One of the oldest surface-embroidery stitches, the coral stitch is a versatile and widely used member of the popular knotted-stitch family with the French knot being the most famous.
The tête de boeuf stitch is commonly referred to as head of the bull, although a direct translation from the French is “head of beef” stitch, and it also goes by the names of ox head and detached wheat ear.
The knitting stitch, a double row of straight stitches slanting in opposite directions, forms a solidly stitched, braidlike pattern on a canvas or fabric surface, and resembles true knitting.
The versatile Vandyke or Van Dyke stitch is a variable-width stitch with a distinctive, centrally raised plait or braid. It is rather unique among embroidery stitches because it does not have multiple names.
Named for the lovely Italian city of Siena, the Sienese (Siennese) stitch is an easy, wide-line stitch in the generic looped-stitch family.
Surprisingly, the upright cross-stitch, which resembles the common plus sign, has been either ignored or overlooked in many reference books on needlework stitches.
The feather stitch and its countless variations create feathery straight or undulating lines and fall in the category of looped stitches.
The Cretan stitch derives its name from Crete, the largest Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea, home to one of the oldest civilizations (dating from at least the time of Homer’s Odyssey, around the eleventh century b.c.) and a rich legacy of embroidery.
The Basque stitch, also known as the twisted daisy border stitch, has its origins in the Basque country, located in the western Pyrenees that span the Franco- Spanish border.
The Portuguese stem stitch, a heavily textured line stitch, also is known as Portuguese knotted stem, Portuguese knot, and wrapped stem stitch.
