Floss Field.
SearchSaved
All crafts

Box and diagonal stitches · Easy

Diagonal Scotch stitch

Scotch stitch worked in continuous diagonal rows: stitches over one, two, three and two intersections, repeated.

Diagonal Scotch stitch: the finished stitch on canvas, 26 stitches, all slanting up to the right, in two colors
The finished stitch on canvas. Every stitch runs from one hole to another; the two colors are only there to tell the stitches apart. In the steps, new stitches are red, and the numbers give the order: up at an odd number, down at the next even one.

How to work it

  1. Work one, two, three, two

    Diagonal Scotch stitch, step 1: the first four stitches on the canvas. Numerals 1 and 2 mark the ends of the first new stitch, in working order.

    Work diagonal stitches over one, two, three and two intersections, moving down and to the right: each up at the lower left, down at the upper right.

  2. Repeat down the diagonal

    Diagonal Scotch stitch, step 2: 14 stitches on the canvas, the ten this step adds in red.

    Repeat the sequence without a break. The stitches form squares set corner to corner, and each stitch over one is shared between two squares.

  3. Fit a row against it on each side

    Diagonal Scotch stitch, step 3: 26 stitches on the canvas, the twelve this step adds in red.

    Fit a diagonal row against it on each side. The shortest stitch of each new row meets the longest stitch of the first row end to end, in one hole, and its longest stitch meets the shortest in the same way.

At a glance

Also called
condensed Scotch stitch
Used for
backgrounds; bold diagonal stripes
Coverage
Full
Direction
Slanted up to the right
Stitch length
Over 1 to 3 intersections

The effect is a row of squares set corner to corner. Two colors, alternating by row, make a strong diagonal stripe.

Diagonal Scotch is a row of Scotch squares pushed together until each shares its corner stitch with the next. One stitch reference describes it as a flat, medium-sized stitch that is quick to fill an area. Shops call it a good first decorative stitch and a background that covers well.

The diagonal carries the eye, so use it where you want movement: a background, a stretch of water, or clothing, where the slant can be reversed on the two sides of a coat so that they mirror each other. The square can also be made larger or smaller than three threads.

It pairs with tent stitch: in Moorish stitch, rows of diagonal Scotch alternate with single stepped rows of tent stitch.

Tips

  • Count the first row with care; later rows lock into it.

When it goes wrong

Gaps at the edges.
Begin in a large open part of the area so the pattern is established before you reach an edge. Then go back and fill the gaps with shorter stitches at the same angle.
The canvas pulls out of square.
Diagonal stitches can pull canvas out of shape. Work on stretcher bars or a frame.

Variations

  • Moorish stitch. Diagonal rows of Scotch squares with a stepped line of tent stitch between them. One stitch reference finds it as the background of a French panel of the early eighteenth century.
  • Reversed diagonal Scotch. The same stitch with the slant, and the rows, running the other way.

Questions

Is diagonal Scotch the same as condensed Scotch?
Yes. Condensed Scotch stitch and condensed cushion stitch are one stitch reference's names for it.
Which way do I work the rows?
Down one diagonal row and back up the next.

Where to go next

Stitches

Guides