Vintage Grapes Cross Stitch

Counted Cross Stitch

Vintage grapes cross stitch patterns are typically made using a counted cross stitch design. What is counted cross stitch? As far as the difficulty level, that all depends upon the pattern you choose. Counted cross stitch is often the way to go for beginners. There isn’t any guesswork, and if you aren’t confident about your cross stitching ability, it really doesn’t matter. Just like working with a paint-by-number kit, the cross stitch pattern and stitch counts will give you step-by-step instructions. It really is hard to goof one of these patterns up!

One of the best cross stitch sites online is at Yarn Tree. They encourage other crafters to copy their instructions and patterns to share with anyone and everyone all in the name of promoting the art of cross stitch. Before you begin searching for that vintage grapes cross stitch pattern, check out these instructions if you aren’t sure how to use counted cross stitch.

Cross stitch really isn’t an expensive hobby, although of course thread and material choices can make a difference in how much money you spend on your craft. However, once you’ve bought thread for a few patterns, you soon accumulate quite a collection of colors and textures that can be used in many projects.

Things to Remember

Counted cross stitch transfers a design from a printed graph onto even-weave fabric. The crafter uses embroidery floss to place X’s on the fabric corresponding to symbols on the chart. Each symbol on the chart represents one X on the fabric. The different symbols on the chart represent different colors of floss. It’s easy to learn and requires only a few supplies.

According to Yarn Tree, the following items are important for crafters to know:

• Graph: This is the pattern or design you chose to stitch. There are thousands to choose from.
• Even-weave fabric. The fabric for cross stitch is woven in an even manner so that you know exactly where to place your needle. To keep the fabric from raveling, either sew the edges on a sewing machine or use one of the products sold to prevent fraying.
• Needle: A tapestry needle is used, usually a size 24 or 26 (size 26 is smaller than size 24). A tapestry needle has a blunt point and a large eye.
• Floss: Embroidery floss is a cotton thread used for stitching. Floss has 6 strands, but usually you will use only 2 or 3 strands at a time.
• Embroidery hoop or frame: Some type of frame is helpful to hold the fabric while you stitch. Remove the fabric when you are not stitching to keep from getting ‘hoop marks’.
• Scissors: You can start out with any pair of scissors, but pretty soon you will want to get a nice pair of small embroidery scissors. Get a good quality pair with sharp points. A good pair of scissors makes stitching a lot more fun.

Vintage Grapes Cross Stitch

Looking for some vintage grapes cross stitch patterns? Check out the following sites:

• Paw Print Cross Stitch
• eBay
• 123 Stitch
• Free Patterns
• Joanne Designs
• Cross Stitch Pattern