100 Stitches - Roumanian Stitch

The stitch making up these green leaves is the latest stitch on the 100 Stitches list. It is the Roumanian Stitch! This stitch is a good one to fill in a shape. 100 Stitches demonstrated theirs with an oval, but I thought this would be a good stitch to use to fill a leaf shape.I traced over a simple leaf shape for my stitch demonstration. It is a good thing this leaf has a center line and you will see why in a moment. Notice I am using my new absolute favorite fine point mark-b-gone pen! To start this stitch - (I am starting towards the middle of the shape just to make my demonstration a little easier) you come up through the fabric on the left hand side or top of the shape: Bring your needle to the right hand side or bottom of the shape and go into the fabric: Bring the needle out half-way across the shape - this is why the center line is important! Also the needle position in relation to the working floss is very important. On this first step, make sure the floss is below the needle: Pull the needle and floss all the way through: Now bring your needle into the fabric on the center line and out of the fabric on the left hand side or top of the shape. Notice the needle to floss position, the floss is now above the needle: Pull the needle and floss all the way through and this forms the first little bump of the center "spine": Now we are back to the beginning: bring your needle into the fabric at the right side or bottom of the shape and out at the center line, again making sure the floss is below the needle: Pull the needle and floss all the way through and then bring your needle back into the center line and out on the left side or top of the shape. Make sure the floss is now above the needle: Pull all the way through and then go in again at the right or bottom of the shape:

and then again in at the center line, out at the left or top of the shape: and just continue until you fill your shape!This is such a clean stitch to do that it is almost hard to tell that this is the underside of the stitch! I think it is the perfect stitch for a leaf!

Actually, this little flower is made up of several of the 100 Stitches stitches. I used the long and short stitch for the flower petals, the chain stitch for the stem, the back stitch for the outlines and french knots for the flower center:

The Roumanian stitch is stitch #14 and is in the Flat Stitches section of 100 Stitches.