100 Stitches - Up and down buttonhole stitch

100 Stitches time again! This elegant stitch is the Up and Down Buttonhole Stitch:

I love the floss I used for this stitch. It is pearl cotton, color variations DMC #4230

This stitch is easy to do but I suspect I am going to have a hard time explaining my demonstration, even with pictures!  This is one of those stitches that requires guidelines if you want neat, evenly spaced stitches.   I made two horizontal parallel lines, 1/4" apart.

You begin this stitch just like you would the blanket stitch.  Come up through the fabric on the left side edge of the bottom guideline and pull all the way through:

The needle now goes back into the fabric on the top guideline, and back out on the bottom guideline, a little to the right of where the thread first emerged.  Notice that the needle tip is going to go over the working thread:

Pull all the way through - easy blanket stitch:

The needle now goes back into the fabric on the bottom guideline just to the right of the edge of the blanket stitch:

The needle will emerge on the top guideline but...here come the tricky, hard to explain parts:

the needle needs to go over the working thread, so position your thread like this:

As soon as you pull the needle through the fabric, point the needle downward and pull the rest of the way through, and notice the needle tip is going over the working thread:

this forms a loop as you pull down:

pull all the way through and the loop slides into place holding the two stitches together:

Tighten the loop by pulling down and to the right:

and now set up for the next stitch, just like setting up a blanket stitch:

pulling all the way through:

back into the fabric alongside your blanket stitch:

don't forget to make sure your working thread is under the needle like this:

pull up and then

pull downward, again the needle is over the working floss:

pull the loop tight and you have completed two up and down buttonhole stitches!

Just continue with the same steps:

until you have a line of stitching:

This is the underside of the stitching.  I love the clean look:

Lovely!

This is stitch #26 and is listed in the Looped Stitches section of 100 Stitches.