Cross-Stitch

Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint

All You Need to Know to Learn to Cross Stitch

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Over on my blog, Our Daily Craft, I’ve been working on some pages that bring together a lot of information I’ve shared about different crafts over the course of the 15 (!) or so years I’ve been writing over there to make it easier for people to find what they need to get started.

I recently published a post all about how to cross stitch, and while it might not be totally “done,” I think it’s a good start for anyone wanting to learn or who might need a refresher on the basics.

The post covers everything from the basic supplies you need to get started to questions like, does cross stitch fabric have a front side? or do you need to use a hoop?

It covers how big to make your fabric, how to find the center of the fabric and the pattern, how to use a hoop and get your embroidery floss ready, where and how to start stitching, full and partial stitches and more.

I feel like a lot of the stuff I share over here assumes basic knowledge of cross stitch, but I know that’s not always the case and we want to be welcoming to stitchers of all skill levels. If we’re being honest I’m not all that advanced myself, but I am (very slowly) working on a big and super colorful cross stitch pattern for the first time in a long time, which will probably boost my skills pretty quickly.

If you are a beginner and you have a question I haven’t answered, drop a comment here. Or if you’re a more seasoned stitcher and you have a tip or notice something that I didn’t cover, let me know that, too! We’re all learning here together and sharing the joy of stitching.

You can check out my learn to cross stitch post here. Happy stitching!

Learn to Cross Stitch in Minutes

How to Cross Stitch on Linen

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Cross Stitch Some Funky Chickens

I’m primarily a knitter, and in the knitting world the “emotional support chicken” has been a big trend probably for a couple of years now (I don’t know how long something has to be popular before you can stop calling it a trend, but whatever).

There are chicken crochet patterns that are popular as well, and now I’ve found a cross stitch chicken pattern that might just become the newest iteration of the emotional support chicken theme.

The Funky Chickens pattern from Satsuma Street are three-dimensional, triangular chickens embellished with felt to make their facial features and tail feathers. The bodies include stripes, curves, speckles and other little designs to mark different parts of their bodies. They’re super cute and not any more difficult to stitch than any other pattern, though of course there’s more finishing than you would normally expect.

The pattern includes designs for three chickens, which are actually a rooster and two hens. The rooster is slightly larger, at 120 by 60 stitches, or 4 by 4 inches/10 cm when finished. The hens are 100 by 50 stitches and come out to 3.25 inches/8 cm when finished. These measurements are for stitching on 14 count fabric or 28 count over two.

The patterns use 13 colors, and if you want to make all three, one skein of each color will make all of them. In addition to your regular cross stitch supplies you’ll need three or four little pieces of felt of different colors to add all the details.

These chickens would be great to use as pincushions, or you could put something heavy in the bottom and use them as pattern weights if you do sewing. They’d also be fun gifts for anyone who likes chickens or needs a little emotional support if you explain it to them.

The pattern is available from Satsuma Street on Etsy.

[Photo: Satsuma Street]