| Cross Stitch Instructions |
| 1. Make sure your hands are clean and free of hand lotion to prevent soiling your fabric. |
| 2. Familiarize yourself with the color coded chart and the colors of floss that represent each symbol. |
| 3. Cut fabric 2 to 3” larger on all sides than design size. The extra fabric is needed for finishing. Think about what you want to do with your completed piece and allow enough fabric. More will be needed for larger designs and larger weave fabrics. |
| 4. To prevent raveling, whip around the edges of fabric with a basting thread or use a zigzag stitch on your machine. |
| 5. You will probably find it easier to work by using a small embroidery hoop, keeping your material taut. |
| 6. Cut your 6 strand floss into 18” lengths.
The following number of strands are suggested for different fabric sizes: 22 per inch—1 strand of floss 18 per inch—2 strands of floss 14 per inch—3 strands of floss 1 per inch—4 strands of floss Backstitch with 1 less strand. |
| 7. Embroidery needles: 26 is used on 22 per inch 24 is used on 18—11 per inch |
| 8. Find the center of your fabric by folding lengthwise and pressing along the fold with your hand; folding again crosswise, doing the same. Where the two folds intersect is the center. Most charts have arrows indicating the center of the pattern. If you begin your embroidery by counting either up or over from the center, you can be sure the design is spaced correctly on the fabric. Where you place your first stitch on the fabric is very important. It will determine the placement of your design on your material. |
| 9. Each grid on the chart represents a cross-stitch. Each symbol represents the color of floss to use. Each cross-stitch is composed of two diagonal stitches. Work across a row making all the left-to-right diagonal strokes of one color, then return, crossing the stitches with right-to-left diagonal strokes. All stitches should be crossed in the same direction. |
| 10. To begin embroidery, hold the loose end of floss behind fabric until secured with several stitches. Do not knot your thread. To end off a thread, run needle under several stitches in back to secure and clip. |
| 11. Use a stab-stick method for stitching, done in two motions. Push the needle straight down and completely through the fabric before pulling up. Try to keep your tension even and do not pull your thread too tight. |
| 12. If your floss becomes twisted, just drop your needle and let it hang down. It will unwind by itself. |
| 13. Avoid carrying your floss more than 1/2” between stitched areas on the back of your fabric. Don’t jump too far from one area to another. Finish off and start again. Loose threads, especially dark colors, will show through the fabric when carrying floss, run under worked stitches when possible. |
| 14. Backstitching is done after the cross stitch is completed. It is represented by heavy outlining on the graph and is used for accenting. The purpose of backstitches is to form a continuous line with your stitches touching and is used to outline and define certain areas. We’ve used various numbers of strands in our models for backstitching and outlining, depending on how heavy we want something to appear. This is normally noted with each design. |
| 15. If soiling should occur, rinse in warm water with a mild detergent. Rinse well and gently towel dry. Press face down. |
| © 2003, The Berenstain Bears |