CROSS STITCH TECHNIQUE

Fractional Stitches Add Detail to Your Cross Stitch

Half, quarter, and three quarter stitches sound complicated — but they're wonderfully simple once you see how they work.

Diagrams Included Aida & Evenweave Chart Reading Tips

They're Not as Scary as They Sound!

"Fractional stitches? I have only just learned how to do basic cross stitch!" is the reaction I normally get when I ask if a stitcher is looking for designs with more detail.

Although they may sound scary and the charts more complicated, quarter and three quarter stitches are quite simple to work.

Designs that consist of whole cross stitches only tend to have a jagged "stair-step" appearance to the edges of blocks of colour, whereas fractional stitches can add diagonals and help to make things look a little more natural.

They are easier to work on an evenweave fabric than on Aida, as you do not have to find the centre of the Aida squares and pierce them with the needle. If you haven't tried evenweave cottons and linens yet, nip over to my page that explains the process first.

But let's start with the simplest one: the half cross stitch.

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THE BASICS

Half Cross Stitch

The simplest fractional stitch is the half cross stitch. Just as it sounds, this is the first leg of a cross stitch. It is sometimes used to depict sky or water or something semi-transparent.

I use it in my Old Smokey dragon design to represent the smoke rings that the dragon and wizard are blowing. The semi-transparent effect is perfect for wispy details like this.

Close-up of Old Smokey dragon design showing smoke rings worked in half cross stitch
The smoke rings in my Old Smokey design — see the full pattern →
Good to know: This stitch is also commonly used in needlepoint where it is known as tent stitch. Half cross stitch can be worked on Aida, evenweave or canvas, easily.
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ADDING DETAIL

Quarter Stitches

Quarter stitches are easier to work on evenweave rather than Aida.

On Aida fabric you will need to push your needle down as close to the centre of the Aida block as you can, with a sharp pointed crewel needle.

Diagram showing quarter stitches worked on Aida fabric, highlighting the need for a sharp needle to pierce the centre
Worked on Aida fabric
Diagram showing quarter stitches worked on evenweave fabric over two threads
Worked on evenweave, over two threads
Why evenweave wins here: Each cross stitch is worked over two fabric threads, leaving a hole in the centre of the stitch. When creating a quarter stitch you therefore have a central hole into which you can insert the needle. This gives a more accurate end result.

We will come back and take another look at the diagrams above in a moment.

CHART READING

Reading the Chart

An example of a cross stitch chart containing fractional stitches

The chart may show small symbols as in the diagram above. These tiny symbols represent both quarter and three quarter stitches.

Before stitching these, study the chart to see which section you wish to be more dominant. This will tell you which stitches to work as quarters and which to work as three quarter stitches.

If both need to feature equally you can work two three quarter stitches, as I'll explain below.

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THE KEY TECHNIQUE

Three Quarter Stitches

The section of chart shown above can be stitched as two quarter stitches with a backstitch line separating the two, but more commonly we would use a three quarter stitch for one of the symbols.

By using the colour of the foreground object for the three quarter stitch it makes the tiny quarter stitch less significant and "pushes it" into the background. In turn this helps to make the foreground object look more "in focus".

Watch the stitch direction: The method used to work the three quarter stitch will depend on which quadrant contains the quarter. If possible, try to have the top stitch laying in the same direction as the rest of the stitches in the area. If you look back at the first two diagrams, you will see how much neater the second one looks as the stitches lay in the correct order.
SPECIAL CASE

Fractional Stitches with No Dominant Shape

But what if it isn't easy to tell which object is further forward?

In this instance you can use three quarter stitches for both tiny symbols as shown in the diagram below.

Diagram showing two three-quarter stitches sharing the same square when neither shape is dominant
Two three quarter stitches sharing one square

To keep them distinct you may prefer to work the stitches in the opposite order — the half stitch first, then use the quarter stitch to "tie" it down. A backstitch can also be worked between the two stitches to separate the areas clearly.

Half, quarter, three quarter.
Three little stitches that make a big difference.

Hopefully this little guide has helped to demystify fractional stitches for you. If you have any questions, please use the form on the Contact page to get in touch.

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