Marion Hernandes

When you are just beginning your cross-stitch hobby, you may be confused by certain symbols and terminology.  What are fractional stitches and how do they affect a design?  If you need fractional stitches, how do you do them?  Knowing how to do fractional stitches will help you create more ornate and smooth looking designs.  Yet they can sometimes be a little more challenging in your designs.

What are Fractional Stitches?

Fractional stitches are basically half stitches, quarter stitches, and three-quarter stitches.  They get the name "fractional stitches," because they break up a normal cross-stitch into its parts.  They each have a purpose, whether it is to soften a background or create a more subtle curve in a design. As you become more advanced you will need to know how to use them effectively in your projects. 

The Half Stitch

Half stitches are just how they sound.  They are a half of one full stitch.  They are usually used to soften the background in the project or they can even be helpful at shading.  Here are the directions for completing a half-stitch:

·         Step 1:  Bring the needle up from the back in the bottom, left corner.

·         Step 2:  Bring the floss diagonally across the square.

·         Step 3:  Bring the needle down through the front in the top, right corner.

While this is a left to right half-stitch, you can also do it in a right to left fashion.  A half stitch is often represented by a special symbol in a full square.  You will need to search your key to find out what the symbol means.

The Quarter Stitch

Quarter stitches are often used to provide a smoother curve in a design, especially circular objects in your design.  They are also like they sound in that the stitch represents one quarter of a full stitch.  Here is how you complete a quarter stitch in your design:

·         Step 1:  Bring the needle up from the back in the bottom, left corner.

·         Step 2:  Bring the floss diagonally, half way across the square.

·         Step 3:  Bring the needle down through the center of the square. 

Again, this is a left to right quarter stitch, but they can actually be stitched from any corner of the square.  You should also use a smaller needle when stitching a quarter stitch, because there is a smaller "hole" to use in the center of the square.  Finally, be careful not to shift the fibers in the fabric.  They are woven so that there is a center hole through which you can pass the thread. 

The quarter stitch is often represented in the key by a reduced symbol.  On color charts it is represented by a half square.  However, the three-quarter stitch can be represented by the same thing, so you will either have to consult your key or take a guess at what the designer wanted.

The Three-Quarter Stitch

Three-quarter stitches are also used to create curves in a design.  The stitch is a combination of a quarter stitch and a half stitch.  Here is how to complete a three-quarter stitch in your design:

·         Step 1:  Bring the needle up from the back in the bottom, left corner.

·         Step 2:  Bring the floss diagonally, half way across the square.

·         Step 3:  Bring the needle down through the center of the square.

·         Step 4:  Bring the needle up from the back in the bottom, right corner.

·         Step 5:  Bring the floss diagonally across the square.

·         Step 6:  Bring the needle down through the front in the top, left corner.

A three-quarter stitch can be done in any direction to enhance your project.  Again, you will want to use a smaller needle and be careful of moving the fibers in the fabric.  Remember that this stitch is often represented by a reduced symbol or half a square, so you will need to consult your key to figure out what the designer wants. 

More than One Fractional Stitch

While you may have a detailed design that requires fractional stitches, you may also have them in your one square.  For some people this creates quite a conundrum for some stitchers, because there are different ways to approach the stitches.  You can do two three-quarter stitches, but some stitchers think it looks "lumpy."  You can also do one three-quarter stitch and one quarter stitch, but you need to be careful about which objects you want to be more prominent so that you do the three-quarter stitch in that one. 

Fractional stitches can make a design look much more refined, but you need to know how to use them effectively, especially as your designs become more ornate.  As you grow more advanced in your stitching you will appreciate your skill in fractional stitching as the stitches enhance the look and feel of your designs.

Three-Quarter Stitches