100 Stitches - vandyke stitch

This very complicated looking stitch is the vandyke stitch.

I found it to be a really easy and satisfying stitch to learn! Here are my steps - first, come up through the fabric on the left hand side of an imaginary stitching line.

Next, go back into the fabric to the right of the stitching line and at a point diagonally above where your thread first came up. Just make a straight horizontal stitch here.

Now cross over to the right hand side of your stitch line and go back into the fabric even with where your thread first came up.

Pull the thread through to the back and then come up - this forms a loose x shape. Come up again on the left side, directly below the spot your thread first came through.

Now bring the needle under the x shape with out catching any fabric and carefully pull it all the way under the x shape.

This draws the bottom half of the x together a bit - now go back down into the fabric on the right side below the previous stitch and thats it!

Just continue these steps and you will make a nice complicated looking line of stitches! 100 Stitches suggested not pulling any of the stitches too tightly. This takes a little practice, if you pull the stitches too tightly, the center braid line will look uneven and wavy.

I used 6 strands of dmc 907. This is stitch #34 and is in the looped stitches section of the 100 Stitches book.