How to read embroidery patterns, hey guys welcome back to my article today's tips is the first in my cross-stitch 101 series today's tips is how to read a cross stitch embroidery pattern, now I don't consider myself an expert in anything cross stitch diamond painting whatever I have been stitching for 30 years though so I do know something about cross stitch. I am going to do my best to get my point across without sounding like a bumbling idiot in these tips because I find trying to show or explain or teach someone something is not easy to get your point in across Anna clear concise manner I'm going to do the best I can that's all I can say so this is a free embroidery pattern offered by the cricut collection so perfectly.
How do embroidery patterns work?
Okay to show the embroidery pattern and I am going to be stitching this actually so as this series goes on I will be a be using this embroidery pattern to show you the different other tips that I'm going to do so a cross stitch embroidery pattern is basically just a grid as you can see made up of tiny squares the chart should contain all of the information that you need to be able to start work on and complete a cross stitch embroidery pattern the squares on the chart correspond to the squares on your fabric. Okay and every square on your chart that has a symbol represents either a stitch or a bead so if.
I was picking this up to start it first I would look at what size is this embroidery pattern because you need to know the size of the embroidery pattern so you can have your fabric be the right size now most embroidery patterns depending on what size fabric you stitch on you stitch two strands of thread over one if you're stitching on a the or over two if you're stitching on linen or even weave and that will be in future tips.
How to create embroidery patterns
I will show how to do that and I already actually have tips on my article about a lot of these topics. I did them a while ago like last year at some point I did a lot of tutorials so I'm trying to think. What would be the okay so the size the size of this 63 wide that means 63 stitches wide by seventy six stitches high. Now what I do now they gave it to you sometimes they do not give it to you what the size is in inches they'll give you usually the size over the fabric.
That the model was stitched on and it's not always the fabric that you will use so if you're going to use fourteen count ADA or twenty-eight count linen or even weave because on linen or even we do stitch over too which makes it 14 count it's going to be 4.5 inches by five point four inches and then soon they give you 15 and 16 the most common sizes are 14 or 16 count for ADA and 28 count and 32 count for even weaver linen now there is also 35 40 count 56 count get the hell out of here with that linen when you get into the higher counts when you get above I would say when you get above either 18 count ADA or 36 count linen or even weave you will use one strand you will not use two strands two strands will be way too bulky trust me on that so.
Embroidery pattern ideas for clothing
I am going to be stitching this on 14 28 count even weave which I don't even have yet but I'm going to be stitching it on even weave so my size we'll be four point five by five point four I will probably use a piece of fabric that is 13 by 17 or 13 by 18 which is considered a fad eighth and that will be in a future tips too I will go through that back the next thing I'm going to look at so let's say. Okay we understand this part I've picked out my fabric the next part is you want to look and see what colors are required the color code every chart will have a key these symbols correspond to the symbols in the chart and then next to it will be DMC they have DMC and anchor if there are over dyed threads because there are many over dyed thread companies like weeks dye works gentle art sampler threads classic color works and there's even silk companies out there they will list them in the same way so okay you look at this and you see there's one two three four five six seven eight nine there is 11 colors so.
I need to get these colors now I'm fortunate enough to have the whole line of DMC so I just literally go to my box and pull these out because these colors are nice now I bought this as a kit at my local needlework store so I already have all of the threads and everything next if you look here you see that this chart requires five jar Co buttons Jeb Co stands for just another button company they give you the name of it and the number now you can order the buttons either directly from them they have a website one two three stitch sells a lot of their buttons like I said I have the kit so the buttons came in the kit but it tells you how to attach the buttons.
Embroidery patterns to trace
Which like I said I will show in a future tips if you see here it also shows that there is back stitch and what color you should stitch the back stitch in okay the grid lines now this one doesn't really have it but the grid lines are usually set up they're usually dark and set up in ten by ten squares ten this way ten that way which one ten by ten square would be a hundred stitches so each chart should also tell you the center of your fabric you don't have to start in the center.
