The Embroideress

Stitches wind up with a plethora of names as they pass through centuries and cultures. One of the most diverse is the group of names used for what I prefer to call Double Running Stitch. I think it is the most practical, down-to-earth name for a stitch that has been variously known as Holbein stitch, true stitch, line stitch, square stitch, punto scrito (writing stitch) or Spanish Stitch.

For an article with a good discussion and the author's interpretation of this stitch as reflected in a Portrait of a Lady in White by daBrescia (c. 1540) see Kathleen Epstein's article Concernynge the Excellency of the Nedle Worcke Spanisshe Stitche in the January/February 1995 issue of Piecework.

Labels: Needlework Stitches, Recommended reading