Cross Stitch
Contents
Set of four cushion covers, 1650-1750, Italian. Large floral pattern in cross stitch embroidery | Victoria & Albert Museum
I was introduced to counted cross stitch embroidery while taking home economics during my 9th grade of secondary school. The assignment was to complete a design of our choice. I picked out a marriage memento design that named the date and names of my older sister and brother-in-law’s wedding day. It was a cute picture, but with its heavy use of metallic filament, I learned to hate that thin product that tended to snap if pulled too hard.
I worked on that assignment for weeks, even during an away band trip. That perseverance got me top marks, probably not due to my skill of execution, but because I was only one of a handful of other students that finished their project.
These days I look at cross stitch as the go to project for when I want to do something small, and usually mindless, to fill the creative void between more brain draining endeavors. For me it is also something to occupy my hands while my mind is too tired after a long day and I just want a needle and thread in my hands. The rhythmic up and down of the needle passing through the fabric can be meditative and therefore therapeutic.
About
Cross stitch is a simple technique, involving 2 stitches that cross over each other to form a X. It is usually done over an even weave backing fabric where 2 threads are stitched over twice to create the X. There are in total 5 types of stitches that you will learn later on. There are several types of cross stitch, thread counted, stitch counted and stamped cross stitch.
Historically this may be the oldest surviving example of embroidery in the world. It has persisted in the collective stitchers’ repertoire into the digital age and just keeps evolving with the times.
History
Some of the oldest textile examples of cross stitch have been found as burial linens in Egyptian tombs that date to 500 C.E., though the Xs used were more up right crosses, not the orientation that is common today.
The fragility of natural fiber textiles has not allowed many ancient examples of embroidery to survive, so the exact beginnings of cross stitch has not been determined. Likely this stitching style evolved in parallel in several isolated locations at the same time.
Cross stitching was prominent in China during the T’ang Dynasty (618- 906 C.E). The skill and finished textiles with cross stitch on them likely traveled along well established trade routes through India, Egypt and beyond into the Mediterranean.
It found its way into Spain with the cultural influence of the Moors (756–1492 C.E.) in the form of Blackwork.
Cross stitch designs were passed down through hand drawn diagrams, and through first hand instruction. The need to keep the knowledge of these techniques close led to the development of stitching samplers, worked on linen with linen or cotton threads.
The earliest surviving sampler dates back to 1598 C.E. With all materials to make fabric and threads being highly time intensive to make, and therefore expensive, these samplers often had several examples of patterns and stitches very closely spaced together on long rolls of waste linen so that they could be consulted when needed. These pieces were not meant for display, but were a reference tool for the stitcher, and as valuable sources of knowledge were often handed down as heirloom objects to the next generation.
These samplers came to be more than a way to convey embroidery knowledge, but were also a way to learn letters, numbers and passages of poetry, and Biblical references. As Europeans traveled to North and South America, samplers came with them. Many examples of these early colonial samplers have been preserved in museums that show the stitcher’s personal creativity, in stitching scenes, people, animal life, and often have the name of the stitcher, like an autograph, on the back of them.
The invention of the printing press led to the wider distribution of patterns through leaflets and books, starting in 1525 C.E., but these were often only available for those with some money to spare. These patterns did not make use of a grid system, only an outline for the stitcher to trace onto the backing fabric, and fill in as they saw fit. In 1804 C.E. Phillipson of Berlin, created a way to print a grid of a cross stitch design that was later hand painted to show where color changes would be made by the stitcher.
Back in the colonies, cross stitch was made even simpler due to the lack of time women had for textile arts. Everything had to have a practical purpose if time was going to be devoted to it. Other than samplers, more decorative work was reduced to the edges or corners of kitchen, bed, and personal hygiene linens that had small designs stitched on them. These served as a personal mark, so that their owners could tell their household items apart from other similar items from other families.
The invention of the sewing machine in the 1850s, and a mechanical embroidery machine in 1828, led to the decline in many cottage industries, including cross stitch. Thread embellished garments were now being mass produced and were more affordable for the masses. Cross stitch and other forms of embroidery became a leisure time actively, with interest in it being fed by a proliferation of women's magazines that included free patterns and instructions.
1890 marked the introduction of Aida cloth into the cross stitchers' stash. Invented by a German company, Zweigart, this provided an even woven fabric with easy to see holes where the stitchers' needle was meant to go. This made counting the grid very easy.
The World Wars put a pinch on thread and cloth supplies, world wide, as they became seen as luxury items needed for war efforts in Europe. This put a hold on most decorative work. Being pulled into the workforce, and working in their victory gardens, took up all the stitchers’ creative time. Those that did persist in embroidering anything at all did so in the forms of patriotic pieces. Some POWs even turned to cross stitch as a source of therapy during their imprisonment, using scraps of cotton from old clothing, or bedding as the backing and threads from unraveled sheets to make their stitches.