I like to just so the project is centered on the fabric however you can start from the corner some people like to start from the bottom right if I'm going to start in the from the corner I would start from the top left and what you would have to do is just make sure you have enough fabric that if you're going to start let's say here you have to be able to fit all of this on your fabric do you know what I mean like you have to have big enough fabric so let's say you were going to start okay.
Here's the I'm sorry here are the arrows here's an arrow and here's an arrow where is it okay it's on this side I'm sorry here's an arrow and here's an arrow and you just follow the arrows in I usually take my needle and when I find it I'll highlight it so I know and it looks like it's going to be right about their where it's which would be the center so that symbol is an X let's say we were going to start in the center you say okay what color corresponds to that X symbol in the key if you go to the key it is dmc3 0 for 2 so you would pull that out now I would probably stitch all of the words right here first because that symbol is there do you know what I mean like it's it's easier for me to do it that way.
Hands embroidery patterns cute
Okay now charts can also be in black and white like this one or they can be in color I don't have a free color chart to show but if the charts are in color there they also have symbols and correspond to a key you're just going to be able to see what it's going to look like more accurately on your fabric because you're going to see the color if that makes sense okay let's go through the different types of stitches you may see on a chart this is a full cross stitch this is a full cross stitch there are no fractional zinc here it's all full cross stitches but then these lines see these lines this is considered back stitch and I have a tips on how to do back stitch but I will probably do another one when I get to this part because I sometimes will do this whole line differently like.
I would might do that in one big line instead of each individual Square and then these symbols and they don't show you this is where a button goes this is where a button goes now you can also refer to the color picture which I don't have it right in front of me and it would show you that a button goes here a button goes here now there are also okay this chart is a tiny bit different in that the outside this symbol the light aqua the kit that.
Hand embroidery patterns drawing easy
I purchased they substituted the floss with the beads and I'm going to follow that because I have the beads that came in the kit but like I said all of these are full cross stitches and then back stitch you can have a half stitch and it would be marked as a diagonal slash okay going from one edge to the opposite edge and maybe I should get a pen I can show you yeah let me get a pen let me pause for one second okay.
I'm going to try to get you guys in here a little closer I'm going to mark up here to show you what a fractional stitch would look like instead of having the normal symbol right here it may look like this okay what's it look like that should have pulled a Mira Billy a embroidery pattern and showed you hmm we won't get that far because you guys might freak out for those of you that are just starting cross stitch but that could be a fractional stitch and then three-quarter stitch could look like this.
Where it's actually just colored in part three-quarters of the square I do I need to pull a mirror Billy a embroidery pattern and show you and then sometimes there are French knots in a embroidery pattern and they're usually symbolized by a dot I'm going to pause I'm going to get my lady of the flag Mira be Leah and I'm going to show you a small portion of it where there are fractional stitches so you can say well I am dumbfounded I pulled out my mirror Billy a lady of the flag and that must be the only Mira B Lea that does not have fractional stitches or three-quarter stitches for the skin it's full stitches.
I was astounded when I was looking at it and I cannot find any of my other Mara Billy a embroidery patterns to pull out trust me when I say I have a tips on fractional stitches if you go to my article page put in the search bar fractional it'll come up I did it last year so I think that is it as far as reading I hope I covered it all it's like I said it's so difficult for me to try to remember everything about how to read a embroidery pattern because I've been stitching for so long it's second nature to me but I'm pretty sure I covered all of it if I haven't.
Research for more embroidery patterns or read about books on basic sewing techniques for beginners. However, choosing a design that will not take time to be finished is perfect for you to start. You can also choose some other embroidery patterns that offer the number of supply points for each design.
Starting cross stitching is good for its development. With this, even when you start with the embroidery of the machine or in your hand, it would still be easy for you to make some embroidery patterns that can be easily achieved.
Thank you for watching and I will see you in my next tips bye guys.