Stitch Study: Four-Sided Stitch

Simplicity and elegance are two words that come to mind when I think of four-sided stitch. Simple, because the stitch really only has three steps. Elegant, because of the clean lines and lacy look of this beautiful stitch.

Since four-sided stitch is often worked as a pulled-thread stitch, I like to use a needle that’s a bit larger than usually used for the thread choice. This opens up the hole in the fabric or canvas a bit more, making it a bit easier to pull.

Four-sided stitch is most easily started with a waste knot in the path of the stitch. Come up at the upper left end of where the line of four-sided stitches is planned to be. As this line develops, the tail end of the thread will be covered.

Step 1: Bring the needle to the back just two threads down from where you came up. Give the stitch a little tug. This tug opens up the holes of the canvas or fabric just a bit.

     

Step 2: Come back to the front of the fabric up two and to the right two threads, as seen in the photos above, to get ready for the next leg of the stitch. Give the thread another tug. Sink the needle again two threads to the left (where step 1 began). Tug once more.

     

Step 3: Bring the needle up down two threads from the start of step 2. Tug. Sink two threads to the left. Tug.

     

Then it’s time to repeat the three steps. The next "step 1” stitch starts at the point where the first step 2 did. Keep repeating, giving a slight tug after each stitch, as you stitch from left to right across your fabric or canvas.

Occasionally, I find that I lose track of which leg should be the next to be stitched. There’s a very simple way to find out. Simply look at the back. When stitched in the correct order, four-sided stitch results in a row of X’s on the back of the stitching. Doing the stitches in a consistent order keeps the pull at the corners of all of the little boxes the same.

When you near the end of a thread, bring the tail to the front about an inch further down the line of stitches. This is easiest to see from the back.

To start a new thread, I find it’s easiest to switch to a smaller needle, perhaps even one with a sharp point. Put a waste knot in the end of the thread, and bury it in the back of the most recent stitches. Doing this keeps the pull of the thread the same, so you can’t tell from the front where the thread was changed.

After bringing the thread to the front again, switch back to a larger needle and continue the line of stitching, working over the old thread tail. When you reach the point where the tail comes to the front of the fabric, give the tail a tug to make sure that last stitch is taut. Holding the tail tight, cut it very close to the surface of the fabric. If any of the tail is still sticking up, use your needle to poke it to the back.

When worked in a contrasting color to the fabric, four-sided stitch gives a neat and clean line of stitches and is a great addition to a border.

Four-sided stitch is often worked as a tone-on-tone stitch, though, and that’s when the lacy feel comes out. The stitch itself becomes almost unnoticeable, and the pattern that emerges from the resulting holes becomes the highlight. This is my favorite way to use this stitch.

I’d love to hear about some of the different projects in which you’ve used four-sided stitch. Please share in the comments!

Stitch Study: Waffle Stitch (or Norwich Stitch) Tutorial

Yes, after an almost-two-year hiatus, I’m actually writing a stitch study post again. This is my first stitch study on a canvaswork stitch, the waffle stitch.

A bit about naming

Before getting into the details about the stitch, it helps to discuss the naming of this stitch. Like many stitches, this one comes up in stitch books under multiple names. In this case, it can be either the waffle stitch or the Norwich stitch.

The reverse is also true, though. The name “waffle stitch” is also another name for the broad cross stitch, and there are waffle stitches in both knitting and crochet.

Don’t be intimidated…

When first encountering the waffle stitch, it’s easy to be overwhelmed.  Depending on the type of stitch diagram and the size of the waffle stitch, the numbering on the diagram can quickly reach double digits. By breaking the stitch down and explaining the pattern, though, I’m hoping you’ll find it more approachable and perhaps even relaxing to stitch.

Let’s get started!

Step 1. Start with a simple cross stitch over multiple canvas threads. Some books will tell you that you have to have an odd number of threads, but that’s not actually true. To demonstrate, my example is over 12 threads of canvas.

The next stitch starts a repetitive pattern.  To provide a bit of contrast and because it looks more interesting, I switched to a different color.

Step 2. Come up in the hole just below the top left corner of the base cross stitch. This stitch is going to run alongside the upper-left to lower-right (\) portion of your cross stitch. Sink the needle one hole to the left of the bottom right corner.

