Counted Cross Stitch finding the middle

Once you've mastered the  Cross stitch basics  and you feel confident enough to start a counted cross-stitch, this is the place to be. I apologize in advance for the sideways photos. No matter which way I rotated them before uploading they had a mind of their own.

Counted Cross Stitch

You'll need: 
*A pattern (from a book, a kit, free prints online)
*Appropriate colors of threads you can buy from Michaels Craft for less than fifty cents. (only if you're not using a kit)
* Cross stitch cloth (only if you're not using a kit)
*hoop (optional)

You then need to find the center of your pattern. You do this by following the small arrows on the pattern (look where the pencils point)

Moving the pencils (or piece of paper is easier) towards each other until they meet. This will be your center. I put a mark on the pattern. (look in above photo to see blue pen dot for my center)

Next find the center of your fabric. You can do this by folding it in half

 & in half again

Unfold it slightly

keep an eye on the center & mark it with your pencil

Now that I know where my center is on both my cloth and my pattern I can begin working on my cross stitch by slowly following the pattern. take the appropriate thread & begin 

  ******TIP******

I check my pattern every few stitches to make sure I'm following it correctly. I also like to make the outlines first. This way I don't always have to look at the pattern if I know that the whole section is one color:

notice all of my stitches are facing the same direction.

Now that I have the heart outlined, I don't have to worry about looking at the pattern. I can fill in the whole thing red without accidentally putting the wrong color in. It also comes in hand when I want to fill in the heart, since I have the outline I can just stitch it in without looking at a piece of paper. Maybe watch some T.V.  When I am finished with one color I start a new one

Finished product! Now it's time to turn it into a gift.