Arts & Crafts: Cross stitch

For some people, this craft is a natural progression from sewing. For others, it is the decorative potential and the challenge of approaching graphic quality through the use of thread. Whatever the attraction, cross stitch is a popular and demanding craft -- so just what is it?

You start with an 'empty' fabric such as linen that has a 'threaded' structure -- a typical piece of linen has somewhere between 14 and 32 threads per inch (an attraction of the medium is that the threads aren't evenly spaced, particularly with linen, and this gives the finished product a 'natural', non-synthetic appearance). The basic stitch is, unsurprisingly, the 'cross' stitch -- that is from the holes between the threads, from one corner to another, round the back and across the other way -- in this way, you cover a complete 'facet' of linen with sewing thread of a single colour. Tapestry, by contrast, tends to use the 'tent' stitch that goes over and over in the same direction.

What you get, after the application of a lot of care and a not inconsiderable investment of time is something as accomplished as one of the designs above -- but how do you get there?

You need a pattern -- and for at least the first few years of cross stitching, this is something that you'll buy rather than sketch yourself. On the left above, you can see part of the pattern for the 'Spring' design (one of a set of four). Looking more closely, as in the middle image, you can see that each square of this enormous sheet of graph paper has been coded with a symbol -- the link to the appropriate thread, given in the table on the right. And it's not just threads here: beads and sequins can be used to give texture as well as colour.

You'll amass a fair number of threads -- as the left hand picture below shows, the best cross stitch designs use subtly different shades to good effect. It is quite common to use up to 50 different colours in a single design.

You'll need a degree of organisation -- the sort of storage box shown on the right is ideal for keeping your threads in order. So what else do you need? Needles, of course -- here you use blunt ones, as you're working the threads into holes already in the linen, not penetrating a close-weave fabric. To save continual re-threading, you'll need a few! You'll also need a tapestry frame or -- more conveniently -- a circular frame like the ones seen disassembled on the left below, and in use on the right.

Although the use of a small portable frame like this allows you to work in the comfort of your armchair, this isn't a hobby that you can carry out in parallel with other activities like watching television, although you might manage listening to the radio -- it needs concentration, as you'll be constantly counting to keep your place in the pattern. The execution of a design is a purely mechanical activity and is pretty well bound to develop your patience! And it probably goes without saying that you need good light.

And when you're done, what then? Some designs are intended as cushion covers, but the wealth of traditional designs such as commemorative samplers deserve a permanent home in a frame -- and it can be worth the extra expense of protective glass to keep your hard work from fading in sunlight.

If you're tempted, how do you begin? There are craft shops in Kings Lynn or Norwich that can supply everything you need -- including the patterns -- to get going, and there's a wealth of resources on the Internet. But don't forget the most convenient resource -- Nordelph's own Arts & Crafts club. That's the place to talk!

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