This stitch is the next stitch from my
100 Stitches project:
I actually should have titled this blog post "the most frustrating stitch to learn so far!" I have realized that this stitch features many of the things I find hard to do - keeping my spacing even, maintaining accurate tension of my floss, and forming consistent sized knots. You can see what I mean with one of my first attempts:
But what makes this stitch so frustrating for me is that I don't really "get" the way you form the stitch. I read and re-read the instructions from 100 Stitches, but at every step I found myself stopping to arrange and re-arrange my floss. I had to keep looking back at the pictures to see if my needle was in the correct position, if it should be over or under the floss...ugh! I will try to explain how I think you are supposed to do this stitch in the following pictures and hopefully it will make sense! First draw some guidelines. On my first attempt, my guidelines were 1/2" apart. This proved to be too wide and only magnified my loose, uneven stitching. I would suggest 1/4". To start, come up through the fabric on the left edge of the bottom guideline:
Form a loop from right to left. (100 stitches suggests that you do this over your left thumb) Bring your needle up into the loop:
Slip the loop onto the needle - however not this tightly - this is just to show that the loop is supposed to be on the needle:
And now bring the needle to the top guide line and into the fabric. This is where it all falls apart for me, I really had a difficult time bringing the needle into position and figuring out how the floss is supposed to be aligned. I finally resorted to "fixing" it every time in this position to look like the picture in 100 stitches :
Now set up the stitch with the needle coming up through the fabric on the bottom guideline. The needle tip emerges above and over the floss:
Pull the working floss to the right to tighten the knot. Do this BEFORE you pull the needle all the way through! This is a bit like making a
french knot :
and complete your stitch:
Now set-up for your second stitch in the same way that you did the first stitch. Make a loop from right to left:
Now somehow ;) end up in this position:
tighten the loop with the working floss and take your stitch:
A whole line of these:
will become this!
This stitch is beautiful but I am going to need more practice and maybe even some different instructions to perfect this stitch!
I actually should have titled this blog post "the most frustrating stitch to learn so far!" I have realized that this stitch features many of the things I find hard to do - keeping my spacing even, maintaining accurate tension of my floss, and forming consistent sized knots. You can see what I mean with one of my first attempts:
But what makes this stitch so frustrating for me is that I don't really "get" the way you form the stitch. I read and re-read the instructions from 100 Stitches, but at every step I found myself stopping to arrange and re-arrange my floss. I had to keep looking back at the pictures to see if my needle was in the correct position, if it should be over or under the floss...ugh! I will try to explain how I think you are supposed to do this stitch in the following pictures and hopefully it will make sense! First draw some guidelines. On my first attempt, my guidelines were 1/2" apart. This proved to be too wide and only magnified my loose, uneven stitching. I would suggest 1/4". To start, come up through the fabric on the left edge of the bottom guideline:
Form a loop from right to left. (100 stitches suggests that you do this over your left thumb) Bring your needle up into the loop:
Slip the loop onto the needle - however not this tightly - this is just to show that the loop is supposed to be on the needle:
Pull the working floss to the right to tighten the knot. Do this BEFORE you pull the needle all the way through! This is a bit like making a french knot :
and complete your stitch:
Now set-up for your second stitch in the same way that you did the first stitch. Make a loop from right to left:
I used a lot of french knots for the lollipop trees and roof details:
and I also used a lot of red floss!
I love this little house! Now I am off to finish stitching my gingerbread border.
This stitch looks beautiful from any angle and I am already thinking up ideas of where to use this stitch on my various projects.
So with that in mind, I would recommend drawing some parallel guidelines. After some experimenting, I drew my lines 1/2" apart. This wide of a space really shows off the beauty of this stitch and makes it a little easier to form the diagonal zig-zag shape of the stitch.
I am mixing individual floss strands to create a swirly color effect. On one of my last 
For the grass, I mixed green (dmc 910) and my favorite bright green (dmc #907) 
I also have a garden wip to share - my tomatoes are finally ripening!
I have been picking them as they turned color but now I am picking the green ones and bringing them indoors to ripen. Here is my harvest so far. Yum!
For this demonstration, I am using 100% cotton medium weight fabric, a #24 chenille needle and pearl cotton thread (dmc color variations # 4240) and of course, my 7" plastic hoop!
To start this easy stitch, you bring your needle up through your fabric: 
then go back down through your fabric at your preferred stitch length:
Then pull the floss all the way through and you have just completed the straight stitch!
Now you are free to do the next straight stitch by coming back up through the fabric:
I finished stitching him up and I am so happy with these new colors!
For the mane and tail I used the cotton pearl color variations orange variegated -dmc #4124.
For the body I used the cotton pearl color variations tan variegated - dmc #4128 and for the text I used regular floss - dmc #976
Here is a close up view of the lion's nose. Notice the stitching? This is another way to do the 
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