Starting your thread in cross stitch

by Mary Schoff
(USA)

A long time ago a friend cross stitched with a single thread. She would somehow pull it through the Aida and it was knotted on the back. It was doubled and used as 2 strands of floss.

I hope you can help me find the instructions on how this is done.

Thank you very much.


Answer

Mary,

This sounds to me like the loop method, although this technique doesn't use a knot on the back of the work. The thread is folded in half, the loose ends are threaded through the needle and the first stitch is taken leaving the loop on the back of the work. Then turn the work over and slip the needle through the loop and pull snugly up to the fabric. Then you have two strands to work with.

Hope this helps. You can read more about this technique at the top of this page.