Dancing Ganesha

Cross stitch is a form of counted thread embroidery.  even weave clothes are used for cross stitch. I totally agree to the fact that it is a meditative form of craft. Reading a pattern and counting out those tiny stitches quiets my mind. The joy of seeing the tiny x es developing into a picture is priceless...:)

It takes a lot of patience and concentration , Trust me... its worth the effort.

I must say its more technical than creative.  All you have to do is to follow the rules. Never miss the count. 

 My Dancing Ganesha turned out so beautiful.  It took me three to four months to complete, but well worth it. :) This is my special gift for my parents. and i enjoyed each and every stitch... stitched with love. :)
I was so excited with the result of my work , i decided to compile this blog gathering information from the internet on cross stitch and the tips to make your work easy. Hope you will enjoy.  

Happy Stitching!!

Stages of  Dancing Ganesha 

Basic steps in cross- stitching.

Choose your fabric :-  It is easiest to start on an Aida cloth, as this provides larger spaces for your cross stitch. The higher the number of stitches, the smaller the x-es will be. ( The cloth used for this picture is 14 -count Aida)

Select your thread :-  Each skein of embroidery floss comes in six threads, but only 1-3 will be used for cross stitch at a time. (Here for this pattern i used 2 threads.  DMC threads were used.)

Choose a pattern :- Choose a pattern from a booklet or online, and gather embroidery floss in colors to match. ( The pattern 'Dancing Ganesha' is downloaded from the internet , they provided the complete pattern with key to the thread colors also)

Using an easy computer programs you can  convert your favorite image to a cross stitch pattern. There are sites which helps you to generate  patterns of your images by simply uploading them. 


Tips

• When there are multiple stitches of the same color in one row, make the first half of the stitches for that row first (////), then go back and finish crossing them all (XXXX). This will save time, save thread, and give the finished project a smoother look.
• To keep the stitches looking even always have the bottom of the cross facing the same direction, ex. start the stitch in the top left and bring it down the bottom right.
• Make sure to keep track of where you are on your pattern to avoid errors. If you have difficulty keeping count, make a photocopy or working copy and color in your pattern as you go with highlighters or colored pencils.
• Patterns are available for free in many places on the Internet.
• You can keep track of your floss by putting it on the cardboard  or even by using the snack-size Ziploc bags to hold each color.