Full cross stitches are squares, so curves can look a little jagged. Fractional stitches (half, quarter and three-quarter stitches) fill part of a square, which makes curves smoother and faces, flowers and animals look more natural. This week you will learn to read them on a chart and stitch each one neatly.
What fractional stitches are
- Half stitch: just one diagonal leg of a cross, from corner to corner. Often used for soft shading, skies and backgrounds.
- Quarter stitch: a short leg from one corner to the center of the square.
- Three-quarter stitch: a quarter stitch plus one full diagonal leg. It fills half the square as a triangle and is the most common fractional stitch.
How they look on a chart
A square split diagonally with a symbol or color filling only one triangle is a three-quarter stitch. A small symbol tucked into one corner of a square is a quarter stitch. Half stitches usually have their own symbol in the key, often marked “half stitch” or shown as a single diagonal line. When two colors share one square, you stitch a three-quarter stitch in one color and a quarter stitch in the other.
Stitch Club members only
Keep reading: the rest of this lesson is for Stitch Club members
Still to come in this lesson:
- How to stitch a half stitch
- How to stitch a quarter stitch
- How to stitch a three-quarter stitch
- Two colors in one square
- Tips for tidy fractional stitches
- Making fractionals look neat
- This week’s challenge, its badge and the practice pattern (PDF)
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