100 Stitches - Flat Stitch

Next up on the 100 Stitches endeavour is the flat stitch. Here it is making up this Dr. Seuss-like flower: You may recognize this flower image from the strawberries embroidery pattern packet. This is the flower increased in size by 250%. Sure makes it easy to see for this demonstration :) Rather than my regular floss, I am using dmc #4180 variegated pink perle cotton floss! I think this floss will look neater and be easier to see in my close-up stitch pictures. I am stitching this on a light weight 100% cotton fabric and using a #24 chenille needle. Notice this blue pencil?
This is to mark some stitching lines. 100 Stitches suggests that you draw two lines down the center of the shape you are filling to act as stitching guide lines and to designate the size of the stitch. Hmmm...let's hope I will be able to see these lines well enough!
The first step is to come up through your fabric on one edge of the shape: Now go down through the fabric at the farthest stitching guide line and come back up through the fabric at the edge of your shape: 100 Stitches stresses that this is all about stitching alternately on each side of the shape you are filling. The needle is always coming up through the fabric on the outside line of the shape. So now you pull the thread through and put your needle back down on the far stitching guide line and back up on the outside line of the shape:
And then back again:
Just keep alternating side to side. The stitches should be close together and overlap each other:
Just keep going until the shape is filled!
Repeat for each petal, add some back stitch around the center and put in some french knots and you have:

This stitch is very easy and really fun to do! It is stitch #10 and is in the Flat Stitches section of 100 Stitches.