The next patch in Yoshigire is a bold straight stitch. Many stitchers shy away from straight stitches because they think they do not cover the canvas well.
Your thread choice is critical to make straight stitches cover. Threads that have lots of loft (learn more in this article) puff out to fill the space, covering the canvas threads. Threads without loft, such as pearl cotton, will not do this.
If your thread is stranded, the same number of strands you use for Basketweave or other diagonal stitches will not cover in straight stitches. Add a strand to your stitching bundle. Try a bit of the stitch on the margin of your canvas to see if it covers. If not add another strand and try again. I regularly use 6 strands of floss for straight stitches on 18 mesh.
Straight Stitches that change direction really shine if the thread has directional light (learn more about it in this article).
The patch is a great stitch for large areas called Woven Basket. In it pairs of straight stitches go over six threads. The pairs move in steps, going over 2 threads for each step.
An important aspect of this stitch is that the ends of the stitches are covered by stitches in the opposite direction. That makes it look as if the stitches go through so it looks really woven. When you stitch it, you will have to move covering stitches slightly, so that the ends go under the covering stitch.
This stitch looks big, so that it works best on larger pieces.
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
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