The next stitch on my 100 Stitches Plus list is a very simple combination stitch. Named the Ship's Ladder Stitch, it is made up of vertical and diagonal Straight Stitches.
I stitched this using perle cotton floss. This is DMC Color Variations - number 3840.
The Ship's Ladder Stitch is worked from the bottom to the top. First is the vertical stitching line.
To begin, I came up through the fabric at the base of the stitching line.
I pulled all the way through and then went back into the fabric above where the thread first emerged and along the stitching line.
Next, I pulled all the way through to make the first vertical straight stitch:
I made the second vertical Straight Stitch in the same fashion:
then I just continued all along the stitching line:
Once the vertical stitching line was finished, I secured my floss on the back and then started with the diagonal Straight Stitches.
Again, this is worked from bottom to top. I came up through the fabric alongside the first Straight Stitch. You can see from the picture that I came up even with the middle of that first stitch:
After pulling all the way through, I went back into the fabric on the other side of the vertical stitching line. Notice this is at a diagonal slant:
I pulled all the way through to make the first diagonal Straight Stitch.
For the second diagonal, the steps are the same as for the first. I came back up through the fabric on the left side of the vertical stitching line:
And went back into the fabric on the right hand side:
I continued making these diagonals all along the vertical stitching line:
This is a look at the underside of my stitching:
And here is a look at the finished stitch.
I like this stitch and I think it would be a useful one wherever a decorative straight line is needed. It is not such a good stitch for curved lines.
This stitch is from Embroidery Stitches by Mary Webb.
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