100 Stitches - Maltese Cross Stitch

I found this latest stitch on my 100 Stitches list to be so complicated that I actually had to draw a diagram to follow!

Here is the stitch completed - wow!  This is the Maltese Cross Stitch.  100 Stitches calls this a decorative motif.  Bascially, it is a foundation of crossed straight stitches with an interlacing thread on top:

I used two different colors for my stitch.  The purple is DMC #550 in pearl cotton and the yellow is DMC #727 also in pearl cotton:

I transferred my diagram onto my fabric.  Notice the end point of each line in this diagram.  These are all the spots where you come up or go into the fabric.  Notice also the outer most lines are split into two lines each but the four interior lines are solid across the whole motif.   My first step was to come up through the fabric at the very top of the motif.

Here is a partial list of the stitch order. 

You can follow the thread in these next pictures:

When I finished I had the foundation for this stitch.  The over/under positions of the threads making up this foundation are critical - if they are not correct, the top thread cannot be interlaced to make the design. 

Next I started the interlacing with the yellow thread.  I came up through the fabric at the top of the center square:

Then I started the interlacing:

The pictures included in the 100 Stitches book showed the interlacing progression and I literally had to trace my way through to follow all the over and under weaving!

Very confusing! 

This stitch is a lot like the Interlacing Stitch.

Here is a picture of the underside of the stitching:

Whew! I am glad I learned this stitch and so happy to have a picture to prove it!

It is a beautiful stitch:

The Maltese Cross Stitch is #62 on the list and is in the Composite Stitches section of 100 Stitches.