Autumn Leaves: The Tent Stitch Family (Half-Cross)

HALF-CROSS STITCH is stitched this way (see Threadneedle Street’s diagrams in the link below also).

http://www.threadneedlestreet.com/ContinentalHalfCross.html

Half-cross stitch uses the least amount of thread of all three tent stitches, so when you are running out of thread, switch to half-cross. However, there is very little padding on the back with half-cross. If you look on the back side diagram at Threadneedle Street’s link above, you see straight lines. It doesn’t distort as much as continental but it does pull things out of true some. Like continental, it may be worked in either horizontal or vertical rows. It also does very well in small areas or for outlining. But it is terrific when you only have a little bit of thread left and you aren’t worried about distortion or wear. It is worked from right to left (or left to right, doesn’t matter) just like continental in the first row. But in the second row you come up and go down the same way as in the first row instead of coming up in dirty holes like continental does.

http://www.stitchopedia.com/HalfCrossStitch.html

I will use all three stitches while stitching Autumn Leaves so you can see how they work up and what situations they are best suited for.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow