French knots
These can be quite tricky to form and takes a little practice. They are mainly used to dot an ‘i’, but can be used decoratively too.

Begin by pushing the needle through the hole where you want the knot to sit. Then carefully wind the thread twice around the needle. Keeping the thread taut, push the needle back down through the same hole, or very close to it. The knot should sit neatly on top of the hole.

Three-quarter, Half and Quarter Stitches
These stitches tend to appear on more complex or larger cross stitch designs. They can help ‘fill in’ areas to make the edge have a smoother finish. They are particularly useful for flower designs. See Figs. 5, 6 and 7.

Beads
There are two ways of sewing on a bead.

1. Sew the bead across one square of the fabric in a diagonal direction. See Fig. 4

2. Push the needle up through the hole, thread the bead, then push the needle back down through the same hole.

Stitching Tips
Try to avoid tying a knot in the thread at the start and finish. The knot can show through the fabric or show as a bump.
When pulling the thread through the fabric for the first stitch, leave about an inch of thread at the back. As the first few stitches are made, the inch of thread can be sewn over to anchor it down.
When finishing off a thread, weave it through the back of the stitches, then snip the end. Try to avoid carrying the thread across the back of unstitched areas, as it can show through.

Finishing
IIf necessary, finished designs can be washed. Do this in warm water with a mild detergent. Dry by patting with a towel and leave to finish drying flat. Iron gently on the reverse.
Cross stitch designs can be framed or mounted or used in a variety of ways in keyrings, bookmarks, paperweights etc.