Stitch of the Month
July 2007: Woven Braid

by Brenda Hart

Ladies and Gentlemen, July Stitch of the Month is the Woven Braid stitch. I like the stitch best on 18 mesh. However, by bumping up the number of plies, or using a heavier thread or yarn, the stitch will also look lovely on 14 mesh.

A. Use 4 plies of silk, floss, or 2 plies of a thread such as Burmilana for the first step (horizontal stitches) on 18 mesh canvas. On 14 mesh canvas, use 6 plies of silk, floss, or 3 plies of Burmilana or Medici.

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B. For the second step, (vertical stitches) choose a very close value of the same thread used for step one. Example: Anchor floss #187 and #188. It seems to look much nicer when two close values of thread are used rather than two completely different colors.

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C. For the third step (bold black lines) a metallic thread would be an excellent choice. A rayon thread is another thread that would work very well in this area.

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This is the area to use a different color or accent color. For instance, you might choose a silver, gold, or a matching color... any of these colors would work well.

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The Woven Braid stitch could be used on a mountain, grassy field, or lady's skirt if it is a large enough area.

The stitched sample is Soie D'Alger and size 8 Kreinik fine braid. As you can see, size 12 Tapestry braid would probably fill the area better.