How to make a full cross stitch
The one stitch you need, worked one at a time (English method) or in rows (Danish method).
Step by step
- Bring the needle up at one corner of a square of Aida.
- Go down at the opposite corner, making a diagonal half stitch.
- Come up at a third corner and go down at the last one, crossing the first stitch.
- For rows of one colour, work a line of half stitches first, then cross them all on the way back (the Danish method).
- Make sure every top stitch leans the same way across the whole piece.
Pinny's tip
If your top stitches lean in mixed directions, the finished piece looks patchy even when the colours are right.
If your top stitches lean in mixed directions, the finished piece looks patchy even when the colours are right.
Watch
Cross Stitch for Beginners | Get Started in Cross Stitch | Hobbycraft (6:33)
By Hobbycraft · Open on YouTube
Chosen from its title and channel: a 6-minute video from Hobbycraft on the same topic as this guide. Embedded from YouTube with credit; we don't host it. It only loads when you press play.
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Sources
All checked 1 November 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.