Cross stitch consists of two straight, crossing stitches which can be worked individually or in rows. The direction of the top stitch should always be in the same direction (unless variation of the shade is required). When used for marking, it is often worked in a way that the stitching is identical on both sides (two-sided cross stitch) or so it forms a neat square at the back of the linen (marking cross stitch).

The earliest evidence of cross stitch (silk floss on cotton evenweave fabric) is from burial excavations in the Qadisha Valley, Lebanon dated to the 13th century AD.

From the 17th century, cross stitch features across different countries and traditions:  the Metropolitan Museum holds a Portuguese pattern book, showing counted thread cross stitch; Mary, Queen of Scots and her household stitched canvaswork cross stitch pieces (now held by the V&A museum); further east, Indian kanthas were being stitched using cross stitch, rather than the traditional running stitch.

The rise of Berlin wool work meant that canvaswork cross stitch had become very popular by the middle of the 19th century.

The use of cross stitch for counted thread embroidery is widespread across the Middle East, Asia and Europe: by Syrian, Palestinian, Egyptian and Yemeni stitchers; in Uzbekistan and by the Jat people in Kutch, India; in many eastern European countries, and specifically as Redwork (red stitching on white fabric) in several Mediterranean countries and Sweden.