byzantine variation is a diagonal stitch
small balloon stitch is an upright stitch
As we learned yesterday, needlepoint stitches have direction. This can be a bane or a blessing unless you know how to use it. Most needlepoint stitches fall into one of two classes, Upright or diagonal.
Diagonal stitches, by far the most common, have stitches which run along ther true diagonal of the canvas. This means that for every thread they move horizontally, they more one thread vertically. The direction of the slant doesn’t matter; it’s the slope that makes them diagonal. Box stitches and many cross stitches are forms of diagonal stitches.
If the stitch slants up and to the right, that is the standard version of the stitch. Flip is so that it slants up and to the left and you have a reverse version. Diagonal stitches go over intersections of canvas.
Upright, or Straight, stitches, go in a straight line, either vertically or horizontally. They go over the threads of the canvas. If you turn an vertical version of a stitch one quarter turn, it becomes a horizontal version.
The most important factor in picking a stitch for an area that needs a definite direction is the direction of the stitches.
T Stitch has no pattern direction
Scotch Stitch creates a grid pattern
Offset Scotch breaks up the vertical lines of the grid.
The direction of the individual stitches is the first factor in determining stitch direction, but it is not the only one. The second factor is any through lines that occur in the stitch pattern. Think of the three stitches diagrammed above. The first, T Stitch, has no additional direction beyond the diagonal. The second, Scotch, has through lines both vertically and horizontally, so it sets up a strong grid pattern. The third, Offset Scotch, breaks up the vertical lines by staggering the units and creates a stitch with a horizontal direction.
Another way to match a stitch to a direction is to make sure the direction of the pattern fits.
Rows of Diagonal Gobelin have a horizontal direction
Gimlet Stitch has a stronger diagonal direction.
Finally, stitches can have patterns within them,these can be broken when the stitch is divided. As a result, Gimlet Stitch, bottom, looks different from Diagonal Gobelin, top. This is true even though both are diagonal stitches in horizontal lines of the same width. I think Gimlet is a stronger diagonal than Gobelin as well as being a more interesting rhythm.
Breaking up parts of a stitch into smaller sections tends to reinforce the stitch direction over the pattern direction.
You can use these aspects of stitches to help you pick the perfect stitch.
Tomorrow in part 2, I’ll talk about other stitch directions and how to use this to your advantage
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[...] Stitch Direction in Needlepoint – Part 1 [...]
Very helpful …thank you. The more that I understand the better I enjoy my needlepoint.
Do you know of any “fencing” (the sport) patterns ? Am having hard time finding any.
I’d like to use this subject for a belt.
Thank you ! **Cp**
CP –
I can’t think of any fencing belts off hand, but there is no reason why you couldn’t create one yourself. Check on Thursday for a post about how to do this.
Keep Stitching,
Janet