How to grid cross stitch fabric

Updated November 1, 2026 · 3 min read

Gridding draws the chart’s 10 by 10 lines onto the cloth. You then count inside one block instead of across the whole design. It is the single habit that prevents most miscounts on a large piece.

1. 1

   Decide the centre first

   Fold the fabric in half both ways and mark the centre with a pin, not a pen. Your grid should pass through that centre, or sit on a known chart line. A grid that is one hole off is worse than no grid.

2. 2

   Count ten, then mark

   On Aida, count ten squares. On evenweave you will stitch over two, count ten stitches, which is twenty threads. Run a line of light sewing thread, or a single strand of contrasting floss, along that row and column. Use a colour that is not in the chart so you never stitch it in by mistake.

3. 3

   Prefer thread if the piece must stay clean

   A running stitch or a long basting line pulls out at the end. It does not wash out, because it was never ink. Fishing line is a common substitute because it is smooth and does not dye the cloth. Do not pierce the fabric threads. Slide through the holes.

4. 4

   If you use a pen, test it and plan to wash

   Water-soluble marking pens are for cloth you will wash. Test the pen on a scrap of the same fabric: draw, dry, wash in cold water, and check for a ghost. Heat can set some marks. Do not iron the piece, and do not hit it with a hot lamp, until the lines are gone.

   • Wash before you iron
5. 5

   Pre-gridded Aida is a real option

   Some Aida is woven or printed with a 10-line already on it. Printed grids have to wash out. Read the bolt and wash a corner before you trust a whole project to it.

6. 6

   Remove the grid as you finish each area

   Pull basting threads once the crosses around them are in, so you do not stitch over the grid line and trap it. Check that the next empty block still lines up with the chart before you pull the last thread.