This tutorial provides the step-by-step process of implementing cross-hand stitches on your face mask.
Step 1 Prepare your thread
Pick the color of thread from the embroidery kit you are starting with and cut a length about 18 inches (45 см) long. If you go much longer than this, the thread is more likely to get knotted when you stitch.
Use the needle that came with the embroidery kit and thread it just as you would a needle for hand sewing. Don’t make a knot in the tail end. You will stitch over the tail as you work to secure it without needing a knot. Try to avoid using knots when cross-hand stitching because they can leave lumps in the final piece.
Step 2 Making individual cross-hand stitches
Your needle and thread should be on the left side of your linen mask. So, you will sew cross stitches in rows going from left to right.
Starting from the backside of the fabric, bring your needle up through a hole toward the front, leaving about an inch of thread at the back. You will cover the tail with your stitches as you work to secure it.
Next, pass your needle through a hole diagonally across from where you started to make a slanted half cross stitch (/). Be sure to hold on to the tail at the back of the fabric so it doesn’t slip through.
Aim for a nice easy tension on your stitches. Don’t pull them so tight that they warp the fabric or leave them so loose that they gap. The stitches should lie flat against the fabric without pulling against it.
Try don’t make long jumps across the back of the fabric with the thread because they might show through on the front. When moving to a new area that is more than a few stitches away, you should end your thread and then begin it again in the new spot.
Step 3 Ending your thread
Keep stitching until you reach the end of the thread or until you run out of stitches in the embroidery pattern. On the backside of the fabric, pass the needle under at least three completed stitches to secure the thread. Trim the remaining thread, being careful not to cut it too close.
Enjoy the process!
With love,
MSG Team
