Silk Road Needle Arts

                        St. Petersburg, Florida
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Stitching Methods--

One of the few rules for cross stitch is that the stitches should all go in the same direction; it doesn't matter which part of the cross you do first, but they must all be consistent.

There are two methods of stitching; you can complete all of the "x's" as you go (the traditional method) or you can do the bottom part of the stitches first and then come back and cross with the top stitch (known as the Danish method.)

If you are doing "1 over 1" you should try to complete each stitch before moving to the next one; otherwise, the thread has a tendency to disappear to the back of the fabric.

Overdyed threads will take on entirely different looks according to which method you use. If you want subtle shading and blending, then stitch in the traditional method; stitching in the Danish method can create more "lively" stitches because when you return on the row, you may have very different colors for the top part of the stitch. You may want to experiment to see which effect you like best.