Counted cross stitch is a very popular part of the stitching landscape, but something I haven't done for a long time.
Most of the cross stitch I have been doing is more free-form, which is much less structured, so I decided to choose something that wasn't too ambitious for this project.
Into the bargain, I managed to find a design that also echos our videos, so I was keen to get started.
Counted cross stitch gets its name from the thread count of the fabric (ie how many threads per inch in the weave) and counting those threads to make sure all your stitches are even in size.
There is also counting the number of stitches in each colour as you complete the design.
Sounds easy right? Well, not so much, unless it has your undivided attention, and then some. As a mark of how tricky this can be, you can buy line magnifiers that sit on your design grid.
I know I unpicked a couple of mistakes along the way, and I suspect that I left one unchanged, but I'm not going to go back to check. I'll just live with the finished piece as it is.
So, if you would like to try counted cross stitch and you are a novice, my advice is either start with something small, or something straight forward. Piet, for example, is our uncounted cross stitch project.
This floral design is from an Australian craft magazine called Handmade, and appeared in the Spring 1990 edition. By Vivienne Chinnery, it features 12 native Australian flowers in a calendar format.
While there are suggested colours for each design, I decided to change the pink gum blossoms to red, to coordinate with our video flowers. Because I was taking the threads from my own supply, I didn't have the exact greens suggested, so I changed them a little as well.
Before taking needle and thread to fabric, the first task was to mark out the grid on the design onto my fabric, to make the counting part a little easier.
I used water disappearing marker for this, as once the piece was finished, I would wet it and press it.
Counted cross stitch is not a form of embroidery to be rushed.
Even this one flower took some hours to complete, but patience is rewarded, and if you take your time, you will get a lovely result.
I did have a few different thoughts on how the finished stitching would be used, but while working on it, I found this small flexible frame, and decided that I would be happiest with the work on display.
But before committing to anything, a quick check to ensure the design would fit into the frame gave me the idea for changing the text in the bottom corner.
I changed the text of the design to my own version of Home Sweet Home, and now the finished piece hangs above my workspace.
The text was completed in back stitch in one strand of cotton floss.
The materials used in this project all came from my own supply, and not all the threads still have their labels.
There are many magazines and books specialising in counted cross stitch, so if it is something you would like to try, it should be easy to find something that you will enjoy looking at once it is stitched.
Watch how the project came together on YouTube.
See our easy to follow video tutorial on Cross stitch.
Find our other cross stitch project Piet, the uncounted kind of cross stitch, here.
