What a difference outlines make
Backstitch is a small part of most charts by stitch count, but it carries a lot of the definition. Here is one of our library designs with and without an outline, so you can judge the effect:
Cross stitch only
With outline (DMC 312)
The outline sharpens the silhouette against the fabric, especially where light colours meet a light background. It also costs very little thread, which is why designers use it so freely.
Backstitch
Backstitch is a line of short straight stitches that follow the edges of a design or form text. On charts it is drawn as solid lines along the grid, with its own entry in the key.
- Up at B, back down at A.
- Up at C, back down at B, into the end of the last stitch.
- Keep going: up one hole ahead, back down into the last hole.
How to work it:
- Bring the needle up one hole along the line from where you want to start (B).
- Take it down at the start of the line (A), going back.
- Come up again one hole further along (C), then go back down into B.
- Continue: up one ahead, back down into the end of the last stitch.
Each stitch normally covers one square, horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Long straight lines can use stitches over two squares, but curves look smoother with short stitches, and DMC recommends keeping stitch length consistent for an even line.
Tips for neat backstitch:
- One strand for fine detail, two for bold outlines and lettering.
- Work it after the crosses in that area, so it sits on top.
- Pull each stitch just snug: too tight and it puckers, too loose and it wanders.
- Use a darker shade of a colour in the design rather than black for a softer look.
- Finish under the backstitch, weaving the tail under the back of the line rather than under the crosses, so it does not shadow through.
- For curves on Aida, pierce the middle of a square where the line needs to bend. Evenweave makes curved backstitch easier because it has more holes.
How far a skein goes
Backstitch uses more thread than its length suggests, because the back travels two holes for every hole on the front. Our thread estimates allow 2.5 times the line length (twice for front and back, plus tails). Split into single strands, one 8 m skein gives 48 m to work with:
| Strands | Line per skein | 11-count | 14-count | 16-count | 18-count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 strand | 19.2 m | 8,315 | 10,583 | 12,094 | 13,606 |
| 2 strands | 9.6 m | 4,157 | 5,291 | 6,047 | 6,803 |
The count columns are straight stitches over one square. Diagonal stitches are about 1.4 times longer, so expect fewer per skein. For most designs, one skein of the outline colour is more than enough.
French knots
French knots are tiny raised dots, used for eyes, flower centres, buttons and the dots on an i.
- 1 Come up Bring the needle up where the knot should sit.
- 2 Wrap twice Hold the thread taut and wrap it round the needle twice.
- 3 Down beside Keep the tension and go down just beside the first hole, not into it.
- 4 Pull slowly Slide the wraps to the fabric and pull through gently.
- Bring the needle up where you want the knot.
- Hold the thread taut with your other hand and wrap it round the needle twice.
- Keeping the thread taut, put the needle back down just beside the hole you came up through, not in it.
- Slide the wraps down to the fabric and pull the needle through slowly while still holding the thread.
Mary Corbet of Needle ‘n Thread recommends two wraps and warns against more than three, which tend to give loose, irregular knots. For a bigger knot, add strands rather than wraps. Steady tension until the very end is what makes knots consistent, and pulling through slowly stops the wraps from turning into a slip knot.
Each knot uses about 5 cm of thread including the travel to the next one, so a single strand of one skein makes roughly 960 knots, or 480 with two strands. Avoid long carries across the back between knots, especially behind unstitched fabric where the thread can show through; finish off and start again instead.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Knot pulls through to the back | Went down the same hole | Go down just beside the starting hole |
| Loose, floppy knot | Tension let go too early, or too many wraps | Hold the thread taut until the needle is almost through; use two wraps |
| Thread tangles into a tight lump | Pulled through too fast | Pull slowly, guiding the wraps down the needle |
| Knots all different sizes | Wrap count or strand count varies | Same wraps, same strands, same tension every time |
Fractional stitches
Fractional stitches let a design curve more smoothly than whole squares allow. Charts draw them as part-filled squares:
- Full cross Symbol fills the square
- Half stitch One diagonal through the square
- ¾ stitch Triangle filling half the square
- ¼ stitch Small mark in one corner
- Backstitch Line along the grid lines
- French knot Dot on a grid hole
| Stitch | What it covers | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Half stitch | One diagonal of the square | Shading, light backgrounds |
| Quarter stitch | Corner to centre | Small curves |
| Three-quarter stitch | A quarter stitch plus a half stitch | Filling half a square on a curve |
On Aida the centre of a square has no hole, so pierce the fabric in the middle with a sharp needle or push the blunt one firmly between the threads. Where two colours share a square, stitch the colour that should look “in front” as the three-quarter stitch. On evenweave worked over two, the centre is a real hole, which is one reason stitchers who love fractional stitches often prefer it.
Lazy daisy and long stitches
Some charts use other embroidery stitches for details: lazy daisy loops for petals and long stitches for whiskers or rays. Follow the line on the chart, bringing the needle up at one end and down at the other, and hold long stitches down in the middle with a tiny stitch if they are longer than about 2.5 cm (an inch), so they do not snag.
Adding details to your own designs
When you make a pattern from a photo or draw your own in the cross stitch editor, think about which details are clearer as backstitch than as single coloured squares: thin lines, lettering, whiskers and outlines round light shapes on a light background. In the editor, the backstitch tool (T) draws lines between grid points and the knot tool (N) places French knots; both print on the PDF chart and are counted in the thread estimate. Our guide to reading a chart shows how these marks appear on the printed page.