![Erica Wilson flower needlepoint](https://nuts-about-needlepoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/IMG_1960-300x225.jpg)
This week we’ll continue with the stitch-along by stitching the base of the flower. Use your green metallic blend thread. I used Neon Rays +, but you could also use Glisten.
The area is stitched in Nobuko. This isn’t a new stitch to readers of this blog but because of the shape of the area, it can be a bit trickier to stitch. I began by starting at the highest point of the base, the left side. I put in the partial first row, below. It is a very short row, but don’t worry.
![nobuko top starting row](https://nuts-about-needlepoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/nobuko-top-row.jpg)
Once this row is in, stitch the second row, below. This will be wider than the first row; here is where you will want to stitch it differently. Normally, I make this stitch in one pass, alternating long and short stitches. Because the jumps in this area are large, I stitch in two passes. First, I make all the short stitches in the row. This means every other stitch is skipped. On the second pass, I put in the longer stitches.
Doing this makes it easier to count and makes it easier to be sure that this row is as large as it needs to be.
![nobuko, second line diagram](https://nuts-about-needlepoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/nobuko-top-second-line.jpg)
Continue making each row in two passes until you have a row that goes all the way across. Once you have this row, you can begin making the stitch in a single pass. The picture below has a block of the stitch.
![](https://nuts-about-needlepoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/nobuko.jpg)
I use the two-pass method for making stitches when the rows are getting longer. When the rows get shorter, even dramatically so, the single-pass method of making the stitch works just fine.
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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