1. LIBRARY OF STITCHES

2. STITCHES USED IN KACHCHHI EMBROIDERY
EMBROIDERIES THROUGHOUT THE KACHCHH REGION CAN GENERALLY BE DISTINGUISHED BY THEIR MINUTENESS.CHARACTERSTIC IS THE WIDE VARIETY OF STITCHES, INCLUDING RUNNING STITCH, STEM, BUTTONHOLE, COUCHED, CHAIN, CROSSED, DETACHED INTERLOCKING, SATIN, PATTERN DRAINING, HERRINGBONE,ETC., ALL WORKED ON A SMALL SCALE.MOTIFS,CORRESPONDINGLY MINUTE, ARE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY GEOMETRIC OR FLORAL AND ARRANGED IN A SERIES OF BRODERS THAT SOMETIMES INCLUDE TINY MIRRORS.COLORS, LIKE STITCHES, COVER A BOARD SPECTRUM.

3. BACKSTICH
BACKSTICH IS DONE FROM RIGHT TO LEFT.BRING THE THREAD UP ON THE LINE AND INSERT NEEDLE A LITTLE TO THE RIGHT.AFTER THIS BRING THE NEEDLE UP AGAIN AN EQUAL DISTANCE AHEAD.INSERT AGAIN AT BEGINNING OF THE LAST STITCH.

4. BACKSTITCH, DOUBLE-THREADED
WORK A ROW AS IN BACKSTITCH WITH A SINGLE THREAD.COMPLETE THE STITCH BY LACING BACK IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

5. CROSSED BACKSTITCH
THIS STITCH RESEMBLES TWO ROWS OF BACKSTITCH AND THE WRONG SIDE THE CATCH SIDE.SLANT THE NEEDLE THE SAME AS IF MAKING A CATCH STITCH,MAKE A SINGLE BACK STITCH,FIRST ON THE LOWER SIDE AND THEN DIAGONALLY ACROSS ON THE UPPER SIDE.WORK THIS STITCH ON TRANSPARENT MATERIAL SO THAT THE CROSSING OF THREADS SHOW THROUGH TO THE RIGHT SIDE.THIS STITCH IS OFTEN CALLED HERRINGBONE STITCH WHEN CROSSES ARE WORKED ON RIGHT SIDE.

6. CHAIN STITCH
WORK THIS STITCH FROM THE TOP.BRING THE NEEDLE UP AT THE TOP LINE.MAKE A LOOP WITH THE THREAD AND HOLD IT IN PLACE WITH LEFT THUMB.INSERT NEEDLE TO THE RIGHT WHERE THREAD FIRST CAME UP.NOW BRING THE NEEDLE OUT A SHORT DISTANCE AHEAD ON LINE,DRAWING NEEDLE OVER THE LOOP.

7. CROSS STITCH
IT IS DONE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT.BRING THE NEEDLE UP AT LOWER LEFT CORNER OF A CROSS AND MAKE A DIAGONAL STITCH TO UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF CROSS.COMPLETE THE ROW WITH THESE HALF CROSS-STITCHES.NOW WORK BACK ACROSS ROW, COMPLETING EACH CROSS.IT HAS TO BE MADE SURE THAT EACH STITCH ALWAYS CROSSES IN THE SAME DIRECTION.

8. BLANKET/BUTTONHOLE STITCH
THIS STITCH IS WORKED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT.BRING THE NEEDLE UP AND HOLE THE LOOP OF THREAD DOWN WITH LEFT THUMB.MAKE A VERTICAL STITCH AS IN DIAGRAM,BRINGING THE NEEDLE OUT OVER THE LOOP OF THREAD.

9. RUNNING STITCH
THIS STITCH IS USED FOR LINES AND OUTLINES AND WORKED FROM RIGHT TO LEFT.IT HAS TO BE MADE SURE THAT EACH STITCH IS IDENTICAL IN SIZE AND THE SPACE BETWEEN THEM ARE ALSO THE SAME.

10. HOLBEIN STITCH
THE RUNNING STITCH IS ALONG GUIDE LINE.IT HAS TO BE MADE SURE THAT EACH STITCH AND THE SPACE BETWEEN STITCHES ARE OF EQUAL SIZE.NOW RUNNING STITCH HA TO BE WORKED THE OTHER WAY, SO THAT ALL THE SPACES ARE FILLED IN.

