Tuesday Tips - Patterns, Patterns Everywhere!

There are so many cross stitch patterns (a.k.a. charts), kits, and designs out there. How do you choose?

What to stitch may be the most difficult question. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you want to create something for yourself or a friend?
2. Do you want to create a picture or other home décor item?
3. For the image, do you want natural scenery, animals, people, or words?
4. How big do you want the item to be?

Once you get an idea of what you want to stitch, determine your experience level. For beginners, there are many kits available. I like kits because they come with just about everything you need to start stitching – chart, needle, thread, and fabric. The only thing you need to own is an embroidery hoop and scissors. You might even find some that come with a hoop you can use for stitching as well as finishing.

Usually beginner projects come as small ornaments since it is easier to do a small project when you are just starting out. Lots of good examples can be found here at 123stitch.com.

There are also weekend kits, designed to be completed in a weekend. These are a little more detailed. You can find all sorts of kits at WeekendKits.com.

Then there are the more advanced charts and kits. Dimensions Gold kits are some of my favorite kits. Some have metallic threads and beads for accents. The thread sorter cards are also a real timesaver, after you finish sorting that is! Putting in a little extra organizational time before you start stitching will really pay in the end. Most colors are pretty straight forward, but make sure you have good lighting when sorting. “Light gold” and “light yellow-orange” may look very similar but serve very different purposes in your pattern!

Now that you have your pattern, how do you read it?

Charts are printed to look like graph paper. Each square contains a symbol that represents a specific thread color. Some graphs are also color-coded, making it easier to read. There is a key included that shows the symbol, color (and number), and number of strands to stitch with. If you are using your own thread, then you are probably using DMC or Anchor brand embroidery floss. Each of these threads are identified with a number. For example, black in DMC is 310 but in Anchor it is 403, so make sure you are using the right brand indicated in the pattern or you could get some interesting color combinations!

If you are using Aida fabric, the most common cross stitch fabric, each square corresponds to a square on your chart. For higher count fabrics where you are “stitching over 2,” a square in the chart is essentially 4 tiny squares in your fabric. (We’ll get to the tougher stuff like this at a later date.)

So there you have it. A few tips on getting started choosing a pattern and what the chart looks like.