Cross stitch is enjoying a flourishing in popularity right now, with instagram playing no small part! I could scroll through for hours just looking at pretty stitched projects. We wanted to encourage more of you to give it a go, so we've teamed up with book publisher GMC and author Sian Hamilton to bring you this essential guide to the basics, taken from her book How To Cross Stitch.

If you're looking for more detailed guides, beautiful projects and expert tips, I really recommend buying the book! It's available from all book shops priced at only £7.99 - a real bargain for a book you'll return to again and again.

Now...on with the stitching!

Using cross stitch charts

Each project has either a symbol chart or a colour chart. Symbols represent colours, and you will find a key explaining the thread colour choices next to the chart. You can follow either type of chart when stitching; some people find the symbol chart easier to use, and others like the colour chart. The colour chart also makes a great quick visual reference, as your design builds on the fabric to check you are putting the right colours in the right place.

For some designs, it is useful to know where their centre is, which may be represented by lines or arrows on the outer edge of the chart, or you may wish to count this yourself. Knowing where the centre is will help you stitch the design in the middle of the fabric. To find the centre of the fabric, fold it into quarters and press the fold with your fingers. The aida will naturally hold the crease line, and this will show you the centre point.

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Separating strands of embroidery floss

Embroidery floss comes with six strands twisted together, so they look like one thick thread. You usually use two strands to sew, so follow these steps to separate two strands.

At the very end of the floss, pull the strands apart so you can see all six ends.
Grab one strand and start to pull gently. All the embroidery strands will gather up under your fingers.
Pull until the strand comes free (the gathered strands will fall straight again).
Repeat this for the second strand and then put the two of them together.

Threading a needle

Threading a needle can be tricky when you are using multiple strands of embroidery floss. Using a needle threader speeds up the task and makes it really easy to do.

Pick up your needle and push the diamond-shaped wire end of the needle threader through the eye of the needle.
Thread the floss through the diamond shape.
Hold the needle and pull the needle threader; it will bring the floss back through the eye with it.
Your threaded needle is ready to be used.

Using a thread bobbin

Thread bobbins are very useful if you have lots of colours in a design or want to keep your embroidery floss tidy to stop it knotting up.

To use the bobbin, take a length of floss and place the thread end in one of the slits on the end of the bobbin.
Wind the thread around the bobbin’s middle and secure the thread end by placing it
in the other slit on the end of the bobbin.

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Starting off

There are a couple of ways to secure the thread when you start stitching. The first way is the easiest: Tie a simple knot. This works well if your finished piece doesn’t have to lay flat against a backing. If it does, then a knot isn’t the best option as it will push the fabric forward and show as a bump in the finished design. The alternative is to start stitching and trap the thread end as you go.

This sounds more complicated than it really is – once you know how, it’s easy. Follow the step-by-step instructions below.

Bring the thread through the fabric from the back and make a diagonal stitch.
From the back, it will look like this. Make sure the tail end is about 1in (2.5cm) long.
Push the needle through the hole below the one that it’s exiting from and pull tight.
Place the tail end so that it becomes trapped under the stitch.
As you make stitches, keep trapping the tail end to make it very secure.

Finishing off

Finishing off is a similar process to starting off.

When you need to finish with a thread, either because you are changing to a new colour or the thread has become too short, you’ll need to secure the end. To do this, flip your fabric over so you can see the back. Take the needle under a few stitches in a row close to where the thread is exiting the fabric.
Pull the needle and thread through and trim off any excess thread.

Back stitch

With some cross stitch designs, you need to create a row of straight stitches, often as an outline or to add detail. These stitches are called backstitch.

To start the backstitch, bring the needle through the fabric from the back and take it through the next hole along.
Bring the needle through one hole along and then back down one hole backwards.
Continue to repeat these steps to create a solid row of stitches.

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How to cross stitch

Cross stitch, as the name suggests, is stitching in the shape of a cross. You can stitch each cross individually, but it’s often easier to stitch one way diagonally first in rows of the same colour.

Begin by following the steps for starting (see above). Make one diagonal stitch and trap the tail end on the reverse of the fabric. The trick with cross stitch is to make sure all your stitches are done in the same way, ie if your first diagonal goes from top left to bottom right, then continue top left to bottom right. This will mean that every stitch is identical, which makes the final design look a lot neater. It doesn’t matter if you go top left to bottom right or top right to bottom left – it’s up to you. Bring the needle through the fabric from the back and go through the hole in the next row at a diagonal.
If you are making a row of the same colour stitches, then do the first diagonal stitch along the row first. Try to keep going top to bottom.
Keep checking the back to make sure you’ve trapped the tail end so it’s secure.

To complete the cross, stitch back along the row of diagonal stitches in the opposite direction.
This shows a completed row of cross stitches.
Multiple rows: To step down to the next row, you will need to bring the needle through the hole that’s one across from the last hole it went through. This is so you can start doing the diagonal stitch following the same pattern as the row above. This first stitch in the row will be back to front as you’ll be bringing the needle through the hole that’s at the bottom of the stitch.

Bring the needle up to the hole that’s on a diagonal to the hole the thread is exiting from. Follow the same direction as the rest of your stitches.
Now, continue to stitch the same way you did for the rows above. Stitch from top to bottom.
When you turn the fabric over, you’ll see that the first stitch in each row is on a diagonal; this is because you are stepping down. When you’ve finished the rows, use the instructions for finishing off (see above) and trim off any excess thread.

About the Book

How to Cross Stitch by Sian Hamilton, GMC Publications, RRP £7.99, available online and from all good bookshops.