Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 319: Split Back Stitch

We recently learned #314 Split Stitch. Today, we will also split the stitches, but using the Back Stitch.

I found clear instructions for the Split Back Stitch at Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials.

Here is my photo tutorial:

Take a Straight Stitch forward,

come up, a bit further ahead.

From here, you work the Back Stitch,

by going into the middle of the previous stitch.

Notice that you insert the needle from the top. This is

unlike the Split Stitch where you split the stitch 

from the back of the fabric. 

Continue in the same way.

To make the final stitch neat, make it shorter.

Here I have worked the ordinary Split Stitch in green.

See how the needle comes up from the back of the 

fabric to split the previous stitch.

There is little difference on the front, 

but if you look at the back, you can easily see

the difference. Please also notice how much more

thread is needed for the Split Back Stitch

Should you need to unpick the stitches, the ordinary Split Stitch (green) is so much easier to remove as you have a neat line of 'Running Stitch'. The thread in the Split Back Stitch (rust) is much more tangled up.

Homework:

Add to the three samplers

Friday Homework for Lesson 318: Rhodes Circle Stitch

 All the Rhodes stitches are easy and fun to make, once you have marked your fabric or made a graph.

Aida Sampler

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

Mottled Wool Scribble Cloth

WIPW - Finger Puppets

Work In Progress Wednesday report for the end of March 2025.

Hexablooms

Ten more floral blocks. The total count is now 320.

Finger Puppets

I got inspiration from the Internet to make two finger puppets for a little boy's birthday. Handstitched on felt.

Easter Egg Embroidery

I got inspiration from Lyn at Lyn's Needlecase. She has been embroidering a stitch sampler over an egg-shaped oval to be used for an Easter Greeting card. Lyn is always making the most delightful white-on-white embroidery on linen.

I stuck, as usual, to plain weave, then stretched the embroidery over a bit of thin cardboard and placed it in a window card.

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 318: Rhodes Circle Stitch

I thought we should make dots today using the Rhodes Circle Stitch. 

There are two methods, one is following the traditional way of the other Rhodes stitches used in Needlepoint work. On counted weave or Aida, you use the grid in the weave to work your way across the outline of a circle. This method can be found at e.g. Poppy Monk. (Scroll down to '3. Circle Rhodes Stitch'.) 

For this method, you need a numbered graph like this:

The other method is to eyeball your way around a drawn, (and sometimes backstitched) circle.  The method for this is shown at Needle 'n Thread. It also features in Embroidery Stitches A-Z 1.

If you are brave, you can stitch over an imaginary circle, this is often seen on YouTube videos from India.

In the tradition of Rhodes stitches, I'll do the Needlework method first. Here is the grid and my photo tutorial:

If you are stitching on plain weave without a grid, the method where you need to eyeball the placements of stitches is better:

Draw a circle.

Select a place to start

Place the thread right across the circle.

That is the spot where you want to insert the needle.

Work your way around the circle, coming out

and inserting the needle right next to the previous stitch.

You will eventually make it full circle.

Homework:

Add to the samplers. Try out both methods depending on the weave of the fabric.

Friday Homework for Lesson 317: Straight Stitch

 This stitch is so easy and quick that I managed to do my homework in no time! Surprised?

Aida Sampler

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

Mottled Wool Scribble Cloth

WIPW - The Second Bookmark and some more Hexablooms

I have been buckled under by a nasty bronchitis and hay fever attack and have spent most of the last two weeks sleeping.

That is why my WIPW report is meagre this time.

Hexablooms

I completed another set of ten and have 310 flowers now.

Birthday Gift

Here is the cross-stitch bookmark I showed you the back of earlier.

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 317: Straight Stitch

I'll take the easy way out today and introduce you to the most basic of all the embroidery stitches - Straight Stitch. 

Now, it may be a very simple stitch, but oh, so useful! Masses of other stitches include at least one Straight Stitch as part of the complete stitch. 

Here are some examples of stitches made up of only Straight Stitch.

Dark blue: Running Stitch

Red: Darning Stitch

Light blue: Point Russe Stitch

Purple: Mennonite Tacks

Green: A-stitch

Yellow: Ships Ladder Stitch

You will find instructions for the Straight Stitch in any embroidery book. Here is my photo tutorial:

Homework: Play around on these samplers