Suzie Perry

One of the best aspects of having cross stitch as a hobby is that with a little effort you can almost always achieve a professional look with your finished cross stitch piece.  As a beginner or as an experienced cross stitcher there a few simple rules to follow that can really give your finished art a quality and professional look that will amaze all.  This is the first of three articles that will go into detail, with the best steps to take to ensure you are doing all you can to complete a great looking cross stitch project.

Let's list some general guidelines to follow, which are really just common sense, before we get into the real rules of a professional look in cross stitch.  Always keep your hands and needles clean.  This will ensure your fabric is kept in the best condition and will save you time and effort later in trying to remove unsightly spots and stains.  Another general rule to follow is to always have a safe dry place to store your cross stitch projects, whether you keep a craft room, closet or even a zip lock storage bag.  Many patterns will simply wash off if exposed to water or fabric can be stained or ruined when spills occur, these are items to always keep in mind and will show a certain pride in your work.

When you first start across stitch project there are steps that you can take that will ensure a beautiful and great end to any cross stitch design?  One of the first rules to follow is to always prepare your project, floss and fabric, with the greatest of care.  After you have selected a pattern you should make sure you pay attention to the selection of floss you are going to use.  Many stitchers rush this part of the project -- not a good idea! Some good questions to answer before actually starting your project follow.

What brand of floss are you going to use?  You should always choose the highest quality of floss you can afford.  Make sure that the brand you choose comes in all the colors you will need as it can be hard to make the correct guesses as to substitutes.  There are color and brand conversion charts (http://www.patternspatch.com members can download one for our favorite price: free), however if you choose a brand that comes in the correct colors it can save you a lot of time and ensure that your project's colors and design will flow well.

Many times the pattern instructions will suggest the best brand of floss to use, although if you know of a better quality of floss you can always check to see if the patterns colors are available in that brand, and if so switch to the better quality floss.

The next question to answer is, what type of fabric should I be using?  The most popular fabric and the best for most projects is going to be Aida fabric.  This fabric comes in a range of fabric counts and colors that almost any pattern or design will call for.  Another reason Aida fabric is so popular is you can buy it in rolls or in flat pieces.

You always want to avoid buying folded fabrics as it is often hard to remove the creases from the fabric once you have finished a project with out compromising the work you have completed.  Once you have selected a fabric most often you will need to cut that fabric to the size of the pattern you are working with.  Cutting your fabric large enough to allow enough room to complete your pattern as well as leaving enough room around the borders for framing or quilting is a must if your goal is to have a professionally finished cross stitched piece.