Outline Stitch
(1) The outline stitch is the simplest of all embroidery stitches. Take a long stitch on the surface, with the needle pointing towards the chest in the line to be covered, and a short back stitch on the under side of the material. The effect of the under or wrong side of the material is exactly that of an ordinary back stitch. The beauty of this stitch depends upon its regularity and in always keeping the thread on the same side of the needle.
ORNAMENTAL STITCHES
a—Outline; b—Chain; c—Cat; c'—Catch; d—Single Feather; e—Double Feather; f—Tripple Feather; g—Modified Feather; h—Double Feather with Knots; i—French Knots and Outline; j—Herring Bone; k—Fancy Feather; l—Cat Stitch with French Knots.
Chain Stitch
(2) The chain stitch when perfectly done should look like the stitch made by a single-thread machine. This stitch is made by taking the thread toward the worker, and before the needle is drawn out of the cloth the thread is held by the thumb under the point of the needle, as in a buttonhole, making a loop. The needle is inserted in the last loop for the next stitch. The chain stitch is used in modern embroidery as an outline and for darning, but in old embroidery, the outline and chain stitches were used for filling as well. They are found in Persian, Indian, and Italian Renaissance work. Like the feather stitch, the chain stitch is worked towards the worker.