The Portuguese knotted stem stitch is a great stitch for outlining, especially when you want a little heavier line with some texture to it. The stitch is made up of the stem stitch with little knots along the line, making the line look a little scalloped on one side.
This stitch is especially suitable to Mountmellick Embroidery, and can be used equally well in Jacobean work or crewel embroidery.
I think the stitch looks best when worked with a twisted thread, like a perle cotton. the definition of the stitch is best retained with a more tightly twisted thread. Still, it looks fine worked with regular embroidery floss, too.
I’ve also got a photo tutorial of the same stitch, if you want to see it in “still life.” The photo tutorial shows more clearly what the stitch looks like when worked.
Left-Handed Stitch Instructions
For left-handed stitchers, the stitch is easier worked right to left. When working in this direction, you’ll need to keep the working thread above the needle, and when you wrap the stitch to make the “knot,” wrap from above going down. Otherwise, the thread will lose its twist and the stitch will lose its definition.
Here’s the video:
For more embroidery stitch instruction, feel free to check out my collection of hand embroidery stitch videos here on Needle ‘n Thread!
(((awesome))) Thank you.
This is so wonderful of you! Thank you so much! I have always wanted to embroider, just never knew where to start or how to do the basics! Now I can even experiment with new stitches I haven’t heard of!
thankyou so much….wonderful video, and for free…God bless…I firmly believe in vocational training and want to commend the way you are making sure that the traditional embroidery lives on.
rhoda (Indian living in Oman)
Another THANK YOU! My daughter and I decided to learn embroidery as a project and found your website and these wonderful videos. They are so perfect and helpful!
Funny!
)
Some time ago I was searching for instructions to do this stitch. After lots of searching – i didn’t how it was called in English ou French – I found the site “in a minute ago”. There she calls this Palestina stitch or reverse Palestrina stitch.
In fact some stitches have similar words, translated of course, but this is a peculiar word even in Portuguese – “ponto grilhão” that means “fetters stitch” – translating literally.
I love you call it Portuguese knotted
Thanks sooooo much for this.
Really very nice n awesome. Thanx a lot
I just did this stitch with 'you' 'step by step' .. ! Thank you very much!!
../mehdiyah
I’m portuguese and I didn’t know this point has this name. Thank you.
hello very nice and useful videos thank you
Hi Mary,
I have previously tried to do this stitch with little success. Thank you for your wonderful video as it makes it look so simple and IS as I have just tried it. All the instructions I have seen all work it upwards!
Your Web site is wonderful thankyou.
Joy…..
hi marry, i like this video iknow basic stitch but portugusese knotted stem it nice ilike it and i want to dron thred stittch how to make this. this stitch make in meti cloth and cashmin fabric .pleas teach me about this dron thred stitch.
what kind of cloth are you using in this video?
Hi, Annu – linen! All my samples are done on linen, usually 35 ct or higher. -MC