Girlguiding cross stitch activity
Girlguiding cross stitch activity
We’ve loved seeing your creations from our previous embroidery craft. One of the things many of you asked for next was a cross stitch craft!
So, for this issue’s activity for volunteers, we’re bringing you a bespoke Girlguiding craft with a twist! This is a build-your-own cross stitch. We’ve provided you the patterns, including letters in our font, and some of the section icons, so you can create your own personalised design. Perfect for you, or as a thoughtful gift for a leader in your life.
You will need
- A print-out of our cross stitch patterns
- 14 count Aida fabric in our section colours. Check out our brand guidelines for a closer look at these colours.*
- 8 inch embroidery hoop
- Embroidery threads in our brand colours
- Embroidery needle
- Fabric scissors
- Pins
- Pencil
- Optional: felt fabric for backing, or frame, iron and hemming web for framing
We’ve included suggested DMC thread matches for the colours used, but don’t worry about getting it 100% right – there are lots of thread colours that will work. You can also find pantone codes for each colour in our brand guidelines to do your own colour matching. If you’re not sure about which thread colours to use, there are many free online colour conversion tools available.
*Cross stitch fabric in our lovely Rangers purple is a little difficult to find! We've used navy as a substitute.
Thread colours
Pale yellow - floss 744, yellow pale Light blue - floss 996, electric blue medium Purple - floss 553, violet Light green - floss 703, chartreuse Green - floss 909, emerald green very dark Orange - floss 971, pumpkin Brown - floss 3031, mocha brown very dark Black - floss 310, black White - floss B520, snow white
Setting everything up
1. Begin by printing our pattern – we recommend printing it as an A4 page for best results. 2. Cut out a square-shaped piece of the Aida fabric to stitch onto. Place your embroidery hoop on top of your fabric to guide you before cutting it. When doing so, make sure to leave at least 3cm extra around its edge. You can press the fabric to remove any unwanted creases. 3. Fold your Aida in half, and then in half again, so that you’re left with a small square and press slightly, so that the folds are visible when you unfold the fabric. Unfold the fabric, and using a pencil mark the centre of the fabric.
4. Secure the piece of fabric onto the embroidery hoop, making sure it’s well centred. Tighten the hoop to keep it in place.
Getting your threads ready
Now it’s time to get the threads ready! When cutting a length of thread to stitch with, we recommend measuring its length from your fingertip to your elbow. That’s about 40cm (15.7 in) and will make it easier to manage, avoiding any tangling.
Before getting your stitch on, please note that each skein of stranded cotton has 6 threads. We’ll be using 2 at a time for this project.
To separate them, cut the thread, then select 2 threads and pull them apart from the other 4.
Let’s get our stitch on!
1. Take a look at the patterns. We recommend choosing up to 2 initials and 4 icons for your design. Feel free to get creative with your initials! We experimented with a backwards 'G' in our Guides design to mimic our iconic trefoil. 2. Counting squares is the foundation of cross stitching. Referring back to the initials you've chosen, use the mid-point you marked earlier and count the necessary squares to place the initial to the left of your mid-point. 3. Now it’s time to make your first stitch. Cross stitch is simple to get the hang of – you just repeat rows of stitches in the same direction. Cross stitch is generally worked in rows going from left to right. Starting from the back side of the fabric, bring your needle up through a hole toward the front, leaving about an inch of thread at the back. You will cover the tail with your stitches as you work to secure it. Next pass your needle through the hole diagonally across to the right and up from where you started to make a slanted half cross stitch. Repeat this for the whole row you’re working on, until you get to the end. 4. Now you’re going to come back to where you started. Bring your needle up from the back through the hole directly below your last stitch on the row. Pass your needle through the hole that’s diagonally up and to the left. You’ve made your first cross! Finish the row in exactly the same way, until you reach the beginning of the row. You should now have a row of cross stitches!
5. Continue filling in your chosen initial on the left of your mid point, working row by row. Once that’s done, repeat steps 2-5 to fill in the initial on the right of your mid-point. 6. Once you’ve filled out the initials, count three rows above them. This will be where you place the bottom of your first icon. Count the columns in your chosen icon and find its middle, so you can place it directly above the midpoint you drew earlier. 7. Once you’ve figured out the placement of your icon, you can start stitching. For each icon, we recommend starting with the colour that’s physically closest to your chosen initials in the design, so you don’t have to count too many squares. Then, fill in the rest of the icon, working from the most-used colour, to the least-used. 8. Follow the same method, but directionally to place the rest of your icons to the sides and underneath the initials.
Time to finish off! Here are a couple of different ways
Back it up!
1. Once you’ve finished your project you can add a backing to it – this way you’ll be able to proudly display your work of art on its hoop. Follow these steps to add a backing to your cross stitch. 2. Cut all the stray threads and neaten up the back of your art. 3. Turn your finished masterpiece over and use a pair of fabric scissors to cut around the outside of the fabric, creating an approximately 2cm wide seam allowance. 4. Use a piece of embroidery thread to pull all the fabric together by stitching all the way around it and pulling the thread to make it tight. Secure it in place with a knot. 5. Place the felt fabric on a flat surface, and use a pen to trace around the embroidery hoop onto the felt. 6. Grab the scissors to cut the felt circle and place it over the back of the hoop. 7. Attach the felt onto the back of the embroidery by using a simple up and down stitch, making sure to keep them as neat and even as possible.
Frame it!
1. Find a frame that’ll fit your masterpiece. We recommend choosing a frame that will allow for 5cm of blank space around your design, but if you’d like a tighter fit that works too! 2. Remove your cross stitch from the hoop. Cut all the stray threads to neaten up its back and iron out any creases on the fabric. We recommend using a tea towel over your design to protect it when you’re ironing it. 3. Take the backing of your frame and place it on the back fabric, centre the design and use a pencil to mark the edges of where you’d like to place the design. 4. Cut the hemming web to match the length of each of the sides of the backing of the frame. 5. Place the pieces of hemming web on the inside of the backing around its edge, and carefully place your design on top of them. Place a tea towel over your design and use an iron to secure the backing to your design. 6.Cut the excess Aida, and place the frame on top of your design.
Congratulations, you’re done! We’d love to see your creations – you can show off your work by tagging us on social media @girlguiding.
Are there any other crafts or activities for volunteers you'd love to see in a future magazine? Let us know!
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