Diagonal straight and back stitch sounds like a mouthful but it has a nice working rhythm as it consists of one straight stitch then a stitch that is worked back on itself, a bit like half a back stitch. Diagonal Straight and Back Stitch stitch creates a simple, quick fill that works up easily on even weave fabric. When you tension each stitch it makes a pulled thread filling. It looks like faggot stitch but is not as if you were working a faggot stitch you would pass the needle diagonally behind the work. This stitch puzzles me to be honest because it feels like someone was trying to do faggoting but got it wrong and as a result invented a stitch. That said it works up very quickly and can be useful to use if you want cover an area.
How to work Diagonal straight and back stitch
Diagonal straight and back stitch can be used in both surface embroidery and pulled thread work but needs to be worked on an evenweave fabric to look its best.
Bring your needle from the back of fabric move horizontally along 4 threads. Insert your needle and have it emerge 4 threads vertical threads down.
Pull your needle through.
Move your needle up four threads and make a back stitch by inserting your needle at the corner of your previous stitch as illustrated.
Continue in this zigzag manner diagonally down the fabric.
The rhythm is create a straight stitch across, and then back stitch down, a straight stitch across and so on.
Turn at the bottom of the line and work in the same zig zag manner up the line.
Work back and forth to fill the area.
The photograph above is Diagonal Straight and Back Stitch worked as pulled stitch. To create this effect you just tug on each stitch as you go. It makes for a very quick pulled thread filling!
I hope you enjoy Diagonal Straight and Back Stitch!
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