Basic Cross Stitch Tips for Beginners

Author: Sherry Frewerd

The art or craft of cross stitch is one of the most popular hobbies in the world. Easy to learn and do, 'cross stitch' is simply embroidery stitched with lots of little 'X' stitches to create a lovely design. This fun craft is sometimes referred to as 'counted cross-stitch' because the pattern and fabric require the crafter to count the number spaces to know where to place the stitches.

Most often, cross stitch patterns are done using a woven fabric called Aida cloth. Some advanced stitchers create designs on other types of fabrics using a special backing to help keep the stitching uniform. The kind of fabric you use depends on your skill level and the type of design you're creating. I've cross stitched designs on my children's clothing, bedding and other items for my home and as gifts.

Skilled cross stitch crafters create beautiful projects by stitching on plastic and various different papers as well. Gift cards and scrapbook designs may be made by stitching on paper of varying thickness and fiber.

Of course you can't cross stitch without the proper thread. The threads used in counted cross stitch range from basic cotton, to wool or silk threads. Usually very colorful, embroidery floss as it's called, comes in all kinds of colors and textures for you to play with.

If you're just beginning to consider learning to cross stitch, your best bet is to learn about the craft itself before you start buying supplies. Your local craft store, bookstore, or library will most likely have several books available that will teach you and provide easy patterns to start with.

Once you know what's expected of you in the craft of cross stitching, you'll want to find some easy projects to begin with that will allow you to learn as you go. You'll want to start with a project that requires only a few colors of thread and a larger weave Aida cloth. By doing so, you'll prevent a lot of unnecessary learner's frustration.

When you sit down to start your first cross stitch project, you'll want to have all of your materials available and easy to get to. Start out by reading through the project instructions. You'll want to look over your pattern and make sure that you understand all of the jargon and markings that you may find on the pattern. There will be a color key that you'll need to understand so that you use the correct thread color. Make sure to have a pencil handy to make notes or your own marks on the pattern for later reference.

Cross stitching requires you to use a six strand of floss or thread and separate it into individual threads. Your pattern will tell you how many threads you'll use at a time. Most often, the larger the weave of your fabric, the more strands of embroidery floss you'll need at a time. Don't rewind your floss and by all means don't let it get tangled or bunched up. Your end project will look flat and even if you take care of your floss.

One key factor in learning to cross stitch is remembering not to knot your thread. Knotting threads in a cross stitch project will make your end result look lumpy and uneven; not a good thing. Just pull your thread through your Aida cloth and make sure to leave a length of thread on the end in the back. You can keep the bit of tail from going completely through the fabric by holding onto it on the back of your fabric as you make your first couple of stitches; they will overlap and hold the thread in place. You may have to practice this easy technique a few times, but you'll get the hang of it soon enough.

Another handy cross stitching tip is when you're ready to change thread colors, just simply pull your needle through the stitches on the back of your fabric to hold your thread before you snip it off with scissors. Make sure to leave a little bit of thread so that it does not come loose and unstitched. Change your thread color and start on the next area of your project as you did before. And during the stitching process, remember to drop your needle every few stitches, meaning, just hold your project in one hand and let the attached needle and thread dangle from the fabric so that the thread unwinds and your next few stitches will be flat.

I can remember learning to cross stitch from a school librarian when I was a young girl. She eased my newbie anxiety with this phrase: 'If you have one eye and half a brain you can cross stitch.' Now, perhaps that may offend some avid cross stitchers, but she didn't mean it in derogatory way. Only that cross stitching is an easy to learn and do craft that just about anyone can master. I mastered it in the 1980's and stitched on anything I could get a needle through and even taught classes to school kids myself as an adult. The biggest problem I and most other cross stitchers have is the addiction of the craft. One thing to keep in mind is to control the number of kits you buy or you'll find yourself with drawers of unfinished projects. Have fun and keep on stitchin'!

About the Author:

Learn more about crafting and find free patterns for cross stitch and all sorts of craft projects at 'Free Craft Ideas' http://freecraftideas.homestead.com . Find all of the free clip art you need for scrapbooking and other craft projects at 'Free Baby and Kids Clip Art' http://freebabyandkidsclipart.homestead.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Basic Cross Stitch Tips for Beginners

Creative Independence

Author: Simon Rand

I've always been stubborn. When I was a young child, my favorite phrase was "Me do it," and I've only become more determined with age.

I'm also a former scholar. So when I decided to seriously play with fiber, I set out to read everything I could find about it. I started out with teddy bears, moved on to quilts and then crazy quilts, then to embroidery and needlepoint, then to Kaffe Fassett, then to knitting, and then to crochet.

I fell madly in love with crochet for three years, until my wrist gave out. (But, fortunately, it's finally starting to recover.) By then I was spinning wild yarn on a drop spindle, and since spinning is usually discussed with weaving, I found myself playing on simple frame looms. Although I'm not promiscuous, I now love spinning and weaving as much as I love crochet.

I couldn't have done any of this without my beloved books and magazines. Except for a few needlepoint classes and a crochet conference, I've learned just about everything I know from print and three videotapes.

About being taught...Before falling in love with yarn, I was an impassioned schoolteacher. I've spent some of the best times of my life in a classroom, usually as a teacher and occasionally as a student.

But the trouble with schools and classrooms is that they are inherently conservative. They exist to pass on previous knowledge, and they are also used, sometimes quite viciously, to socialize students. Unless the teacher is truly remarkable, students learn either to think like the teacher or to rebel like the other rebels.

