Sunday 3 September 2017

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 35: Outline Stitch

It's Sunday and time for another lesson at Sunday Stitch School.

In geography, there are a lot of lines, latitude, longitude, the Equator, the Date Line, and so on. We will devote this lesson to a line that has become a stitch, the Outline Stitch.

Can you spot the difference?

Of course you can!
The picture at the top is the Stem Stitch, where the thread is hanging downwards,
and the picture underneath is the Outline Stitch. You see how the thread is kept above the stitching line.

Mary Corbet has written a good article about the Stem Stitch vs the Outline Stitch and how an S- and a Z-twisted thread look when used for these two stitches.

Swedish name: Vänstersytt Stjälkstygn
French name: Point de Tige Contrarié

Homework:
Read the article and then create something freely using either Cotton a Broder (S-twisted)


  and/or Japanese silk (Z-twisted).

On my Aida sampler:

16 comments:

Pamela said...

I didn't know that was the difference between the stitches - I learn something new every day!

Rachel said...

Two very useful stitches - well worth trialling the different threads. Then you don't get a suprise on a serious project!

Anonymous said...

Bonjour,
Cette semaine va être simple
le nom français de ce point est :
- Point de tige contrarié
Bonne semaine
Mattia

Deepa said...

I have to think twice when I stitch stem and outline with S twisted and Z twisted threads.

FlashinScissors said...

Very useful, I didn't know it mattered which way the thread went!
Off to read Mary's article!
Barbara x

Queeniepatch said...

Thanks, Mattia for the information.

Here's a translation:
This week is going to be simple
the French name of this item is:
- Thrown stem point
Good week

Queeniepatch said...

I didn't either, until I read Mary's article a long time ago. It explained why I had got such funny looking stitches when I used a Z-twisted thread.

Queeniepatch said...

The difference is quite noticeable. In free form embroidery were you mix stitches and thread it is good to know how to control the look by changing stitch or thread.

Queeniepatch said...

Yes, and often it is not until we have already stitched a line that we see what effect the twist of the thread will have.

Queeniepatch said...

Mary explains in detail all the 'secrets' of embroidery. This is information well worth having.

https://linsartyblobs.blogspot.com said...

I learn something new every day

Renee said...

Thank you for the link to the tutorial! I generally use DMC perle cotton. However, I bought a couple of shades of silk thread recently that I have not tried out. If the stitches look different, I will know why and how to fix it. Thanks!

Janie said...

Thanks for the reminder. I've read Mary's article, good info.
I like your collection of threads.
The outline stitch was one of my grandmother's favorites.

Queeniepatch said...

Mary Corbet's newsletters and tutorials are highly educational!

Queeniepatch said...

All Mary Sorbet's tutorials and articles on her website are well worth reading.
Yes, it is good to switch between Stem and Outline stitches when one have an S- or a Z-twisted thread to deal with.

Queeniepatch said...

I think I like it better than the Stem stitch , and thanks to Mary Corbet's tutorial I know why I sometimes get such untidy stitches.