Stitch Series: 2. Stem Stitch Fills
I don't often fill shapes solid with stitching. But when I do the Stem Stitch is my all time favorite. I really like the texture I end up with when all the rows are stitched closely together.
When looking through my work, I had a hard time coming up with examples, but here are a couple.
This piece is part of a four part series. It is stitched on hand dyed cotton and silk. The tubes that are couched down were left over ties from a garment I made.
Above is a closeup of the piece I made for my great-great nephew when he was born. You can see how I outlined the letters with a darker gray. Then I added two more rows of Stem Stitch in a lighter shade of gray to give the letters a little more impact.
The Stem Stitch creates a smoother curve than a Back Stitch does. And it has more dimension so it has more visual impact. You can fill all sorts of shapes with the Stem Stitch. And you can use anywhere from 1-6 strands of embroidery floss for your stitching.
