When you are just starting out in cross stitch, it’s a great idea to stick to patterns that only use whole stitches. That means that you’ll be working a full and full-sized X, from one hole in the fabric diagonally across to the next, with another stitch in the opposite corners directly on top.
This is the first stitch you learn because it’s relatively easy as long as you can hit the holes and you don’t pull your thread too tight.
But as you progress in your cross stitch skills you may come across patterns with more details that include half stitches or even quarter stitches to add just a bit more detail without covering a full stitch.
As you might imagine from the name, a half cross stitch covers half of the square. It’s basically making the first part of a whole cross stitch and not making the part of the stitch that crosses over the first part. Stitching a bunch of half stitches in a row would give you a series of diagonal lines that look like ///.
If you work the half stitch and then add a short stitch that goes from the corner to the center of your half stitch, that’s know and a 3/4 stitch. If you worked just the short part, from the corner to the center of the square, that would be a 1/4 stitch.
These can be worked from any corner, but your pattern will show you where to put them.
It takes a little more precision to stitch right in the center of the square, even with the half stitch there to guide you, so these stitches are considered a little more advanced. You can practice them on waster fabric before you try them in a pattern if you want.
There’s a great guide to all these stitches and more from DMC, or if you like videos you can check out this one all about partial stitches form Notorious Needle.
[Photo: DMC.]
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