Basket Filling Stitch

Time for another 100 Stitches Plus post!

This beautiful stitch, called the Basket Filling Stitch is the latest stitch I have learned.   This is a really easy stitch to do and I love the "basket weave" effect it gives.

For my demonstration, I am using a color variations perle cotton floss. This is DMC color number 4200. 

The Basket Filling Stitch is also called the Basket Satin Stitch because it is made up of vertical and horizontal Satin Stitches - {which are just individual Straight Stitches}.  The stitches are arranged in blocks of four stitches.  The blocks alternate between vertical and horizontal. 

To start, I came up through the fabric:

and made my first vertical stitch:

then the second:

and then two more for a total of four evenly spaced stitches:

Then I started the horizontal block:

making four evenly spaced horizontal stitches. Notice that this block is slightly smaller {height-wise} than the vertical block.  This is important for the basket weaving effect: 

Now another block of vertical stitches.  Notice this block is the same size as the first vertical block:

And now for the next block - starting a new row.  This is going to be a horizontal block.  Notice this is going to be a bit bigger {width wise} than the vertical block above it.  Again, this is important for the basket weave effect:

I continued alternating blocks

Until I formed a three block by three block square.

 Here is a look at the underside of this stitch:

Done!

This stitch is from the book Embroidery Stitches by Mary Webb.