Cretan stitch

How to work it

1. Come up on the left inner line

   

   Here Cretan stitch is worked from the top down. Mark four upright lines: two outer lines for the edges and two inner lines close together. Bring the needle up at A, at the top of the left inner line.

2. Scoop from the right edge

   

   Put the needle in at B on the right outer line, a little lower than A, and bring the tip out at C on the right inner line. Keep the working thread under the needle tip.

3. Pull through over the thread

   

   Pull the needle through, over the thread. The stitch now runs from A to a corner at C, with one arm out to B.

4. Repeat on the left

   

   Put the needle in at D on the left outer line, a little lower than B, and bring the tip out at E on the left inner line. Keep the thread under the tip again and pull through.

5. Back to the right

   

   Go in at F on the right outer line, a little lower than D, and out at G on the right inner line, with the thread under the tip. Keep repeating, one side and then the other.

6. Carry on down the shape

   

   Keep going, right and left by turns, to make a band or fill a leaf. In a leaf, the needle goes in on the outline each time. To finish, take the needle down just over the last loop to hold it.

At a glance

Also called

long-armed feather stitch, Persian stitch, quill stitch

Used for

filling leaves and petals; bands and broad lines; decorative edges in crazy quilting; wide spaces, filled with several rows side by side

Thread

Three strands of six-strand floss is a good place to start. Use more strands for a heavier band and fewer for a finer one.

Needle

An embroidery (crewel) needle. A size 7 suits three strands of floss. Use a larger needle (a lower number) for more strands and a finer one for fewer. For wool or other thick thread, a chenille needle has a longer eye and a sharp point.

Tips

• For a leaf, let the outer lines follow the leaf outline and draw the two inner lines down the middle. The arms get longer and shorter as the leaf widens and narrows.
• Space the stitches closely for a nearly solid fill, or leave gaps between them for an open band.
• Move the inner lines apart for a wide plait, or bring them close together for a narrow one.
• Check that the thread is under the needle tip every time before you pull through.
• You can also make each stitch in two moves. Take the needle down on the outer line, leave a loop on the surface, and bring the needle up inside the loop on the inner line.

When it goes wrong

The plait in the middle is uneven

Bring the needle out exactly on the inner lines every time. Draw all four lines before you start.

A stitch pulls straight with no corner

The thread was not under the needle tip. Take the stitch out and make it again with the thread under the tip.

Gaps show in a leaf that should be solid

Place the stitches closer together.

The edges of the shape look ragged

Put the needle in exactly on the outline each time.

Left-handed

Mirror the diagrams. Come up at the top of the right inner line and make the first stitch to the left.

Variations

• Open Cretan stitch. The same stitch with the stitches spaced apart, so more of the fabric shows between them.
• Closed Cretan stitch. The stitches sit close together and make a wide, almost solid band with a braid-like line down the middle.
• Feather stitch. A close relative. Both are rows of fly stitches set to the right and left by turns. In Cretan stitch they are set widely apart.
• Fishbone stitch. Another filling for leaves. It is made of slanting stitches, worked to each side by turns, that overlap near their lower ends.