Heather Martin

What You Can Put in Your Sampler

Creating a cross stitch sampler can seem overwhelming at first, especially if you decide to pick and choose from other designs to create a unique sampler of your own.  Part one of this two part article has a brief overview of the history of a cross stitch sampler and how to get started in choosing the items you will want to include in your own cross stitch sampler.

As you are starting to choose from different characters, borders, letters and verses you will want to be sure that your final choices include the five basic stitches of any cross stitch piece.  These five basic stitches are a: 

• cross stitch,
• half stitch,
• quarter stitch,
• three quarter stitch, and
• back stitch.

These five stitches are used most often and are the stitches you will need to be most familiar with; when you have mastered these five stitches you will be ready to create pretty well any cross stitch design. Two other stitches that you can include in your sampler are the Whip stitch and the French knot; these two stitches are also popular in cross stitch and regularly included in cross stitch samplers. If you're not sure how to stitch either of these stitches, take a look in the Tutorial Index where you'll find them, and many more.

There are additional variations of the cross stitch that can be added to your sampler, including adding beads to your cross stitches; this technique is rapidly gaining in popularity today.

Now that you have chosen the appropriate designs and patterns for your sampler lets talk about how to create the stitches you will be including.  The first and most popular stitch in cross stitch is of course the full cross stitch itself.  This stitch is made up of two stitches that overlap one another and intersect in the middle. i.e. / \ to create X.  This is a simple stitch that looks best when done in patterns of either /,\,/,\ or /,/,/,/ and then \,\,\,\.  It does not matter which pattern you choose as long as you are consistent throughout your sampler so the stitches lay nicely and create an organized look.

The next stitch that you will want to include in your sampler is a half stitch, this is really just half of a complete cross stitch.  The half stitch can be carried out in two different ways, i.e, the stitch can lean to the right or to the left (like so / or \) depending on what your pattern calls for.  There is no need to incorporate both variations of the half stitch unless you have already chosen designs that happen to have both stitches.

The quarter stitch is another stitch that is among the five most popular stitches included in cross stitch samplers. The quarter stitch is again very simple once you know how to do it, it is basically half of a half stitch.  The only challenge in creating a quarter stitch is the measurement of the stitch.

If you are working with Aida fabric with prepunched holes the measurement is easier than if you are working with a fabric without prepuched holes, such as a cotton material.  If you have Aida fabric with prepunched holes, the needle will enter from the back of the fabric through an existing hole and then be reinserted in the fabric half way to the diagonally opposite stitch  This stitch is half the size of a half stitch and is much less complicated than it sounds once you have tried and mastered the stitch.

The three quarter stitch is the fourth stitch you will want to be sure to incorporate into your cross stitch sampler.  This stitch is easiest described as a combination of the half stitch and the quarter stitch.  The three quarter stitch is created by first making a half stitch and then adding the quarter stitch to either the upper or lower adjacent half of the half stitch.  The three quarter stitch will roughly resemble a letter Y (either right-way-up or upside down) when itis completed.

Finally the last stitch that you should be sure to include in your sampler is the back stitch. This stitch usually outlines your characters and creates lines for dramatic impact. The back stitch, when learned correctly, will create the impression of a solid running line. The back stitch is created by bringing your needle up through the fabric and then back down to create one small stitch, then the needle is brought back up through the fabric one space away from the last stitch and then inserted back through the fabric at the point of the preceding stitch.  i.e.  A to B then C and back to B, this is practiced continuously until the line is ended or turns.

There are a few other stitches you can include in your cross stitch sampler that are used often used in many cross stitch designs. These include the French knot and whip stitch (mentioned earlier).  The French knot is made by wrapping the floss around the needle two to three times and then inserting the needle back down through the fabric to create a knot that sits tightly on top of the fabric.

The whip stitch is used to secure edges of fabric to prevent unravel and is simply wrapping the floss around the edges of the fabric by inserting the needle up through the fabric and then taking the needle and floss off the edge of the fabric and back around to the back of the fabric to reinsert it back up through the fabric.  This stitch will create a circular/diagonal stitch that both strengthens the edges of your fabric and presents an attractive design when a contrasting color is used.

These simple stitches will give you a great start to a wonderful sampler that you can eventually display when you have completed it.  As mentioned earlier, you can find instructions on how to stitch all of these stitches, together with pictures, in the Tutorial Index (in the left nav panel, under Resources). Once you have been able to practice and master the above stitches you will be ready to start in on most cross stitch patterns knowing you have practiced all the stitches you will need to confidently complete almost any cross stitch design.  Good luck and enjoy your practice.