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From evidence available, it is impossible to trace the exact origins of cross-stitch embroidery. The designs and stitches have been exchanged between so many different cultures and areas, through travel, trade and printed design books, that many design elements are now common.
The earliest printed pattern book was produced in Germany in the 1500's and was basically a leaflet containing patterns inspired from Oriental designs, published in France.
Stitchers recorded samples of their favorite stitches and patterns on long strips of narrow cloth, which were kept in a drawer until needed for reference. This is where the name "sampler" came from. Many of the samplers made were practical lessons for young girls to learn the alphabet and numbers in stitchery. With the invention of the sewing machine, needlework went into a decline. Making a comeback during the nineteen twenties, thirties and forties, one of the most popular techniques, particularly was cross-stitch.
Cross stitch as we know it today was re-discovered in the sixties, when increased leisure time was a factor in the revival of counted cross stitch for pleasure. Once again, stitchers worked from charts and kits that offered copies of traditional samplers, taking cross-stitch back to its roots. In 1980, cross-stitch resurged once again with new and fresh designs. This freshness includes choices of fabrics and colors of thread almost beyond belief with more being developed all the time.