 

Step 3. Your thread on the back is going to travel across the bottom of the stitch. Come up one hole to the right of the bottom left corner of the cross stitch. Now we’re going to parallel the other half of the cross stitch (/), so you’ll sink the needle below the top right corner of the cross.

 

Step 4. Come up one hole above the bottom right corner of the cross. (You’ll notice that your thread on the back runs down the right side of the stitch.) This stitch ends one hole to the right of the top left corner of the cross.

 

Step 5. Can you guess? Your thread, on the back, will go across the top of the stitch, so you can come up one thread to the left of the top right corner. And you’ll sink it one thread above the bottom left corner.

There! That’s one round, or one repeat, of the stitch.

Step 6. Repeat steps 2-5, moving one hole closer to the center of each side with each round. So the second round will start by traveling (on the back) up the left side, and coming up one thread below the previous round.

You can tell if you’re repeating the pattern correctly if all of your stitches on the back are on the edges of the square, as seen here.

 

 

 

With another round complete, you’ll have something that looks like this:

Keep going, repeating steps 2 through 5, changing colors as desired.

Here’s why some folks say you have to start with an odd number of threads. I’d like to add one more round of stitches, but if you look closely at the picture above, you’ll see I only have one open hole on each side. I can’t stitch another round like the previous rounds.

So I have to cheat. This round just isn’t going to have stitches on the back along the edges of the square. Oh well. Who’s going to know?

Step 7. Here’s how I like to stitch the last round on an even waffle stitch. I use double running stitch!

A. Same as step 2 above.    

B.      C.

D.

Yes, the back isn’t quite as orderly…

                                                                            …but who cares?

So what about odd waffles?

When you do have an odd number of threads in your waffle, you can just stitch the normal rounds right up to the end. Here’s the beginning of the last round of the waffle if it’s stitched over 13 threads.

A side-by-side comparison

Front:                                           Back:

  

About ending threads

You may be wondering why I left all of the thread ends off to the side. In this case, it was for demonstration purposes. When I’m using waffles in a project, I’ll sometimes bury the ends in surrounding stitches. Usually, though, I’ll use L stitches to start and end threads in the middle of the waffle, since they’ll be covered over anyway.

Now it’s your turn

Are you ready to tackle waffle stitches? Try them out and let me know how it goes! What are your favorite threads to use? (By the way, ribbons, like Kreinik’s 1/16” metallic ribbon or Rainbow Gallery’s Neon Rays, work wonderfully.) What color combinations do you like? What’s the biggest waffle you’ve tried?

Please share! (And let me know if anything isn’t clear above!)

A great stitch for baskets: Large Woven Stitch

In a recent post, I explained how I would be stitching hearts for cancer outreach in between each of my normal WIP finishes this year. To decide which stitch I would use for my first heart this year, I turned to a recent acquisition (purchased at my LNS's Super Bowl sale): Suzy's Surprize Stitches by SuZy Murphy.

I planned to use Caron Watercolours for the heart, just because

• I have several great colors of this in my stash.
• Only one strand is needed for coverage on 18ct canvas, so I don't have to dig out my laying tool (and therefore it stitches up more quickly!).

A good friend used Watercolours on one of her hearts, and it didn't cover very well when the stitches were all vertical or horizontal. This prompted me to look for a stitch made up of diagonal stitches. After considering several alternatives from SuZy's book, I decided to go with what she calls "Large Woven Stitch."

Here's my diagram and method of working this stitch. (Note that I used the same color throughout. The diagram only shows different colors to differentiate the rows.)

I like to think of this stitch as "inside-out Criss Cross Hungarian." You can see what I mean in my diagram of CCH:

Apparently I'm not alone in thinking of the Large Woven Stitch as a variation of CCH. In 2007, Brenda Hart showed this as Reversed Criss Cross Hungarian in ANG's Stitch of the Month series.

So, how does it stitch up? I think it looks pretty nice on my heart so far. I'm using Watercolours in Slate. (And yes, I know I stitched right over the spot where the cancer awareness ribbon is supposed to go. I'm going to add a separate ribbon later.)

 

This Large Woven Stitch looks like it would be a nice addition to any canvas worker's repertoire. It would make great baskets, parquet floors, or even a stone walkway. It might also make a nice non-directional background using a lighter-weight thread.

