How to Grid Cross Stitch Fabric

I’ve started (just barely, as you can see) a relatively big/complicated cross stitch project (the Baba Yaga house from Happy Little Mouse I told you about a while ago) and I knew that for this project I was going to need a little help keeping track of where I was and what I needed to do next.

Adding grids to your cross stitch fabric is a quick and easy way to help yourself when you’re working on a big project. Your chart will have grids marking off every 10 stitches and every 10 rows, so having those same markings on your fabric can only make it easier for you to follow along.

There are a few main ways to do this, which include marking the grid with thread (either embroidery floss, sewing thread, thread marketed for this purpose, or even fishing line!) or using fabric marking tools to draw the grid. Using a ruler when you do this helps a lot. Mine are still not that straight.

You can also buy cross stitch fabric that’s already marked, which of course makes it a lot easier, but it’s kind of expensive.

When marking your fabric it helps to know where the center of your fabric is, as well as where the center of the chart is relative to the grid marks so you can line them up.

This makes it a lot easier to orient yourself in the chart, and if you have a lot of one color all together it can make it easier to count stitches. Say you had 23 stitches in a row of the same color; stitching across two squares plus three stitches is a lot easier to keep track of than having to manually count them as you go.

Want to learn more about gridding cross stitch fabric and why you would want to? Check out my post all about ways to grid cross stitch fabric over at Our Daily Craft.

[Photo: Our Daily Craft]

Stitching Elf Store is a small Etsy shop based in Ukraine with patterns that tend toward the floral, with lots of Christmas patterns and a few cats along the way, too.

The largest category in the shop is “flowery pattern,” which includes floral designs, samplers and a few seasonal projects with text. I liked this Enchanted Poppies design because it reminds me of the colors of Ukraine.

The pattern is 68 by 145 stitches and uses 24 colors, thanks to the kind of watercolor effect of the petals and leaves. On 14 count fabric it comes out to 4.9 by 10.4 inches, or 12.3 by 26.3 cm.

Another large collection is Christmas patterns, which is heavy on sampler style designs, a couple of Christmas trees with different designs in the layers, some Christmas-themed biscornu patterns and a stocking with a chat and a bird on it.

Other pattern highlights include a scattering of Valentine’s Day, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day and Easter patterns. The simply flowers series includes large, graphic flowers in bold colors. There are two sampler projects with a bird and a cat along with traditional flowers, and the purr cats patterns include larger cats with big, fluffy tails and more big, bold flowers.

I particularly like the St. Patrick’s Day designs that feature shamrocks and thistles and Irish blessings. They’re traditional looking but also different enough to be interesting, if that makes sense.

You’ll also find a few more biscornu patterns (see more about biscornu here) and a couple of Ukrainian floral bookmarks.

The patterns are pretty, with a mix of traditional designs and more modern designs. Give them a look over at Stitching Elf Store on Etsy.

Do you have a favorite cross stitch designer (or design patterns yourself) who should be in the spotlight? Let me know by leaving a comment with their shop link and a little bit about why you love them.

[Photo: Stitching Elf Store]

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