Separate your embroidery floss

Embroidery floss is composed of six strands of thread loosely wrapped around each other. You will need to separate out a certain number of strands to use for stitching (typically two or three). Take a piece of embroidery floss, count out the number of strands you need and then run your finger between the two sections to split them apart.

Thread your needle

An easy way to thread the floss on your needle is to fold it over the needle. Pinch the loop between your fingers and pull the needle out. Push the loop through the eye of the needle and pull the floss through, leaving a tail a few inches long.

Anchor the floss to your fabric

To attach the embroidery floss to your Aida cloth, begin your stitch, leaving a few inches of floss loose at the back. Stitch back through the cloth so both ends of the floss are at the back of the fabric. Tie a loose knot and slip your needle through. Tighten the knot and pull your needle until the knot is against the fabric. Continue stitching.

Another method is to leave a short tail of embroidery floss at the back of your project and hold it in place while you stitch over it.

The Cross Stitch

While cross stitching, it helps to think of the spaces between the holes in the fabric as squares on a grid. The stitches you make will fill in those squares.

Bring your needle up through the bottom left corner of the square, and back down through the top right corner. Pull the embroidery floss taught so it lies flat against the fabric. Come up through the bottom right corner and back down through the top left to complete the X.