How to cross-stitch: a beginner’s guide for left and right hands

Learn to cross-stitch step by step, with illustrated diagrams you can switch between left and right-handed: preparing fabric, your first stitch, rows and backstitch.

2 October 2026 · 8 min read

Cross-stitch is one of the easiest kinds of embroidery to learn: every stitch is the same little X, worked over the squares of a gridded fabric. This guide takes you from a blank piece of fabric to your first finished stitches, with diagrams for each step.

Which hand does what

Hold the needle in the hand you write with, and the fabric or hoop in the other. The diagrams and directions below show the way most right-handed stitchers work, and you can switch between left and right-handed at any point using the buttons above.

There’s no single correct way to cross-stitch. The only real rule is that every top stitch slopes the same way, which we cover below. If a method feels awkward, try the other hand’s version: plenty of stitchers find their own way round.

Getting ready

You’ll need a pattern, some 14 count Aida fabric, stranded cotton, a blunt tapestry needle and small scissors. A hoop helps too. Our beginner’s kit list goes through each one.

Stop the edges fraying. Fold masking tape over the cut edges, or run a zigzag stitch round them on a sewing machine.
Find the centre of your fabric, so the design ends up in the middle.

Fold the fabric in half, then in half the other way. Where the creases cross is the centre: match it to the centre arrows on your chart and start stitching there.

Put it in the hoop. Loosen the screw, lay the fabric over the inner ring, press the outer ring down over it and tighten. Gently pull the fabric until it’s taut like a drum. Take the hoop off when you’re not stitching, to avoid leaving marks.
Prepare your thread. Cut a length of about 45 to 50 cm (18 in). It’s made of six fine strands: hold one end, pull a single strand straight up and out, and repeat for as many as your pattern asks for, usually two. Lay them back together side by side.
Thread the needle. Fold the end of the thread tightly over the needle, pinch the fold flat, slide the needle out and push the fold through the eye.

How the fabric works

Aida is woven in a grid, and each square of it matches one square on your chart. You stitch through the holes at the corners of the squares.

Aida is woven into small squares with a hole at every corner. One cross stitch fills one square, using those four holes.

Your first cross stitch

Start where the chart’s centre arrows meet, at the centre of your fabric. Each cross is two diagonal stitches: the first goes one way, the second crosses back over it.

Step 1: come up at 1 (bottom left) and go down at 2 (top right). Step 2: come up at 3 (bottom right) and go down at 4 (top left). Filled circles are where the needle comes up through the fabric; open circles are where it goes down.

Don’t tie a knot in your thread. Instead, leave a short tail at the back and hold it in place with your finger so the first few stitches catch it, or use a loop start. Our guide to starting and finishing threads explains both.

The one rule: keep your top stitches the same way

Whichever way you make your first leg, make every cross the same way, so all the top stitches lie in one direction. Using this guide’s right-handed method, your top stitches will slope from top left to bottom right.

Every top stitch should slope the same way. When they don't, the light catches them differently and the stitching looks patchy, even from across a room.

Stitching in rows

When several stitches of one colour sit side by side, it’s quicker and neater to work them in two passes. This is sometimes called the Danish method.

Along the row: work the first half of each stitch, moving left to right. Back again: cross each one, moving right to left. Within a row, every top stitch now slopes the same way.

Bring the needle up at the start of the next half stitch each time, rather than travelling across the back. Done this way, the back of your work stays tidy:

Turn your work over: stitched this way, the back of a row is a tidy line of short upright stitches. It uses less thread and sits flatter when framed.

Stitching one at a time

For a single stitch on its own, a scattering of one colour, or a diagonal line, finish each cross completely before moving on. This is sometimes called the English method. Many stitchers switch between the two as the chart demands.

For single stitches, scattered colours and diagonal lines, finish each cross (1 to 4) before starting the next, moving left to right. Neighbouring crosses share holes, so the next one starts in a hole you’ve just used.

Following the chart

Work outwards from the centre, one colour at a time, counting the squares on the chart and matching them on the fabric. Count twice and stitch once: an extra or missing stitch early on throws everything around it out. Our guide to reading a cross-stitch chart covers symbols, the key and keeping your place.

Backstitch outlines

Some patterns use backstitch, straight lines drawn over the chart, for outlines and fine details. It’s usually worked after the cross stitches, often with a single strand; your pattern’s key will say.

Backstitch makes a continuous line. Come up at 1, one hole ahead, and go back down at 2. Come up at 3, another hole ahead, and go back down into the hole at 1. The line grows to the right while each stitch points backwards.

Finishing a thread

When your thread runs short or you’ve finished a colour, take the needle to the back, slide it under three or four stitches, ideally of the same colour, and trim close. Avoid carrying thread across the back for more than a few squares, especially behind pale fabric, where it can show through.

Common beginner mistakes

Pulling too tight. The fabric puckers and the holes stretch. Pull just until the stitch lies flat.
Twisted thread. As you stitch, the thread winds itself up and stitches start to look lumpy. Every so often, let the needle hang down and spin until it stops.
Mixed top stitches. Check every so often that all your crosses lie the same way.
Miscounting. Check your position against the heavier ten-square lines on the chart before starting each new area.

Tips for left-handed stitchers

Switch this guide to Left-handed at the top to see every diagram mirrored for you.
Some left-handers prefer to follow right-handed instructions with the fabric and chart turned upside down. Try both and keep whichever feels natural.
A pair of left-handed scissors makes trimming threads close much easier.

When you’ve finished

If your piece needs freshening up, rinse it gently in cool water with a little mild soap, without rubbing, then roll it in a towel to take out the water. To press it, lay it face down on a thick, fluffy towel and iron the back, so the stitches keep their shape rather than being flattened.

Ready for a first project? A pattern with a smaller stitch count and only a few colours is the gentlest place to start.