I’ve had a few questions this past week about stem stitch filling in general, mostly in conjunction with the Secret Garden embroidery project.

So today, I want to show you some close ups of stem stitch filling underway and go over a few tips about how to successfully fill an area with the stem stitch.

The stem stitch is a really versatile stitch, so whether you’re working the Secret Garden project or not, hopefully, you’ll find these tips useful for other surface embroidery projects as well.

The Royal School of Needlework and Search Press have published a series of Essential Stitch Guides for different needlework disciplines.

These are very handy reference books to have in your needlework library. They cover the basics and a little beyond in each technique, giving the beginner a place to start and a direction to move in when learning various aspects of the needle arts.

So far, eight Essential Stitch Guides are available on the following needlework techniques: Crewelwork, Blackwork, Whitework, Silk Shading, Stumpwork, Goldwork, Bead Embroidery, and Canvaswork.

I’ve reviewed seven of them (the links above will take you directly to my previous reviews), and today, I’m reviewing the eighth – the RSN Essential Stitch Guide for Canvaswork, by Rachel Doyle.

Canvas work and needlepoint are synonymous terms. Here in the US, needlepoint has been the more commonly used term for stitching on canvas, though more and more, the term “canvas work” is becoming more widely used here, too.

Last time we visited the Secret Garden embroidery project, we looked at the vines on the lower half of the hummingbird design, which were underway in shaded stem stitch filling.

I’ve finished embroidering the vines on the lower half of the project, including the center scrolls.

Today, let’s look at that part of the design. I’ll tell you how I stitched it (you might want to do it differently), and share some insights on some tricky spots.

Ahhhhhh. Embroidery Thread. Who among us doesn’t love the stuff?

Well, this morning, I drew the winner of last week’s thread give-away, courtesy of Colour Complements.

Who was it? Well, I’ll give you a hint. She chose this color sample pack as her favorite, in answer to the question on the original give-away:

Yesterday, we talked about some hints to increase stitching efficiency.

We discussed how starting threads from the front of the fabric and traveling threads along a stitched path on the back of the fabric can help save a little time during embroidery sessions.

Today, we’re going to look at one more habit that helps increase stitching efficiency. It’s called “parking” your embroidery threads.