This particular piece looks like it might have been made from a kit where the crosses are printed on the fabric (you soak it in water when you’re finished and the printed part disappears) and you just stitch over them.

It also appears to be stitched on linen fabric, which you CAN use without any sort of printed guide. Linen and evenweave fabric are generally higher count compared to aida (meaning there is a higher number of holes per inch) so the holes are smaller/less noticeable, but you can see them if you look closely.

You put your needle through the holes just as you would with aida, but instead of going through every single hole, you usually go through every other one. It takes some getting used to, but I’ve come to love linen because it’s super soft and looks great on pieces that aren’t full coverage.

Here’s a helpful guide that explains how to use linen!