Have you been thinking of venturing into the world of counted cross stitch after working with stamped cross stitch designs? After recently finishing a stamped baby quilt, I was reminded why counted cross stitch is preferred. The number of designs and versatility of charts, fabric types, and stitch count make the possibilities for projects endless.
Counted cross stitch is so much easier than stamped. You will fall right into it easily. The biggest hurdle may be if you like to stitch with one color at a time and are counting over large areas. Some people use a “guideline” which is a running stitch made in a contrasting thread color that you baste on the plain fabric at 10 stitch intervals both vertically and horizontally.
I haven’t tried it yet, but I do think it would make a large project easier. Floss organization is critical just as in stamped. I like to use plastic snack size zip-lock bags, mark each one with the number of one color of floss from the design. Keep the floss in the bag and any loose strands and even the threaded needle with floss still on it. You’ll always know what the color number is for the odds and ends and you’ll even have threaded needles you can use easily.
This method of storage uses more needles, but you can save them for use with your next stitching project.