How to Put Counted Cross Stitch Designs on Garments
You can easily add a counted cross-stitch design to garments of any kind of fabric using waste canvas, also called waste cloth. Waste canvas is like the Aida cloth normally used for cross stitching, except that it is stiffer and made up of fewer strands. To cross stitch on a garment, you can use waste canvas as a guide for your stitches, then remove it when the design is complete.
Things You'll Need
- Garment
- Cross stitch pattern
- Waste cloth
- Ruler
- Interfacing (optional)
- Sewing needle
- Thread
- Sharp tapestry needle
- Embroidery floss
- Scissors
- Spray bottle of water
- Tweezers (optional)
Instructions
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1
Wash and dry the garment. This will help prevent uneven shrinkage later, which is not easily detectable in a plain garment but can alter the appearance of a cross-stitch design.
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2
Cut a piece of waste canvas slightly larger than the finished size of the cross-stitch design.
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3
Place the waste canvas on the garment where you want the pattern. It helps to measure the garment if you wish to keep your design centered. If the fabric of the garment is thin or delicate, place a piece of interfacing on the inside of the garment behind the waste canvas. This will provide extra support for your design.
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Baste the waste canvas to the garment (and the interfacing, if using). Basting is the technique of using wide stitches to attach layers of fabric together so that they will stay in place while you sew. For small designs, use a radial pattern (eight equally spaced lines projecting from the center of the pattern); for large patterns, use a grid.
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Count the stitches to find the exact center of your design. Cross stitch the pattern. You may have to use more or fewer strands of thread than are suggested, depending on how it looks against the fabric of the garment.
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Remove the basting stitches. Wet the canvas using a spray bottle until the waste canvas becomes flexible. Pull out the waste canvas threads one at a time, beginning with the edges and working towards the middle. Work slowly as to not disturb your design. Tweezers may help for grabbing hold of the small threads.
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Tips & Warnings
If you're working with thin or stretchy fabric, take extra care not to pull your stitches too tightly, or you will create wrinkles.
Secure the tail ends of your thread well, or they may come loose when the garment is worn or washed.
Wash your garment inside-out in cold water to help protect the design and prevent bleeding colors.
Don't make your stitches through the threads of the waste canvas. This may make it impossible to pull the waste canvas out properly.
