The Stitch Book: Week 2 (January 7-13)

One of the things I love about following other embroiderers on social media is finding new stitches. I started seeing posts about the threaded stacked back stitch over the holidays and decided to add it to my new stitch list for this year. I plan to do some stitch studies this year both with new stitches like this one and with stitches I use all the time. Focusing on one stitch or variations of that stitch is a fun way to explore the possibilities of embroidery.

The threaded stacked back stitch is related to the laced and double laced back stitches I learned in 2021. All three require a foundation line or lines of regular back stitch and then the threaded part of the stitch. With the laced versions, the thread is looped over and under the foundation line to form a lovely curved accent. In the threaded stacked version, several lines of back stitch are stacked and then the other thread is threaded through those lines. The back stitch lines can be close to one another or more spread. I found this video online and ended up purchasing the book she references. 

Keely approves - I'm excited to get into this book.

I opted to spread the lines out a bit more since I wanted to have space to try out the stitches. I rotated two shades of green for the back stitches and two shades of pink for the threaded part. I also did a longer back stitch for the third and fourth sets of back stitches. My lines weren't as precise as they needed to be for both of the shorter stitch length sections; you can see in the photos where the threaded lines start to change shape. It's because the foundation stitch lines weren't perfectly aligned. If I did the lines closer together it would be easier to match them, so I'll try that next time. The longer length stitches are a little better, but there's still a little unevenness. I'm absolutely not mad about it and am excited to try this stitch again for something else. The book has a few images of finished pieces including this stitch and they're amazing. I have ideas. 

Here's this week's piece:

January 7

January 8

January 9

January 10

January 11

January 12 - shorter stitch length

January 12 - longer stitch length

January 12

January 13 - shorter stitch length

January 13 - longer stitch length

Week 2

Weeks 1 and 2

Groundhog Day Cards - Coming Soon!

I'm starting to work on Groundhog Day cards this weekend. If you want one, even if I already have your address, make sure to fill out this quick Google form so I can plan how many to make. I bought two new stamps to add to this year's card designs. 

I made an embroidered card for my uncle who is the biggest fan of these cards.

I also have to recommend the most random thing on Amazon - a sweatshirt blanket. I bought one for myself and one of my friends, and it is amazing. You can probably find them places other than Amazon, but that's where I got mine. I now understand how cozy the cat feels in his marshmallow bed. Search for "sweatshirt blanket" and enjoy!