Counted cross stitch survived at a low simmer through the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The flower power 60s saw an uptake in many older handicrafts, including cross stitch. In the decades that followed patterns have only proliferated, now covering all subjects and tastes.
The digital age has paired well with counted cross stitch, as the grid system translates perfectly to the pixel color system. Whole software programs have been developed that can transform a photo, painting, or other non-digital image to a pixelated grid pattern, mapping standard DMC thread colors to the colors in the original image.
Spread to Other Countries
Techniques
Cross stitch
Cross stitch is 2 slanted stitches that cross over each other to form a X. The stitch can be either upright, +, or X. Counted cross stitch either refers to counting the threads of the backing fabric to be stitched over, or counting the “squares” or grids on a paper pattern and cloth that the stitcher must stitch over in order to create the design. There is also stamped cross stitch, where a design is printed, with removable ink, onto the backing material, and the stitcher embroiders coloured threads over the design as indicated by separate instructions. These can either come as kits, usually with the required thread’s or as iron on transfer patterns.
Cross stitching can also be done on non-even weave fabric. This is achieved with waste canvas that is hand basted onto the backing material, and creates a grid for the design. Once stitched, the canvas can be unwoven and removed from between the fabric and stitching.
Thread Counted
Thread count cross stitch is where the threads of the backing fabric are counted as they are stitched over. Usually it is 2 threads of weave that are stitched across.
Stamped Cross Stitch
With stamped cross stitch the pattern is printed on the baking fabric by a manufacturer, or applied by the stitcher by a hot iron transfer. Either pattern uses ink that can be washed out after the embroidery is finished. The stitcher can either choose the color of threads to use, or there may be a chart and diagram to follow. These are mainly supplied as kits where fabric threads, and instructions are included. This style of cross stitch can be done of uneven fabrics, and typically is done on cotton broadcloth.
Another subversion of stamped cross stitch is where the thread color changes are marked directly on to Aida cloth. This can illuminate the need for a paper diagram of the design. These also typically come as kits.
English technique
In this method, a full cross is stitched before moving on to the next. A whole row is stitched this way before the next one is worked in the opposite direction.
Danish technique
With this technique a stitcher is meant to stitch a row of half stitches, all in one direction, then stitch the 2nd stitch when traveling with the needle back down the row.
Type of Stitches
Full Stitch
The main stitch used for most designs is the cross stitch. It can be originated as a + or X. It is simple to execute and fills in large areas quickly. It can be mixed with any number of other stitches like stem, long and short, lazy daisy, chain.
¾ stitch
This stitch uses one full diagonal of the cross, and one smaller diagonal stitch that ends where the 2 full diagonal stitches would have crossed. This stitch is often used where a more delicate shape is needed, like a point or a turn in a repeating design.
Half Stitch
Half stitches can also be used alone to fill large areas, giving the area a lighter feel, as more backing fabric remains exposed.
¼ stitch
This stitch is a single “leg” of the complete cross. It is used to fill very small areas with color and can be used to give a more rounded look.
Back Stitch
Used with a single thread, usually of a darker hue then the surrounding embroidery, back stitching is a repeating running stitch that is done over the completed cross stitch design. It is usually the last step to completing a piece. It is meant to outline and highlight details of the pattern, like the feather on a bird's wing, or the outside of letters in a poem.
Herringbone
One variant is the herringbone, commonly used in hemming knit fabrics, or to edge pieces that can fray easily. This stitch usually runs in a continuous line, and the Xs overlap each other as both slanting stitches are made as the stitcher moves through the line of stitching.
Style of Patterns
The styles of patterns for cross stitch are infinite.
There are repeating patterns that can be used to decorate the edges of pieces. These can be geometric patterns, images from nature, like flowers, simple silhouettes of cats, paw prints, anything.
Landscapes, portraits, simple messages in letters, craftivist slogans, or stick figures can be the basis of patterns.
There is a growing trend to stitch designs that have a counter culture/subversive meaning. These are composed of something that looks innocent, like a hand stitched piece and placing an ironic or edgy meaning into it.
Materials
Fabrics:
Aida
Today cross stitch is most often done on Aida cloth. This is a thick, cotton, even weave fabric that has large, evenly spaced holes that tell the stitcher where to poke their needle through. Aida cloth comes in a variety of “counts” or sizes, depending on how small or large you want your project to be. It is also offered in a wide range of colors.
Evenweave
These are fabrics that have an even number of threads of the weft and warp of the material. The best for cross stitch are more loosely woven so that the threads can be counted over for stitching.
