Margaret Sherry Cross Stitch Collection

With six oh-so-sweet sections of the most adorable Margaret Sherry patterns, there’s something for all stitching abilities. Margaret’s cutest characters are ready and waiting to share their favourite hobbies with you, and with pretty floral designs and outdoor fun on the agenda too, there’s a whole range of stitchy occasions catered for. Then, of course with the changing seasons come fun winter festivities, and the toocute animal chums are keen to get in on the action, too! If you’re looking for a smaller project, or to build up your stitching skills, there’s also a great selection of quick-stitch patterns – perfect for those all-important cards, and a fun Charlie Bear alphabet, as well. You’ll also find a fabulous collection of cut-out and send papers, beautifully painted by Margaret, to use…

Choose your essentials… Start with these must-have items, turn to page 144 for our recommended stockists Fabrics Aida Best for beginners, with regular woven blocks and obvious holes. It’s stiffer than evenweave, but will soften slightly as you work. 14-count aida is the most common. It’s harder to work fractional stitches on aida, as you’ll need to make an extra hole in the fabric, in the centre of the aida block. Evenweave A lovely fabric to work on when you have a little more experience. The fibres aren’t woven in blocks as with aida, so it’s softer and the fine weave has more threads-per-inch – the most commonly used is 28-count. One stitch is usually worked over two threads of the fabric so it has an equivalent design size of…

Choose your project… With our Factbox guide alongside our projects, you can make sure you choose the right level for you. Absolute beginners should aim for a design without fractional stitches, before building up your confidence to progress onto more complex designs. Buy your materials… Use our Shopping List for each project, which specifies everything needed, like size of fabric and finishing materials. Using another fabric with different HPI (holes per inch), will give a different finished size of design. Calculate your fabric requirements like this: Stitch count divided by HPI of ‘new’ fabric choice = new size in inches. Add at least 15cm (6in) on each dimension to allow for framing, or less for cards or cushions as required. Get ready… We always recommend starting in the centre of…

Getting started The loop method is the neatest way to start stitching, but can only be done with an even number of strands. Cut a 40cm (16in) thread length, then fold one strand in half. Thread the needle with both ends to form a loop, and bring the needle up through the fabric (above left). As you take it back down, pass it through the loop and pull to secure. You’ll need to make a whole cross stitch for each coloured square on the chart. Bring the needle up at the bottom left corner of a square and down at the top right corner. This is called a half cross stitch. To complete the stitch, bring the needle up again at the bottom right corner and back down at the…

Charlie Bear…

Aida band – a narrow strip of aida, available in varying widths, and finished with a decorative edge Aperture – a hole through which a design is seen in cards and frames Backstitch – used to add detail and definition. See how to stitch it in our guide on page 8 Beading needle – a longer, finer needle than a tapestry needle, used for adding seed beads to a design Counted stitches – embroidery stitches worked on counted, or evenly woven, fabrics like aida and evenweave. Cross stitch is the most basic counted stitch Fabric count – the number of holes per inch (HPI) on your fabric. The higher the number, the bigger your fabric will be Fabric size – the size of fabric needed for the design, including allowance…