Learn How: Cross Stitching 101 - Getting Started

The second entry in my Learn How series is all about one of my absolute favorite crafts, cross stitching! I attempt to show the basics of cross stitching, and how to get started using a small basic kit.

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Watch other videos in the Learn How series:

[thegibbos]

Well I'm a 28 year old man now. I used to love doing this at school as a child. One day I brought it home, I showed my Dad and he yelled at me saying this was for Women! Today I went ahead and bought a kit from Amazon and I've checked out your video :) thank you for this video, I'm excited to make up for lost time!

[katiejudd]

I've been trying to understand cross stitching for years but people's tutorials would skip over simple things that you explained and it would leave me frustrsted. You are a great teacher and are very straightforward. Thank you so much.

[BlueAndPINK]

I bought a cross stitch kit today thinking it would be a no brainer but I opened it and I was sooo confusing and the instructions were so vague😅 this is so so helpful thank you

[cullertransportation]

I’m glad to see I’m not the only man who cross stitches. My mom made me learn when I was a kid to help with my fine motor skills and I just kept it up

[Alison-zolq]

I showed my 87year old mom who has been cross stitching for 50+years your video about threading the needle and creating a knot at the end, she asked me to give you a huge "thanks" She is now using this technique and it's not just easier for her to thread her needle but she is no longer losing it.

[kristinbenson]

I have been cross stitching for 37 years. My favorite saying is "You learn something new every day!" and I have done just that. Threading the needle the way you did and knotting it with the loop is genius!!! I am teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders how to stitch at school (a small group where we share/teach something special to us) and I am totally going to teach them this. Permission to use your video with them?

[MsPandora]

I have a cross-stitch kit sitting here looking at me.. it is saying; "stop being a scaredy cat, just grab the needle and thread and jump right in." But I didn't want to do a half-ass job of it so I've been watching videos. Yours was so helpful in threading the needle without a knot at the end and the tip on jumping up to the next row. Great little video. I just bought my first cross-stitch kit and hope I don't mess it up. Thanks, Phil

[cathiewatson]

I've seen a lot of 'beginner' cross stitch videos and always left none the wiser. This is honestly the best one I've ever seen. Thorough yet simple to follow. Thank you!

[UsernameBarbF]

Phil, like you, I've cross stitched for many years. I even went to seminars and took classes. Those classes taught me a couple of tips I'd like to pass on to you. First tip is how to separate the strands of floss. You showed tapping one end of the six-strand hank, but you should also show what happens when the tap the other end. The correct end to pull from will be the one that causes all six strands to fly apart when you tap the end. The reason it's the correct end is because all the barely visible "fly-away" strands on each thread is facing downward--when you pull one or two strands from the hank, they will release without tangling.

Second tip--Once you get the number of strands pulled that you want, slide them through a medium that will further smooth those fly-away pieces so they don't tangle while you're stitching--you want to slide them in that "smoothest" direction. Best way is to pull them through a cube of bee's wax, next option is across a damp sponge, or my favorite because I've always got it on hand, is to slide it across my tongue.


Third tip: Do not, NOT catch the loop of your thread in the eye of the needle! Instead, if your pattern calls for two strands, just use one like you did in your video. Just like in your video, fold that single strand in the middle (forming a loop in the middle). Just thread the needle using either the loop through the eye or the two ends through the eye, it doesn't matter. Do NOT knot the ends either. Instead, just like in your video, bring your needle up in the bottom left corner and go down in the top right corner, pulling the thread downward about 2". Now turn your work over and put your needle through the loop and gently pull it the rest of the way through--not too tight so it doesn't pucker. By doing it this way, you have automatically locked that very first stitch, you won't have any "tails", you don't have any loose ends to deal hide.


Last tip: The reason for starting in the center of your work and then working outward is that the stitching will stretch the fabric--by starting at the center, your work will stretch the fabric outward and remain smooth. If you start from the outer edges and work inward, your fabric might "bubble up" or warp.


Good luck everyone!

[francichristen]

You have such a soothing voice. This video reminds me a lot of Bob Ross. :)

[TheSparklyBeader]

Phil, I just happened upon your video even though I already know how to cross-stitch. How refreshing to hear a male voice instruct a video in a traditionally female textile art! Kudos to you! You have a very soothing voice. Keep up the great work! Btw, your method for threading is interesting. I have never done it that way out of concern for the nap of the floss. ❤

[subseeker]

I bet this helps me a lot, so, thank you. My mom passed away a couple of months ago and she never got to make me this big cross-stitch picture which has an awesome Christmas spirit in it. It should've been a Xmas present for me 😢 so I made a promise beside her deathbed that I would finish it and it still would be done by her. God I miss her, she was the sweetest thing on this planet.

[ikiteru]

I wikihow’d cross stitching and didn’t understand it. Bought a kit from wal mart because a friend swore it was really easy. The instructions made me cry.
You cleared up so much and it makes so much sense now! Thank you for taking the time to make this starter video. Subscribing right now :)

[meganjmccrory]

Knotting the needle is the best thing I've ever seen! Thank you!

[katieakin]

I've been cross stitching for about a year now, and I started all of it by watching this video!! I just came across it again while watching some other stitchery videos and it warmed my heart to see it again. Thanks for your help getting me into one of my favorite hobbies, Phil!

[annettef.]

Thank goodness for your video! Every video I have came across skips the threading process and skips the turning, etc!! Thank you so much for your patience and time you take with your videos!

[jericholocke]

“Please tell me the next tutorial is up...”
“Three years ago”
“Oh lmao I’m fine”

[chrislong]

Just bought my first one at Walmart...can't wait to get started

[maryjohnson-goeldner]

Wow, I have been procrastinating for about 6months, because the instructions were either nonexistent or so confusing, that I didn’t start for fear of failing. You have given me the confidence to start. Can’t wait for your next video, subscribed and liked, my granddaughter and I are starting together in the morning. Thanks again, very excited. Maz

[MiriamHerrera-ve]

I just got a nightmare before christmas one, and didn't understand the instruction, I'm so glad I found you!