Crossed stitches · Easy
Chevron stitch
Chevron stitch is a zigzag line with a short flat bar across every point. It is worked from left to right between two parallel lines, and each slanting stitch runs from the middle of one bar to the middle of the next.
How to work it
Come up on the lower line
Mark two parallel lines. Chevron stitch is worked from left to right. Bring the needle up at A, at the left end of the lower line.
Make a bar and come out in its middle
Put the needle in at B, a short way to the right on the same line, and bring it out at C, halfway back toward A. Keep the thread below the needle, then pull through. The bar from A to B lies flat with the thread coming out of its middle.
Slant up to the upper line
Take the thread up and to the right. Put the needle in at D on the upper line and bring it out at E, a short way to the left. Pull through to lay the slanting stitch.
Make the upper bar
Put the needle in at F, to the right of D, and bring it out at D again, in the same hole. This time keep the thread above the needle. The bar from E to F now caps the slanting stitch.
Slant down and start the next bar
Take the thread down and to the right. Put the needle in at G on the lower line and bring it out at H, a short way to the left. Then finish this bar as in step 2: in to the right of G, out at G, thread below the needle.
Repeat along the band
Keep alternating between the two lines. Every point of the zigzag ends under the middle of a bar, and all the bars are the same length.
At a glance
- Used for
- border lines and decorative bands; seam embellishments; light fillings made of repeated rows; diamond patterns made from mirrored rows
- Thread
- Three strands of six-strand floss are a good place to start. Pearl cotton in size 5 or 8 works too. Use fewer strands for a finer line and more for a bolder one.
- Needle
- An embroidery (crewel) needle. Size 7 suits two to four strands of floss or fine pearl cotton. A chenille needle has a longer eye if your thread is hard to fit.
Tips
- Mark dots for the two ends and the middle of every bar before you start. It helps to plan the spacing in advance.
- Remember where the thread goes when you finish a bar: below the needle on the lower line, above the needle on the upper line. It always sits on the outside of the band.
- With the fabric in a hoop, you can make each scoop as two moves instead: needle down and pulled through, then needle up.
- One classic description makes each bar about 1/8 inch (3 mm) long. Change the spacing and the height of the band for a different look.
When it goes wrong
- The slanting stitch is caught under the bar
- The thread was on the wrong side when the needle came out in the middle. Hold it to the outside of the band: below on the lower line, above on the upper line.
- The slanting stitches do not meet the bars in the middle
- Bring the needle out exactly halfway along each bar. On the second scoop of a bar it comes out in the hole where the slanting stitch went in.
- The zigzag is uneven
- Mark all the dots first, with the bars on one line centered over the gaps on the other.
- The bars sag or bow
- Pull the thread snug after each bar, before you make the next slanting stitch.
Left-handed
Work from right to left and mirror the diagrams. Each bar is made by going in to the left and coming out to the right, and the thread still stays on the outside of the band.
Variations
- Mirrored chevron stitch. A second row is worked upside down under the first so that the points of the two rows meet. Together they make a row of diamonds.
- Threaded chevron stitch. A second thread, often in a contrasting color, is twisted in and out of the finished line of stitching.
- Chevron filling. Rows of chevron stitch are repeated over a shape as a light, all-over filling.
Questions
- What is the difference between chevron stitch and herringbone stitch?
- Both are zigzag bands worked between two lines. In herringbone stitch the slanting stitches cross each other. In chevron stitch they do not cross: each one ends under a short flat bar.
- What is chevron stitch used for?
- It is mainly a border stitch, used for decorative bands and seam embellishments. Rows of it can be mirrored into diamond patterns or repeated as a light filling.
- Is chevron stitch good for beginners?
- Yes. The movements are simple. The part that needs care is spacing, so mark dots for every bar before you begin.