Starting & Finishing Your Floss

Starting:

1. Take your needle, and cut off a length of thread - approximately 15 inches.  I don’t measure exactly.
2. Then take the floss at the freshly cut end and thread through the needle (the needle will thread more easily with a freshly cut end).  If this step causes any trouble, take a look at this post – 9 Tips for Threading your Needle.
3. Tie a double-knot at the opposite floss end from where you just cut and threaded your needle.
4. You're ready to start stitching!  When you create your first stitch, you will always bring your needle up from the bottom of the fabric and then pull your needle and floss to the front of the fabric.  The double-knotted floss end will stay on the back side of your fabric, thus securing the floss.

Finishing (Tying Off):

1. When there's a small amount of floss left (a bit longer than your needle length), flip your hoop over so that you are looking at the back side.
2. On the back of your fabric, slide your needle under some of the existing stitches that you see on that backside of the hoop. Keep in mind that you are staying on the back side of the fabric and hoop the entire time.  Essentially, you are tucking that tail of the floss in between the existing stitches and the backside of the fabric so that it does not get snagged or come loose.
3. Cut any remaining floss ends that are peeking out and you're done!