The same holds true for less formal fiber classes. The woman who taught those needlepoint classes taught to make us dependent. We each bought a different painted canvas, and then she would choose the fiber and tell us what stitch to put in what place. No stitch guides, no discussion of design, not even a mention of needlepoint's glorious history--just "Do this here."

The crochet conference was a lot more fun. What could be better than spending a three-day weekend with hundreds of other people who share your obsession? I also had the very great pleasure of spending all of my class time with the brilliant British crocheters, Sylvia Cosh and James Walters. They are two of the remarkable teachers I talked about earlier--although they teach the techniques they've developed, they also gently encourage individual experimentation. Just looking at their work up close was enough to send me home inspired!

But this was a conference sponsored by a guild, and the officers held tightly to their party line. They wanted to quickly move crochet into professional and artistic territory, but since I'm a populist at heart, I wanted to decrease the competition and increase the celebration of everyone's work. When I dared to say so publicly, I earned the president's undying enmity.

Don't get me wrong--I think professionalism is admirable and artistic growth is sublime. But I also think competition is brutal, and I'd hoped that a modern guild would want to encourage and celebrate all of its members.

I should have known better. Groups are also inherently conservative and exist to further the interests of the people who run them.

Creative independence is partly conservative, too, because we all draw on the past to learn skills. Many of us also delve into the histories of the crafts we love to discover the work of our foremothers.

But we become creatively independent when we absorb as much as we can and then move on to develop our own ways of working. In the Spring, l998, issue of Interweave Knits, Linda Ligon writes about Peruvian and Bolivian knitters. In her wonderfully witty way, she says she's mystified by how the women knit so creatively, using virtually every known knitting technique to make strikingly beautiful and original pieces.

There's really no mystery, of course. These women are so thoroughly at home with knitting, so thoroughly skilled and confident, that it's second nature for them to knit the way they do.

Think about the great cooks you know. At one time they followed recipes, like the rest of us, and for many of them, reading cookbooks is a way of life. But they're so experienced that they're able to take a little of this and a little of that and come up with a delicious meal with very little effort.

Or so it seems...Because what we don't see is all the thinking that goes on. And this is the key--first we become so skilled that our technique is almost automatic, so we can then put most of our effort into thinking.

When I say "thinking," I'm actually talking about the creative process. It can be as quick as stir-frying a meal from leftovers or as complex as designing and sewing a quilt. What matters is not that we become Martha Stewart or Nancy Crow, but that we find an authentic way to express ourselves.

This is the joy of creative independence.

This is also a joy of being alive.

About the Author:

Cindy is a writer, teacher, coach and expert yarn and fabric enthusiasts. Her website is http://yarn-and-fabric.mustsee.info.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Creative Independence

Basic Instructions for Beginning Crochet

Author: Sherry Frewerd

Crochet is a popular craft around the world. For thousands of years, people have used the art of crochet to create lace and fabrics to use on their garments and to sell to others. Crocheted items were a sign of wealth and prestige.





With the age of the industrial revolution came the mass production of crocheted materials and fabrics, making owning them affordable for anyone, not just the wealthy. As such, crocheted garments became more and more popular worldwide.





These days, crochet is the hobby and craft of many people. There are lots of different arts and crafts as well as, clothing, garments and household items that can be created by means of crochet. Crochet is so easy to learn; practically anyone can do it, making it easy to learn a new skill. Advances in yarn and fiber making technology have provided new and interesting materials for crochet and other needle crafts.





So, since you're obviously interested in what it takes to start crocheting as a hobby, here are some basic initial steps to help you get going with learning to crochet.





Get Your Supplies Together. You'll simply need a crochet hook, yarn, a pair of scissors and a large eye needle.





Properly Holding the Crochet Hook. Hold your needle in whichever hand you use to write with. Create a simple slip knot and put it over the end of the hook.





Start Making a Continuous Stitch. Hook the yarn and bring it to the top of the hook and pull through the slip knot. Continue making this chain.





Work Your Way Up the Chain. Move up the chain allowing the first chain stitch to knot on the hook. This allows the yarn to stay in place and not loosen. It is generally a good idea to make this first knot tight rather than loose.





Make Two Loops. Insert your crochet hook into the hole of the next chain stitch and slide the passing yarn through its center.





Bring the Yarn Back. Bring your yarn back on the hook from back to front and slide your knot in the center of the loops which you have already created on the crochet hook.





Make Some Rows. From your second yarn loop, make another single chain stitch and make a counter-clockwise loop. Start again and create the same loops as the previous stitches. Continue this basic crochet technique until you have a swatch of fabric. Once you have completed a swatch of fabric, it is time to remove it from your ball of yarn. Cut it with about a 6" tail left at the end.





Fasten to Prevent Unraveling. Bring your tail of yarn back through the last stitch to fasten it and then cut the excess.





By using these easy tips and steps, you can achieve your goal of learning to crochet with ease. You'll be able to start and complete your first crochet project and feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Just as with any new skill, you'll need to find the proper supplies, materials and instruction before you begin, but with time and patience you'll become skilled at the art of crochet.

About the Author:

Learn more about crafting and find free patterns for crochet and all sorts of craft projects at 'Free Craft Ideas' http://freecraftideas.homestead.com . Find all of the free clip art you need for scrapbooking and other craft projects at 'Free Baby and Kids Clip Art' http://freebabyandkidsclipart.homestead.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/basic-instructions-for-beginning-crochet-383979.html