Woven filling stitch

How to work it

1. Lay the first upright stitch

   

   Draw the shape. Bring the needle up at A on one edge and take it down at B on the opposite edge, straight across.

2. Come up a small space along

   

   Bring the needle up at C, right beside B on the same edge, leaving a gap about as wide as the thread. Take it straight back across the shape.

3. Fill the shape, then come up at the side

   

   Lay upright stitches across the whole shape, evenly spaced. Then bring the needle up at D on a side edge, at the top.

4. Weave over one, under one

   

   Slide the needle across the upright threads: over the first, under the second, over the third, and so on. Do not pierce the fabric. At the far edge, take the needle down at E.

5. Weave back the opposite way

   

   Come up at F, just below E. Weave back across, going under each thread the last row went over and over each one it went under. Go down at the edge.

6. Fill the shape with rows

   

   Keep weaving back and forth, pushing each row up against the one before, until the upright threads are filled.

At a glance

Also called

weave stitch, weaving stitch, basket weave stitch, needle weaving, surface darning stitch, Queen Anne stitch

Used for

filling any area you want to look woven; baskets, hats and other woven things; filling squares and other shapes; two-color and plaid fillings; visible mending over holes and flaws

Thread

Pearl cotton and stranded floss both work, and you can use one for the laid stitches and the other for the weaving. A thicker weaving thread spreads out and makes a more solid filling.

Needle

A sharp embroidery (crewel) needle for the laid upright stitches, then a blunt tapestry needle for the weaving. The blunt tip passes the laid threads without snagging them.

Tips

• Weave with a blunt tapestry needle, or lead with the eye of your needle, so you do not snag the laid threads.
• Pearl cotton in size 5 suits both the laid stitches and the weaving. A different type of thread for the weaving gives the filling more texture.
• Use the needle to push each woven row up against the last and straighten it before you start the next.
• Keep the upright threads equally spaced and parallel. You can mark the spacing first with a removable pen.
• You can use one color throughout, or one color for the upright threads and another for the weaving.
• On a wide shape, pull the thread through partway across, then carry on weaving to the edge.
• The last rows are a tight fit. A blunt tapestry needle makes them easier.

When it goes wrong

Two rows go over the same threads

Each row must alternate with the row before. Go under every thread the last row went over, and over every thread it went under.

The woven rows slant or wander

Take each row down directly across from where it came up, and keep the threads straight and parallel.

Gaps show between the rows

Pack each row against the last with the needle, and bring the needle up closer to where the last row went down.

The needle snags the upright threads

Switch to a blunt tapestry needle, or weave eye first.

Left-handed

You can start the first woven row from the left edge instead of the right. It makes no difference to the result, because the rows run back and forth in both directions.

Variations

• Open woven filling. The laid threads and the woven rows are spaced well apart, so the fabric shows through the weave.
• Woven filling on a slant. The first set of threads is laid at a slant to the fabric grain and the second set is woven across it at right angles.
• Plaid woven filling. The same sequence of colors is repeated in the laid threads and in the woven rows, which gives a plaid.
• Basket filling stitch. Squares of satin stitches, such as four stitches to a square, alternate between upright and level. It gives a basket-weave pattern without any weaving.