Stitch Study 3: Detached Buttonhole with Return

Disclaimer: This stitch study builds on the previous lessons of detached buttonhole (DBH) and filling shapes with DBH. To minimize any confusion over steps skipped in this tutorial, please review the previous stitch studies.

In basic DBH, if you'll recall, we always brought the thread to the back at the right side of each row and started the next row again on the left. Detached buttonhole with return makes use of that return thread and provides slightly more coverage. Otherwise, the method of stitching is very similar.

We'll start again with a block of stitching, then move on to filling shapes. In the example, I'm using size 12 pearl cotton on 30ct linen.

To begin the block, again start by backstitching a foundation row. With this stitch, this row will be worked left to right, so you end up on the right side of the block.

I made a total of 12 stitches in my foundation row. After the last stitch, bring the needle to the front of the fabric just a tiny bit below the end of the row. The thread should emerge about halfway down the total distance to be covered by your first row of DBH. In my original DBH sample, I covered 2 linen threads with each row, so this time I'm bringing the thread up just one thread down from the foundation.

Sink the needle and thread on the left side of the block, keeping the distance from the foundation row constant. This is the first return thread.

To start the first row of DBH, come up again just a bit below the
return thread on the left side.



You'll now start working detached buttonhole as usual, but instead of just stitching under the foundation row, you'll run the needle under both the foundation row and the return thread.

Proceed in this way across the block. Remember the number of DBH should equal the number of stitches in the foundation row. At the end of the first row, sink the needle, and come up again just a bit below that.

Again, bring the return thread across the front, sink it on the left, and begin the next row of DBH. That's really all there is to this stitch. Remember, as in basic DBH, to keep the number of stitches constant across the block by stitching into the first leg on one row and the next leg on alternate rows. (See the basic DBH stitch study if this is unclear.)

Here's what the stitch looks like on the reverse side. There is very little thread on the back with this variation.

Filling shapes with DBH with return should also look very familiar. Here, I've switched to size 8 pearl cotton. Again, backstitch the shape, then bring your return thread across the shape slightly below the side you're calling your foundation row.

Work the DBH through the foundation row and under the return thread.

Keep going. Notice that sometimes, especially when you're not working squarely with the grain of the fabric, that the return thread can look a bit skewed. That's OK. The DBH stitches will force it back into position. If they don't, try purposely stitching your next return thread at a slight angle to bring the rows of DBH back to the desired angle. Little tweaks here and there will not be noticeable.

If your shape has areas that separate from the main shape, like the points on the flower here, again, just work each of these as a separate shape. Notice that in my far right point (at the arrow), my DBH doesn't actually go all the way to the point. There isn't room for another row. The initial backstitching fills in the gap.

I was able to completely cover most of the other points with DBH. In this picture, you can compare the original basic DBH on the left with the DBH with return on the right. Notice the slight difference in texture. The stitches on the right are a tiny bit bigger, since we don't need as many to get coverage. There are 16 rows of DBH in total on the left, but only 13 on the right, though the petals are almost exactly the same length.

I'm slowly building toward the stitch that Megan originally requested, which is the detached buttonhole with only some edges attached to the fabric. Only a few more stitch studies to go, Megan! The next study will be on back-and-forth detached buttonhole.

Stitch Study 2: Shapes in Detached Buttonhole

Basic detached buttonhole (abbreviated DBH here) is pretty, but most designs don't just use a block of it by itself. Most pieces that use DBH use it to fill specific shapes, such as a flower petal or a leaf. Today's stitch study investigates how to approach such shapes.

In the example, I'm using size 8 pearl cotton on 30 ct linen. I've traced a fairly complex shape with a pencil, but you can just as easily start out with a simple leaf or a rounded petal.

To start, I need to decide the direction of the stitches. I could start with one of the long flat sides, but I don't want the rows of buttonhole at that angle. I really want them going across the petal, somewhat aligned with the fabric weave. That means I can either start at the four points or at the skinny end. To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure how to start at the four points, so I'm starting at the narrow end of the petal.

If your shape is different, think about how you want the stitches to look. For most flowers, you probably want the lines of DBH along the width of the petal. For leaves, you might need to play around to see what direction suits you. I'm going to work through the rest of this study as if you have the same shape, and then go back to try to address other shapes, so stay with me!

