This was a really lovely stitch, and one that shows what a difference a small change can make to the overall stitch! I would call this a stitch a ‘buttonhole stitch with a variation’. You do have to ‘squint’ a bit on my sample to see this variation, but it is there, I promise!
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The beginning of the stitch is your standard buttonhole stitch. However before launching into the second stitch, a small ‘knot’ or ‘loop’ is created by feeding the thread back through the arm of the buttonhole stitch, all on the fabric, a bit like weaving.
In the examples Sharon provided, she worked the stitches next to each other. I thought (in all my wisdom!) to try it like a decorative stitch, and spaced the stitches apart a little. One thing I did find was that the direction you pull the thread after creating the loop does seem to impact the ‘direction’ the stitch sits in. So towards the end I was pulling the thread down towards myself, rather than in the direction of the line. This seems to have straightened up the stitches a little, however more work on this is needed. I imagine if you created the stitches next to each other, the effect of the loop would be much more pronounced, as they would be sitting right next to each other, rather than with a solid line of thread next to it.
Overall I am quite happy with the result. I used a thin thread with a twist (a cotton thread from Oliver Twists), however from the examples from Sharon and the others on the Facebook page, it appears that if you would like a very definitive knot, it is more defined in thicker threads.
Thanks Sharon for another lovely stitch! It would make great borders, anywhere you want to spice up the standard buttonhole a little.
Have you used this stitch before? What do you think of it?
