Handy Guide to Stitch Terms

Although stitch names are not standardized, here are some helpful terms to help you decipher names.

• Diagonal – stitch on the true diagonal, 45 degrres
• Oblique – slanted stitch not on the true diagonal
• Horizontal, Vertical, and Upright – orientation of Straight Stitches
• Giant – larger units of a stitch, usually expanded in all directions
• – units or groups of stitches surrounded by a border of Tent or Gobelin Stitches
• Open – stitch units or groups with unstitched threads around them
• Exploded – rows of the stitch separated by one or more open threads
• Alternating – stitches change direction with every stitch
• Reverse – diagonal stitches that slant from lower right to upper left
• Expanded – a larger or longer version of a stitch, usually lengthened in only one direction.