Free Christmas cross stitch patterns, free Xmas stitching chartsFor more Christmas designs go to cross stitch 1 Christmas graphs
All kinds of free embroidery Xmas patterns,
cross stitch pattern and motifs.
You can use small parts of an embroidery
or cross stitch pattern for your knitting project, or on your knitted garment. Let your fantasies run free and create the greatest garments.
Cross-stitch is the most popular form of hobby embroidery in the western
world. It lends itself well to recreational use, as it is easy to learn
and very versatile.
Traditionally, cross-stitch was used to embellish items like dishcloths,
household linens, and doilies (only a small portion of which would
actually be embroidered). Although there are many cross-stitchers who
still employ it in this fashion, especially in Europe, it is now more
popular to simply embroider plain pieces of canvas and hang them on the
wall for decoration.
There are many cross-stitching "guilds" across the United States and
Europe which offer classes, collaborate on large projects, stitch for
charity, and provide other ways for local cross-stitchers to get to know
one another.
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Today cotton floss is the most usual embroidery thread. It is a thread
made of mercerized cotton, made of six strands that are only loosely
twisted together and easily separable. Other materials used are pearl
cotton, Danish flower thread, silk and Rayon. Danish flower thread is
especially popular for nature motifs which originally came from Denmark.
Sometimes different wool threads, metallic threads or other speciality
threads are used, sometimes for the whole work, sometimes for accents
and embellishments.
Thread size is usually chosen so that the stitches cover the fabric
completely, creating a tapestry-like effect. But especially in
monochrome work the thread can also be chosen a bit thinner, so that the
individual crosses can be recognized as such and let the fabric show
through a bit. The latter possibility can look nice in monochrome
patterns and in combination with Blackwork. |