Your first cross-stitch, step by step.

Before your first stitch

This short lesson makes a practice row, not the botanical design in the cover image. Use a spare piece of Aida so you can concentrate on tension and direction. Its regular holes make it easy to see where each diagonal belongs.

For this small exercise, try two strands separated from six-strand cotton. Your project’s own strand count takes priority when you begin a pattern. Thread the needle with a short, manageable length and leave a loose tail at the back.

1. Place the first diagonal

Choose a square away from the fabric edge. Bring the needle up through its lower-left hole and down through its upper-right hole. Pull gently until the thread rests on the surface, without narrowing the holes or puckering the cloth.

Hold the starting tail against the back of the row so the following stitches can catch it. Keep your fingers away from the needle’s path.

Check: one diagonal fills one fabric square; the cloth stays flat.

2. Work a short row

Move to the lower-left corner of the next square and repeat the same diagonal. Make five half-crosses in a row. Count the fabric squares, not the spaces between stitches. On the back, check that the starting tail has been caught securely beneath several stitches.

Let the needle hang freely for a moment if the thread begins to twist. Avoid pulling harder to fix a snag; gently loosen it and straighten the thread instead.

3. Cross back over the row

Return across the row in the opposite direction, adding the other diagonal to each square. The second diagonal runs from lower right to upper left. Keep that top diagonal facing the same way on every cross.

Check: five complete crosses, with all top stitches leaning the same way.

4. Finish and read your pattern

At the back, pass the needle under several existing stitches to secure the end, then trim the loose thread. Do not cut close enough to nick the stitched row. Before starting a full project, read its colour key, stitch count, fabric allowance and finishing instructions.

The same simple movement builds larger designs one square at a time. Our Lemons in Blue pattern page shows how chart size and thread colours are presented for a complete project.

Further learning: DMC’s introduction to cross-stitch.