.

Each color has a number code, and the pattern will tell you what numbers to buy. My favorite DMC color is 666, which is a seriously vibrant, devilish red, and every time I use it, I grin like a doofus.

The good thing about embroidery thread or floss (or bad, depending on how you feel about an increasing collection of embroidery supplies) is that you don’t often use an entire skein in one project. So you’ll have leftovers (yay?).

A few words about Aida cloth. 

As for buying the fabric, the pattern will also tell you what to buy. My local JoAnn’s has Aida cloth in pre-cut sizes and some fabric stores have bolts of it so you can stitch that wall-sized cross stitch tapestry you’ve always wanted.

Alas, Aida fabric shopping confuses the hell out of me every time because it has a count and a size, and that many numbers is a recipe for confused Sarah.

A pattern will tell you what size of cloth and what stitch count you need. For example, a pattern may call for “a 6″ x 6″ piece of 14-count Aida.” The most common stitch counts are 11, 14, 18, and 28, which tell you how many stitches can be made in one inch. The higher the count, the higher the number of stitches per inch, and most often the higher the level of detail in the finished piece.  A pattern may also give you different stitch count options, and the resulting finished project size.

Fun trivia: speculation among stitchery historians is that the cloth was renamed as “Aida cloth” after Verdi’s opera.

• And is it just regular embroidery floss? And then where do you buy that?

Yup, regular embroidery floss, which is often cheap and often included in coupons. Most craft stores have floss, and there are a few online outlets, too, if you don’t have a crafting store near you.

Hoops!

I asked which type of hoop Linda was using, and she clarified:

I’m using a plastic hoop that I think came with my Sublime Stitching embroidery kit, but I also have one of those wooden ones that you find at craft stores (and seem rather cheap) hanging around somewhere. 

I have a number of wood hoops from kits that I’ve purchased. For the giant, neverending cross stitch project I’m currently working on,  I just upgraded from a circular hoop to a Q-Snap which I like a LOT better. A Q-Snap is made of plastic PVC pipes, which are lightweight and larger to hold in one hand.

If you’re seriously into cross stitching, you can find lap stands or even floor stands that scroll through your pattern, similar to what quilters might use.

I’ll continue this series with part 2 next week, where I’ll be talking about managing patterns on paper and (this rocked my life) on tablets or screens, and also about ways to organize your supplies.

What about you? Are you an avid cross stitcher who likes to stab things with needles, too? What suggestions do you have for Linda, and any other beginning stitchy bitches?