Emboridery 101: Double Cross Stitch

Double Cross Stitch is, as its name implies, a cross stitch that is stitched twice, to create a kind of star looking stitch.  Cross stitch is something that many people are familiar with, filling an area with different colors {almost} always using an “X”.  Double Cross Stitch just adds a cross on top of the “X”.

As with most stitches, the look of the stitch will vary greatly depending upon the size of the stitch.  For our Stitch & Quilt Along, we’ll be using the stitches as flowers {so far}, so they will be quite tiny.  The symbol will look like this {only smaller}:

Bring your needle up in one corner of one of the bars of the “X”.

Cross all the way to the other side of the “X”, then bring your needle up at the second bar of the “X”.

Complete your “X” and begin on the cross portion of the stitch.

Continue to work the cross in the same fashion.

The completed stitch will look something like this:

And here’s an example of how they’ll appear in Block Four, to give you an idea of the size.  If you’re not comfortable making the eight pointed Double Cross Stitch, you can always leave off one of the bars and make it a six pointed stitch instead of eight.

This is a cute little stitch that can be done in almost any size, so have fun.  You could even substitute some Lazy Daisy Stitch for Double Cross Stitch if you like the look of it.