Take a Stitch Tuesday - Cretan Stitch - Week 4

This week for Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST), the featured stitch is the Cretan Stitch. I had never heard of this stitch until it was part of TAST.

Booklet that I am keeping which includes the

embroidery stitch of the week

plus a  personal and gratitude journal entry.

According to Victorian Embroidery and Crafts, "The Cretan stitch, and its variations, originated in Crete and the surrounding regions. For centuries women in this area have used this stitch to decorate clothing and household linens.

"This very versatile stitch can be used to create beautiful borders with an open plait finish or it can be worked more closely to fill small leaves and flower petals. When worked closely, it gives the appearance of close plaiting. Beads and sequins can easily be added to it. It is also a popular stitch with makers of crazy quilts."

To do this stitch, according to Victorian Embroidery and Crafts,

- Draw two parallel lines.

- Bring the needle from the under to the upper surface of the material, on the left-hand corner of the lowest line but one. The needle in working is always at right angles to these lines.

- Insert the needle in the top line slightly further to the right of where it came out on the bottom line, and take a small stitch downwards.

- Then insert it in the bottom line and similarly take a small stitch upwards. In taking the stitch the thread must be kept to the left of the needle as in the illustration, or the plaiting will not take place.

Photo Source

There are different variations of this stitch depending:

Photo Source

I practiced this stitch and incorporated it onto my journal pages for the week.

Creten stitch around sun, moon, star, and pinecone images.

I tried the stitch with different angles and widths between stitches.

As I have during past weeks, there's a journal entry about what happened and how I'm doing; and there's a gratitude part that includes five people, things, or experiences for which I'm grateful.

Personal and gratitude journal

with an image of Greek architecture.

There are two images from National Geographic magazine of Greek architecture. I like the white-washed buildings, and clean, simple lines - especially of the stairs. Someday I would love to travel to Greece...until then, I can enjoy the images from the magazine.