The nice thing about cross stitch is that you don't really need to much to start but there's plenty of extras to get. To begin all you really need is some Aida cloth, embroidery floss, scissors, a needle and a pattern maybe a hoop of some sort depending on how big your project is. Just remember that if you get a standard hoop that you don't want to leave it on your project when you're not working on it otherwise it will leave creases that will be difficult to get out. Personally I like Q-snaps. I can leave them on my project without them leaving marks which is worth the extra cost to me.
If you decide to get a kit for your first project I recommend not going for the big fancy ones with tons of detail. There is a good chance that if you pick a Gold Collection or Heirloom Collection one you might drive yourself insane, damn cross stitch to the depths of hell and never pick it up again. In fact why spend $20+ on a big kit if you don't know if your gonna like it, get a smaller one. If you're like me however you will ignore this advice and pick whatever the hell you want, that's fine too.
Kits are nice because they come with absolutely EVERYTHING you will need except scissors and a hoop. I do suggest picking up spare needles though in case you lose yours, damn needles are always sneaking away on me. Most of the larger kits will range from $25 to $45 at least in my area. Usually the more expensive the greater the detail and more time consuming. Kits come with instructions too and of course the chart and key. I like to make working copies of my charts and keep the original somewhere safe, that way I can mark on the working copy. Or you could get wet erase markers and put it in a protective plastic sleeve and mark on it that way.
Now maybe just maybe you don't want a kit for your first project maybe none of them strike your fancy. In that case the inter-webs is your friend. SpriteStitch.com is my favorite place to go for pattens. Most of them are video game related but they have other patterns too if you check out their pattern wiki here.The right set of words in a google or bing search can net you tons of free patterns however the quality may vary.
If you decide to not get a kit you will need to know the dimensions of your pattern and translate that in to how big to cut the fabric. Too much is always better then too little fabric but I try to not be wasteful. I use the calculator here that does all the math for me. If you look at the calculator you shall notice it asks for fabric count. All my first projects were started on 14 count Aida cloth. You can chose between even weave or Aida cloth.
Once you have your supplies set up you re ready to stitch your first little x. Everyone stitches differently and as long as your x's cross the same way you re doing it right. When I say your x's need to cross the same way I mean that the top leg should always slant the same way as the other x's top leg. So once you pick what way the slant is going to be stick with it. The top leg can slant / or \ it doesn't matter as long as they are all slanting the same way.
Now there's about a million ways to get your cross stitch done. The most common way to start your chart is to fold the fabric in half lengthwise then crosswise to find the middle and then follow the arrows on the pattern that designate the middle of the chart. This is where you shall begin. Find the corresponding symbol in the key thread your needle with that color and stitch away. You can make your x's of that color by following the symbols horizontally or by going vertically. Yo can do half the cross stitch going one way and then when you have all the symbols done go back and do the other half of the cross stitch.
Example: / / / / / / / / / / / / or / Then go back and fill in the other half so it looks like this X X X X
/
/
/
If you want you can do each X completely before moving on to the next X. I use both ways depending on where I am at and where I need to get to on the chart. Once your done with one symbol move on to the next. If you haven't done all of one symbol but the jump to the next one is to far you can always start a new symbol then too.
Please if I left something out or my explanations are confusing let me know and I shall try again as I know my explanations can get long winded and confusing.
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