Many stitchers shy away from Straight Stitches, but they shouldn’t. These stitches are the backbone of Bargello, are great for making curves and rounded shapes, and can add a lovely dimension to your needlepoint.
This week we’ll have two logs (not just one) with simple straight stitches. But first I have some tips for making Straight Stitches look great.
Tips for Straight Stitches
Straight Stitches often tend to look too thin on canvas. People don’t like them because they feel that straight stitches do not give good coverage.
You can improve the coverage by doing one of several solutions.
- Use fluffier threads. Wool or another soft thread fluffs up between the holes in the canvas so it covers the canvas threads between stitches better.
- If your thread is stranded, add a strand or two. The thread will still compress at the holes but will be wider between the holes, covering better. Always ply and recombine if possible.
- If the thread has sizes, go up a size. You will get better coverage, but this works better with some threads than others.
- If your thread comes as ribbon (flat) or round, use ribbon. The flat threads cover much better.
- Add a strand or two of floss to pearl cotton. When the colors match, this creates thinner threads with better coverage than going up to the next size. You get better coverage but it’s barely noticeable.
The Patches
Both these patches are stitched in horizontal rows that run along the long side of the patches. You may need to turn your canvas to have this orientation.
The second minor color log is stitched in Double Brick, below, using, in my case, the lightest shade of blue.
The third log is stitched in Straight Milanese, below, using the second lightest shade of blue. You have likely stitched Milanese. This version uses straight instead of diagonal stitches but is still
the familiar triangles.
Napa Needlepoint
Follow the Series On-line!
- Introduction, materials and outlining
- Corner Block
- Genny’s Scotch
- Double Brick & Upright Milanese
- Scottish Checker
- Point de Tresse
- Giant Elongated Diagonal Cashmere
- Laidwork (Junipero)
- Montmartre Stitch
- Double Smnyrna Cross Block
- Ming Stitch
- Patterned Threes
- Diagonal Shingle
Come back next week for the next part of the sampler!
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
The straight stitch rows in the photo look vertical.
Can you please suggest other stitches? These are not covering the canvas. Thanks so much.
Like most quilt blocks you can turn it so that any side can be the “top,” so vertical and horizontal change. That’s why I said the rows go along the long dimension.
Keep Stitching,
Janet
Whether they cover or not also has to do with your tension. If they are not covering try adding a couple of strands of matching floss and using a looser tension before trying other stitches.
There are dozens of stitches diagrammed on this sites. You can find many of them by looking at the stitches category.
Keep stitching,
Janet
Thank you!