How to Create Clear Sharp Stitches

Stitch Direction



To create sharp and clear stitches, bring the needle up a clean (unworked) hole and back down into a dirty (worked) hole. Look at the example on the left. You will see the correct way to create Scotch. Each group is worked by making every stitch traveling from the lower portion to upper area of the unit.





Create Clean Clear Holes

Making Eyelets is simple if you remember a few rules. Before you start stitching, punch a knitting or large tapestry needle through the canvas where you would like the center hole to be placed. Be careful not to cut the canvas threads. To stitch, your first four stitches will be in each four corners.   Come out of a corner and down into the hole you have just created. Continue with the other corners. Now, fill in as required. You do not want highs and lows pilling up around the eyelet. Another good tip is to rotate the needle in the hole to force it open. Knitting needles range in sizes from 000 to 16. (Larger sizes do not fit our needs.) One last thing, remember to insert the needle down into the center hole for clear and define centers.



Bargello

For bargello stitches, you want to come up a clean hole and back down into a dirty one.  By this, we are talking about coming up to the surface of your canvas through a hole which does not have thread inserted in it.  You will go back down under the canvas through a hole which has already been worked. 

 

Look at the graph on the right.  You will see stitch directions.  Each row has been worked from left to right and top to bottom.  All the stitches come up through a clean hole and back down a dirty one.  You should be working the area by stitching from the top to bottom.  Here, we are stitching light, medium and then dark yellow. 

 

You can do this for any bargello and Florentine patterns.