Cross Stitch Beginner Pattern #1 (Heart free chart)
Now that you know how to cross stitch, are you ready to tackle your first design? Let’s get started. Note – This post may contain affiliate links to cross stitch products I trust. This means if you make a purchase using the links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Here’s what you’ll need…
14 count aida (approximately 5" x 5" if you want to use a hoop)
Embroidery thread (I often use DMC threads)
Heart chart (download PDF below)
Heart Chart Beginner's Guide
.pdf
Download PDF • 282KB
This design uses only one colour of thread, so if you can’t get the one listed, don’t worry… use whatever colour you want - anything will work.
Thread your needle. Although this is a small design, the size of fabric suggested is large enough to put into a small embroidery hoop to make it easier to stitch. If you want to use a smaller piece of fabric and just hold it in your hands - that’s fine!
Find the center point in the fabric (easy method: fold your fabric in half one way and then half again the other way to make creases that intersect at the middle). It doesn’t have to be exact.
Normally you would start stitching from the middle of the design and work outwards. This might seem a bit strange, but many stitchers do this so that when they're stitching larger designs, they are certain they won't run out of fabric on the opposite side of where they start... definitely not what you want to happen after all the hours you have spent on your project! So, find the middle of the fabric and stick your needle in the hole closest to the middle, just to mark the spot.
Separate the two pieces of the hoops and lay the smaller inner ring onto a hard surface, such as a table or counter top. Lay the fabric over the inner ring, then place the top part of the hoop over the fabric and push down so that the fabric is caught between the two hoops. Tighten up the screw at the top so the fabric is kept taught.
Now the exciting bit… making that first stitch! You can either start stitching from that center point on the chart or you can count over and make your first stitch at the top of the heart shape. Remember each symbol on the chart is one cross stitch on your fabric.
Once you have completed all the stitches in the heart here’s how to finish off the last stitch…
Turn your fabric over and run your needle through the back of three or four stitches. Cut the thread close to the stitches to finish off your work.
That wasn’t too difficult, was it? Now that you've finished your heart, try completing our next beginner pattern - a tulip! Or, try making your stitching into a keychain following our keychain tutorial.