Straight Stitches

Originally posted 2007-10-13 08:35:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

I know lots of needlepointers and I’d say that Straight Stitches tend to be more of a problem for then than any other stitches.

They shouldn’t be. They offer some tremendous possibilities in needlepoint and there are easy ways to overcome most dificulties.

For myself, I love Straight Stitches, and use them often. In writing stitch guides it can be a real challenge to me not to use any Straight Sttitches.

So why are they so great?

First, Straight Stitches allow you to get straight diagonal lines. With a diagonal stitch you get an irregular edge, because stitches will go into two different diagonal rows of holes. With Straight Stitches you go up a single diagonal row of holes getting a clean edge.

Second, Straight Stitches allow you to get rounded shapes easily. Take a simple Straight Stitch, like Hungarian, and double each of the stitches. Suddenly what was a diamond becomes a little oval. This is true of many Straight Stitches and makes them outstanding choices for rounded areas.

Third, Straight Stitches make lovely diamonds. Try making a diamond with diagonal stitches. You can make squares and right triangles easily, but you can’t make a diamond. But it’s easy with a Straight Stitch. Likewise it makes great octogons and triangles (look at Trianglepoint).

If it’s so useful, why aren’t Straight Stitches ore popular?

Many people find their coverage is not as good with Straight Stitches. Because a Straight Stitch goes over threads, not over intersections, it requires a thicker thread to get good coverage. I use six strands when I use four in a diagonal stitch. Or I pick a thread like Silk & Ivory with lots of loft in it.

Even so if the canvas is white specks might still show through. Color your canvas a lighter shade of the thread color BEFORE you begin to stitch.

The places where Straight and Diagonal Stitches meet isn’t smooth. This is going to be a judgement call always. The two kinds of stitches will rarely share a hole. But you can butt Straight Stitches right up against the Diagonal Stitches to prevent any canvas showing. You can also tuck the Diagonal Stitches into holes underneath a Straight Stitch to get a pretty edge.

If the Straight Stitch goes over only a single intersection you can lose it under the canvas thread. This happens when two things occur. First, the stitch needs to be in the same direction as the canvas thread on top. This allows the stitch to fall under the floating top thread of the canvas. Second, the stitch on the back needs to be another Straight Stitch. The back doesn’t give enough support to keep the stitch on top from disappearing. Often stitchers are told just to make another stitch, but this doesn’t always work. I have found much better restults if I am careful about the backs of my stitches, so that there is always a diagonal stitch on the back.

For example, if I’m making a horizontal rows of stitches, I begin every stitch at the bottom and go to the top.

Try to avoid Straight Stitches over a single thread, but sometimes it can’t be helped. If you look for ways to get longer diagonal stitches on the back, you’re problems will be minimized.

The one thing I haven’t found a way to get around is the problem that when the outside edge of a canvas piece has both Straight and Diagonal Stitches, it is uneven. It has to be, it always will be. This is a big problem for framing and finishing. My suggestion for you is to add a border around the entires piece of one kind of stitch.

Related posts:

1. Leaf and Straight Stitch Index from Stitches for Effects
2. Line & Cross Stitches Index for Stitches for Effect
3. Diagonal & Eyelet Index for Stitches for Effect
4. SuZy’s Portable Stitches – book review
5. Two Ways to Turn Diagonal Stitches