There are various ways to anchor your thread when you start stitching. I prefer to use the loop method when I am working on a stitch that uses two threads. Here's how you get started with The Loop Method to anchor your thread:
- Select one floss out of your six strand floss, keeping your floss lengths to a manageable 12 to 18 inches (6 to 9 inches when looped). It's better to have to rethread more frequently than deal with a tangled disaster!
- Take both ends and thread through the needles’ eye, creating a long tail with a loop at the end of your thread.
- Pull the needle through the front of the fabric, but not all the way.
- Turn your piece over, and skipping the appropriate number of holes (one hole for Aida, or two for Linen), thread the needle through the hoop, thus anchoring your thread.
- Start from the back of your fabric and bring your needle up through the next hole of the cloth in the direction you want to go.
- Count the number of holes your pattern tells you to skip - one hole if it is Aida fabric and two holes if it is linen - and bring your needle back down through the adjacent hole. This is a half cross stitch (\\\\).
- Repeat this process until you've completed your first row.
- Then, using the same method, work backward to complete the X's (////). Use this method for most stitching.
- A second method is to complete each X as you go. Use this method for vertical rows of stitches.
Note: It is important that all the X's are crossed in the same direction: the top thread of the X should always slant in the same direction (either \ or /). It does not matter which way they slant, but if they are mixed the finished piece will look uneven.
See The Loop Method in action below! Happy Stitching!