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Box and diagonal stitches · Beginner

Slanted gobelin stitch

A tall tent stitch: each stitch slants over one vertical thread and two horizontal threads.

Slanted gobelin stitch: the finished stitch on canvas, 14 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. Come up at the top of the row

    Slanted gobelin stitch, step 1: bare canvas, with a dot in the hole where the needle comes up. Numeral 1 marks that hole.

    Working left to right, bring the needle up at the top of the row, one hole in from its left end.

  2. The first stitch

    Slanted gobelin stitch, step 2: the first stitch on the canvas. Numerals 1 and 2 mark its ends, in working order.

    Go down two threads below and one thread to the left.

  3. Repeat across the row

    Slanted gobelin stitch, step 3: seven stitches on the canvas, the six this step adds in red. Numerals 3 and 4 mark the ends of the first new stitch, in working order.

    Come up one hole to the right of where the stitch began and repeat across the row. This leaves a long slanted stitch on the back.

  4. Work the next row back

    Slanted gobelin stitch, step 4: 14 stitches on the canvas, the seven this step adds in red.

    Work the next row directly below, coming back right to left: up at the bottom of each stitch, down at the top in the hole shared with the row above.

At a glance

Also called
Gobelin stitch, oblique Gobelin
Used for
borders; bands; backgrounds and filled areas
Coverage
Full
Direction
Slanted up to the right
Stitch length
Over 2 canvas threads up and 1 across

Slanted Gobelin makes smooth, solid bands. Like upright Gobelin it is used for borders and filling, and it sits well beside other slanted stitches. Two horizontal threads is the traditional height; taller versions cross three or more.

The name comes from the Gobelins tapestry works in Paris, though one stitch reference says it is unclear whether the stitch has a real link to the factory or was named for its tapestry-like look. 'Gobelin stitch' on its own has been used for both this stitch and the upright one.

Because it slants, it covers the canvas better than an upright stitch in the same thread. The smooth bands are used for architectural detail such as paneling and shiplap, for sky and for sloping hills, and a single band makes a border.

It pairs with other diagonal stitches: one stitch list suggests it especially where the stitches around it also slant.

Tips

  • Turn the stitch a quarter turn to make vertical bands.

When it goes wrong

The canvas pulls out of square.
Slanted Gobelin can pull the canvas more than a straight stitch does. Work on a frame or stretcher bars.
The return row is awkward to stitch.
The second row is worked in the opposite direction, from the bottom of each stitch up into the holes of the row above. If you stitch in the hand and not on a frame, a nineteenth-century encyclopedia's answer is to turn the work around so that every row is stitched the same way.

Variations

  • Slanted Slav stitch. In eastern European counted-thread work the same stitch is often made over three threads and goes by this name.
  • Oblique Slav stitch. A flatter slant, over two horizontal threads and four vertical. One stitch list says it works up faster than the other Gobelin stitches.

Questions

What is the difference between slanted and upright Gobelin?
Only the slant. Upright Gobelin is a vertical stitch. Slanted Gobelin also moves one thread sideways, and the slant covers the canvas better.

Where to go next

Stitches

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