cross-stitch

We learned how to cross-stitch today. Cross-stitching builds confidence with the needle and young students can get fairly specific and simple images quickly. First the students made designs on graph paper and then they translated the work to gingham using the checks as a guide. Many of the students had not used an embroidery hoop before and cross-stitching with a geometric grid helped them learn how to push the needle from the back of the hoop without flipping the hoop over every time. I made students pull out their stitches when they made a mistake with the design (which is easy to tell with cross-stitch) because I wanted them to learn to be exacting with their stitches and to feel like drawing with a needle and thread can be "erased" with very little effort. We also made designs for writing our names in cross-stitch.