Cross stitch beginners will greatly benefit from the use of a cross stitch kit.
They come in two basic kinds, stamped and counted.
For those really wanting to learn cross stitch, however, I highly recommend the counted cross stitch kits.
These kits come in so many different themes that it can be difficult to choose.
However, most are small projects which means they are quickly finished and help a beginner feel like they are getting somewhere.
Additionally, they are great for learning because all the materials are provided.
The needle, the cloth and the correct floss.
They are also very reasonably priced, so a beginner can get started without spending lots of money to see if they like cross stitching.
I suggest once you've picked a kit that you iron your new cloth.
Some kits recommend that you use masking tape along the edges to keep it from raveling.
That is what I do.
I simply put a piece of masking tape over the edge of the fabric so that the fabric falls in the center of the tape.
I do this on all four sides of my cloth like a frame with sticky edges.
Then I turn it over and either fold the remaining sticky edge over the other side encasing the cloth edges inside, or I use a second piece and center it on the edge in just the same way as I did the front.
This keeps the sticky residue off any portion of the fabric you will actually be using in your design but keeps the edges from fraying while you work, getting too small to handle and ruining your finished project.
This portion of the fabric will simply be cut off after you are finished.
They purposely leave a large margin around the project for this purpose.
You will need to look at your particular kit to decide which strands of DMC floss are represented by what symbols on your cross stitch pattern and organize your thread accordingly.
You will want to look at your pattern and find the center to begin.
This will determine which thread you start with.
Each pattern is on a grid that represents the grid on your cloth.
You will find both the center of the cloth and the center of your pattern to know where to start.
To find the center of your fabric you will fold your cloth in half, turn it and fold it again so you've folded it into quarters.
The very center of your cloth will be where those to fold marks intersect.
To find the center of your pattern you will look closely at the pattern.
Most patterns will have an arrow or some symbol along the top edge in the center of the pattern pointing out the center like in your pattern, and another along the sides.
Trace your finger along these two lines and you will arrive at the center of your pattern.
Look at the squares on your pattern right around that center spot and see what symbols are there.
Pick one of them as close to the center as you can get and thread your needle.
Be sure and look at your pattern instructions to see how many strands of thread you should use.
Do not tie a knot in the end of your thread.
Instead, when you start stitching, leave a tail about an half to an inch long on the back of your project.
After you've done a couple of stitches, move that tail to an area where it will get stitched over.
This technique keeps your work flat without the lumps stitches would leave on the back of your work.
When choosing which color to start with, I like to choose a color that has a large number of stitches close to the center of the pattern, because once you get a large area of your project filled in, you will have a reference for all your other colors.
You will simply put stitches for each symbol on your grid on the grid of your fabric.
Some cross stitch kits also have you do some finishing outlines.
These work the same way.
Leave a tail of thread or simply slide your needle under some of the stitches you have already made before starting to outline.