100 Stitches - Portuguese Stem Stitch

The stalk on this sunflower is stitched using the beautiful Portuguese Stem Stitch!

Doesn't this stitch make such a beautiful detailed line?:

And from every angle!
This stitch is the latest stitch I have learned on the 100 Stitches project. I am posting some demonstration pictures to show the stitch step by step.

I am using dmc #4180 variegated pink perle cotton, a #24 chenille needle and I am stitching on quilting weight 100% cotton fabric. The first step is to come up through your fabric and line everything up like you are making a stem stitch: Pull the floss through to make a stitch and then position your floss perpendicular to your stitch and stitching line:

Now bring your needle under the stitch you just made. Slide the needle under the stitch, don't pick up any fabric:

You are just wrapping the floss around the stitch. Do this twice!

Now take the next stitch just like your first stem stitch:

Notice that the floss from both stitches is going to have a small side by side overlapping area:

You can really see the side by side overlapping area here:
This is important because now your are going to slide the needle under BOTH the first and second stitch in the side by side overlapping area:
Again, go under the stitches, not catching the fabric, just wrapping the floss around the stitches - and again do the wrapping twice:

Just continue this same way along your stitching line:

Until "parabéns!" you are doing the Portuguese Stem Stitch!

This is such a beautiful stitch - I think it is almost as beautiful as the scroll stitch! This stitch looks complicated but is really very easy. I am surprised at how quickly you can stitch with it too. This stitch is #22 and is in the flat stitches section of 100 Stitches.