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]

Next Pattern:

Designer Spotlight: Happy Little Mouse

I was directed to a cross stitch pattern from Silverberry Designs for a recent post I was working on, and I knew that I needed to share them with you for one reason: cross stitch Clue.

This re-creation of the Clue game board fits in a 10-inch frame, so it’s not really playable, but I still love it because I loved the game (and the movie) growing up. This pattern is 122 by 127 stitches, which comes out to 8.71 by 9.7 inches, or 22.1 by 23 cm, when worked on 14 count fabric. It uses 10 colors.

It turns out this store has a lot of game related cross stitch patterns. You’ll find playing cards, billiard balls, a roulette table and a classic Nintendo controller. There’s a ouija board, and board games for Sorry, Scrabble and Trouble. So fun for a game room or anywhere else.

The category that has the most patterns is holidays and religion, which is a hodgepodge of Christmas, July fourth and St. Patrick’s Day, with a Star of David, an Islamic crescent and star and some other things thrown in.

There are also a large number of LGBTQ+ patterns, from Pride flags to rainbow hearts and peace signs, and lots of other rainbow designs.

The “words & phrases” section includes bathroom rules, a blank monthly calendar, some snarky signs, teacher appreciation designs and more. You’ll also find a blank map of the United States you can stitch in as you travel, as well as more travel related designs, home and garden, holidays and celebrations, animals (hippo, owl, skunk, bald eagle, cat in leaves, etc.) and more.

The page also sells supplies including 14 count Aida fabric in 12 colors, needles, floss, hoops and more. And they have a subscription box that includes a pattern and all the supplies you need to make it. (The pattern is a surprise but you can contact them to ask if you really must know before you order.)

Check out all the fun stuff at Silverberry Designs.

[Photo: Silverberry Designs]

Next Pattern:

Have you read?