Overcast Stitch

Diagram of an overcast stitch. Diagram of an overcast stitch.

The overcast stitch is a basic technique that can be worked in several ways. The simplest form is where an outline is drawn on the ground material and then small, simple stitches (the overcast stitches) are worked over and under the line, picking up the smallest amount of ground material as possible and making sure that the stitches lie vertically next to each other in order to create a slightly raised line.

In Northern Europe it is traditional to draw an outline of the desired pattern on the ground material and then follow it with a line of running stitches. The running stitches are then covered with the small, overcast stitches. This technique is used to create a bold, raised line.

See also: detached overcast stitch, trailing stitch

Source: THOMAS, Mary (1934). Mary Thomas’s Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches, London: Hodder and Stoughton, pp. 156-157.

Digital source of illustration (retrieved 9 July 2016).

GVE

Last modified on Monday, 02 January 2017 21:12
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