Plastic
Plastic or vinyl canvas can be used for cross stitch, which gives the project a chunky look, and can be more stable and durable for decorative boxes, 3-D objects, and things that will get more wear and tear.
Linen
Linen is also still a popular backing fabric, and also comes in different “sizes” or thickness of weave. Using linen will have the stitcher count the number of threads to stitch over, usually two.
Fiddler’s Cloth
Similar to Aida cloth, fiddler’s cloth is composed of 50% cotton, 42% polyester, and 8% silk. It typically has “flaws” in it, like larger bits of organic matter that was purposely left in the weave of the off white or cream-colored threads, giving it a more hand woven feel.
Threads:
Embroidery floss
Usually cotton, though rayon, linen and silk can also be used, embroidery floss is sold by the skein, in loosely twisted lengths. The loose twist allows for the separation of individual threads, usually 8 in commercial brands, but can be more in smaller production companies.
Metallic threads
Thin filaments that are made from polyester, rayon, or nylon, have a glossy, metallic sheen. When combined with one strand of cotton floss they have better durability while being pulled numerous times through fabric. On their own, they tend to snap easily if pulled too hard.
Flower threads
Also cotton, these threads come in colors that traditionally would have been produced by natural plant dyes. The thread is thicker than other commercial floss, and usually one strand of the 4-6 thread skein is enough for most stitching.
Even thin gauge yarns can be used for threads.
Tools
Depending on the backing fabric a variety of needles can be used. Dull pointed tapestry needles are usually used with Aida cloth, while a finer, sharp point is useful for more tightly woven fabrics, which is what most stamped cross stitch is worked on.
Needle minders are also helpful. They are a magnetic tool that can be temporarily applied to a piece of cloth and is a place where you lay your needle while it is not in use. It saves the stitcher from misplacing a waylaid needle.
A good set of thread snips are good to cut off excess threads, though any sharp scissor will work.
Thimbles can be helpful, though not necessary. They help to protect your fingers from being poked with the working ends of needles.
Many stitchers use a hoop to keep their piece of fabric taunt. This ensures an even tension on the working thread. Though some, like myself, find a hoop can get in the way, as it has to be moved frequently as one area is finished and another begins.
Having a hoop stand can also be useful, for long term projects. This frees up both hands of the stitcher to have more control over the path of the needle.
Magnifying laps can also be helpful, as darker, smaller counts of backing fabric can be hard to work with. The magnifying feature of these lights is also helpful for seeing sections of a completed paper pattern.
Now a Days
Cross stitched pieces are often created today as decorative wall hangings, framed behind glass on completion. Small pieces can be incorporated into bags, pin cushions, book covers, bookmarks, table runners, tea cozies, hand towels, or anything else the stitcher can dream up.
New designs are being created everyday with the aid of digital software that can “translate'' straight lines and solid blocks of color into pixelated grids.
Conclusion
With its long and varied history and how it has been distilled down to one main stitch, it has become the main gateway embroidery technique for beginner stitchers. The use of Aida cloth or plastic canvas also makes this craft more accessible for younger people with the use of blunt needles with large eyes that make threading them easier.
The applications of cross stitch seem to only be expanding as the subject matter of patterns increases into pop culture references. I have even personally stitched a portrait of Pennywise the clown from the movie remake of IT, by Stephen King. If I can cross stitch an interdimensional, unknowable demon, what can’t you cross stitch?
References
Caterpillar Cross Stitch. “The Incredible History of Cross Stitch.” https://www.caterpillarcrossstitch.com/blogs/blog/the-history-of-cross-stitch (Accessed: May 9, 2024).
The Craft Nook. “Cross Stitch With The Craft Nook.” https://web.archive.org/web/20231124233113/https://cross-stitch.blogspot.com/ (Accessed: May 9, 2024).
The Cross Stitch Guild. “Threads of History.” https://www.thecrossstitchguild.com/cross-stitch-basics/stitchers-study/threads-of-history-by-jo-verso.aspx (Accessed: May 9, 2024).
Edmonton Needlecraft Guild. “Cross Stitch.” https://www.edmontonneedlecraftguild.org/info/cross-stitch (Accessed: May 9, 2024).
Simple Simon & Company. “History of Cross-Stitch.” https://www.simplesimonandco.com/2021/06/history-of-cross-stitch.html/ (Accessed: May 9, 2024).
Trouvaille Stitch Kits. “English Method vs Danish method of cross stitching: which is best??” https://www.trouvaillestitchkits.co.uk/post/english-method-vs-danish-method-of-cross-stitching-which-is-best (Accessed May 16, 2024).
XStitch : the modern cross stitch magazine. “A Brief History of Cross Stitch: From Pharaohs to Pixels.” https://xstitchmag.com/history-of-cross-stitch/ (Accessed May 9, 2024).