MapMuse - Locate Embroidery, Cross Stitch, and Needlepoint Shops Near You

...that is removed later, by drawing out every thread of it under the embroidery. This fabric is called waste canvas. The stitcher counts the threads in each direction so that the stitches are of uniform size and appearance.

This form of cross-stitch is also called counted cross-stitch in order to distinguish it from other forms of cross-stitch. Sometimes cross-stitch is also done on designs printed on the canvas, showing every single cross (stamped cross-stitch).

Fabrics

Cross-stitch fabrics, which come in hundreds of varieties, are categorized primarily by "thread count", or the number of threads per inch. They are also categorized by textile fiber content. Some more popular groups of fabric include: Aida, Linen, Even Weave (Plain Weave), Hardanger, and Hand Dyed Specialty Fabrics. Each of the different kinds of fabric have a unique texture, feel and sheen. They even smell different depending on what kind of material they are made out of and how they were dyed.

There are also many different colors in all of these groups to choose from. White, off-white, ecru, cream and variations of white being the most used and most available.

There are many Web sites dedicated to cross stitching which offer tips on how to choose the right fabric for a particular cross-stitch project.

Aida fabric is one of the most popular and easy to use fabrics for cross stitch. It is 100% cotton. 14 count is the most widely used in the group with the most color choices. The fabric consists of small squares that make it easy to count and even to stitch. It comes in several different counts as large as Herta (6 count) and fine as 18 count.

Cross-stitch is often combined with other popular forms of embroidery, such as Hardanger embroidery or blackwork embroidery.

A fairly recent development is the use of other stitches in cross-stitch work, in this context called special stitches, in order to create new visual effects and satisfy the wishes of keen stitchers who may find pure cross-stitch boring after a while. These may be stitches from surface embroidery, canvaswork or even drawn thread work and other more unusual branches of embroidery. Beadwork and other embellishments such as paillettes, charms, small buttons and speciality threads of various kinds are becoming more popular.

This development, new as it may seem, is in fact a reinvention. In earliest times, cross-stitch was often used as one of many different stitches.

There are many cross-stitch designers in the United States and Europe who sell their patterns under their names and are well-known among stitchers. Many of them maintain Web sites and keep in touch with possible customers, although usually the patterns are sold by shops and other distributors. In Britain and Europe, specialist magazines are popular and feature a wide variety of designs by leading European designers.

Cross-stitch design has become possible for many hobby embroiderers with the advent of cross-stitch design computer software. Thus it can be a form of creative expression rather than just copying the patterns of someone else.

Related stitches and forms of embroidery

Cross-stitch was often used together with other stitches. It is sometimes used in crewel embroidery, especially in its more modern derivatives. It is also often used in needlepoint.

A specialized historical form of embroidery using cross-stitch is Assisi embroidery.

There are many stitches which are related to cross-stitch and were used in similar ways in earlier times. The best known are Italian cross-stitch, long-armed cross-stitch, Ukrainian cross-stitch and Montenegrin stitc]. Italian cross-stitch and Montenegrin stitch are reversible, that means the work looks the same on both sides. They have a slightly different look than regular cross-stitch. Two-sided cross-stitch looks exactly like regular cross-stitch, but is also reversible. The reversible stitches are more difficult and time-consuming, and use more thread. All those stitches are rarely used in mainstream embroidery, but they are still used to recreate historical pieces of embroidery or by the creative and adventurous stitcher.

The double cross-stitch, also known as a Leviathan stitch or Smyrna cross stitch, combines a cross-stitch with an upright cross-stitch.

Berlin wool work and similar petit point stitchery resembles the heavily shaded, opulent styles of cross-stitch, and sometimes also used charted patterns on paper.

Many companies can convert photographs to cross-stitch patterns, and they may sell the necessary colored threads in a kit or give a list of standard colors to purchase. Additionally, some computer software can generate similar information from digital or scanned photographs.

Needlepoint

Needlepoint is a form of canvas work embroidery, in which yarn is stitched through a canvas ground fabric. Unlike surface embroidery, needlepoint uses the canvas, or ground fabric, to create a new fabric. Needlepoint worked on very fine (high-count) canvas is called petit-point. Needlepoint is often referred to as "tapestry", but differs from true tapestry which is woven on a loom rather than stiched on canvas mesh.

Finished works may be made into pillows or upholstery, or may be displayed on the wall, framed or unframed, or made into holiday ornaments, purses, stuffed stand-up figures, or rugs.