Begin by backstitching around the entire shape. Try to keep the stitch length somewhat consistent, but if it's not perfect, it's not a problem. We're only going to be stitching into the backstitch on the very first row. The rest of the backstitch just works to fill in the color at the edge of the shape.

As in basic DBH, come up on the left side of the area, a bit below the edge you're using as the foundation row. Always begin and end your rows of buttonhole outside the backstitch outline.

You're then going to proceed as in basic DBH, working into the foundation row of backstitches. In this shape, this means we only have two buttonhole stitches into the two top-most backstitches. Sink the needle on the right side of the area, just outside the outline.


Come up again on the left side. To fill in my shape, this row needs to be a bit longer than the first, so we're going to need to increase the number of stitches, but just by a little bit. I think three stitches will work fine. In basic DBH, we alternated every other row between working into the first leg and then the final leg of the previous stitches. With the shape here, we can work into both the first let and final leg of the previous row and end up with three DBH stitches. Start this row by stitching into the first leg, as in the picture on the right, then into the loop between the stitches, then into the last leg, as in the picture on the left. Sink the needle at the end of the row.

Because this shape increases gradually and evenly on both sides, we can continue working this way, simply adding another stitch each row by stitching into the first and final legs of previous rows. If you find that it's starting to grow too much, simply don't increase on a row or two. In the picture on the right, I've skipped the first leg, and just started to work into the loops between the stitches.

In other cases, you'll need to increase by more than one stitch on a row. In such a case, work additional stitches into the first leg or the final leg on the previous row. Here, I've made a stitch into the first leg, and, at right, a second stitch into that first leg.

You may be tempted to try to increase in the middle of the row by making two stitches into the same loop between stitches in the previous row. This would disrupt the flow of a traditional DBH shape, but it could produce some interesting effects, like ripples in the shape. If you want to try it, go for it, but if you're trying for a traditional look, keep the increases and decreases for the edges of the shape.

So, you've worked down to the widest part of the petal, just before it splits into the four points. What should we do now, you ask? The answer is to treat each of these points as a separate shape, and the last full row of DBH as the foundation row for the shape. Come up at the left side of the right-most point, and work into the loops between the stitches of the previous row.

Keep working, filling in the right-most point. In these points, we need to start decreasing the number of stitches. To do this, just neglect to work into the first and last leg as needed. You may find you need to skip a first leg and add two on the last leg to hold the shape. This is completely fine! At the end of the point, make a tacking stitch or two to hold the last row in place.

When you're done with that point, sink the needle, bury the thread underneath this point on the reverse side, and come up again on the left side of the next point. Work this point the same way.

Continue working each point until the shape is filled.

If you decided to work a differently-shaped area, the method is the same. Figure out which side of the shape will serve as the foundation row, backstitch the entire shape, and begin working across the foundation row. Try to keep your lines of buttonhole straight. It might be tempting to follow the curve of the petal or leaf, but your stitches will start bunching up in the middle or spreading too far apart.

The leaf shape on the left was done in my Tudor Purse class with Chris Berry. See how the rows of stitches are straight across the shape? Note where the arrow is pointing. At that point, the third row of stitches has three stitches worked into the final leg of the second row. If you click on the picture, you'll clearly see that there appears to be a tiny gap there where you can see the outline stitch. This really doesn't matter when you realize the entire leaf is really only about 3/4 of an inch across. Nobody's going to be looking at any one leaf on a project that closely. I knew it was there and it took me a few seconds to find it when I went back to it!

On some shapes, you may find that both sides of the shape slant sharply to the left. To fill this, you'll need to increase multiple stitches on the left, and decrease on the right. This is OK. Don't try to pull the rows into the new position. Simply add more stitches to the first leg, and end the row on the right border, wherever it falls. You may need to tack some of the stitches on the right side. (Do I need a picture of this? Please let me know!)

Similarly, if the shape slants sharply to the right, you'll tack a few stitches on the previous row, then start working into the loops of the previous row where it makes sense. Add as many stitches as needed into the final leg of the previous row.

Hopefully you'll now be able to approach various shapes in detached buttonhole without worry. For the next stitch study, we'll learn how to do detached buttonhole with return, which makes a denser stitch with a lighter weight thread.

As always, please let me know if anything in this post needs clarification. I welcome any ideas for future stitch studies. Any type of stitch seen on my blog (counted, surface work, stumpwork, goldwork, canvas stitches, etc.) is fair play.