11. OVERCAST STITCH
FIRST MAKE A ROW OF HOLBIEN STITCH ALONG GUIDE LINE.NEXT MAKE TINY CLOSE STITCHES OVER HOLBIEN STITCHES,PICKING UP AS LITTLE FABRIC AS POSSIBLE.

12. STEM STITCH
THIS STITCH IS USED FOR LINES,OUTLINES AND THE STEM OF THE FLOWERS.IT IS DONE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT.START AT LEFT END OF GUIDE LINE.IT HAS TO BE MADE SURE TO KEEPTHE THREAD BELOW NEEDLE THROUGHOUT.IF THE THREAD IS HELD IS ABOVE THE NEEDLE THROUGHOUT,THE STITCH IS CALLED OUTLINE STITCH.

13. COUCHING STITCH
THIS STITCH IS USED FOR LINES AND OUTLINES AND WORKED IN CLOSE ROWS.IT IS WORKED WITH ATLEAST TWO THREADS USED SEPARATELY.FASTEN ONE OR MORE THREADS AT END OF THREAD;BRING IT UP TO TOP.HOLD THEM IN PLACE ALONG WITH LEFT THUMB.HOLD TEHM IN PLACE WITH TINY,EVENLY SPACED STITCHES MADE WITH ANOTHER THREAD.WHEN A ROW IS COMPLETED,ALL THREADS ARE TAKEN BEHIND AND FASTENED.

14. BOKHARA COUCHING STITCH
THE THREAD TO BE COUCHED IS LAID ACROSS THE SPACE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT;USING THE SAME THREAD TO FASTEN DOWN WITH SMALL SLANTING STITCHES AT EVEN STITCHES.

15. LEAF STITCH
THIS IS AN EFFECTIVE WAY OF FILLING IN A LEAF SHAPE.STARTING AT POINT OF LEAF,MAKE A STRAIGHT STITCH PART WAY DOWN CENTER.BRING THE NEEDLE OUT N LEFT EDGE.LEAVING A LOOP OF YARN,NEEDLE HAS TO BE INSERTED ON RIGHT EDGE.LEAVING A LOOP OF YARN ,NEEDLE HAS TO BE INSERTED ON THE RIGHT EDGE.NOW THE LOOP HAS TO BE HELD DOWN WITH A SMALL STITCH.

16. FEATHER STITCH
START A LITTLE LEFT OF GUIDE LINE.HOLDING THREAD WITH LEFT THUMB,WORKING A SMALL SLANTING STITCH TO THE RIGHT AND A BIT BELOW WHERE THREAD EMERGED.NEEDLE POINTS TO THE LEFT.PULL THE NEEDLE THROUGH OVER THEARD LOOP.MAKE A THREAD LOOP ON THE LEFT OF THE GUIDE LINE AND WORK A STITCH AS BEFORE THE NEEDLE POINTING TO RIGHT.PULL NEEDLE THROUGH OVER THREAD LOOP.MAKE THREAD LOOP ON LEFT OF THE GUIDE LINE AND A STITCH HAS TO BE MADE AS BEFORE BIT THE NEEDLE POINTING TO RIGHT.PULL NEEDLE THROUGH OVER THREAD LOOPS.

17. CORAL STITCH
IT IS DONE FROM RIGHT TO LEFT.START AT RIGHT END OF LINE.ANCHOR THREAD WITH LEFT THUMB.GOING UNDER THREAD,MAKE A LITTLE STITCH ACROSS THE LINE.BRING NEEDLE OUT OVER LOWER CORVE OF THREAD.

18. SPLIT STITCH
THIS STITCH IS USED FOR LINES AND OUTLINES.THE METHOD OF WORKING IS SIMILAR TO STEM STITCH.HOWEVER,WHEN BRINGING OUT THE NEEDLE,CAUSE IT TO SPLIT THE NEEDLE RIGHT IN THE CENTER.

19. LAID STITCH
IT LOOKS LIKE SATIN STITCH AND IS USED FOR A SOLID FILLING.A STITCH HAS TO BE MADE FROM ONE GUIDE LINE,BRINGING NEEDLE OUT THE WIDTH OF A STITCH AWAY,RETURNING TO THE STARTING EDGE AND ANOTHER LITTLE STITCH HAS TO BE MADE.WHEN THE ENTIRE AREA BETWEEN GUIDE LINE HAS TO BE FILLED,WORK OVER THE SAME AREA FILLING IN ALL THE SPACES BETWEEN STITCHES.

20. STRAIGHT STITCH
THIS STICH IS DONE SEPARATELY AND WORKED IN A CIRCLE TO FORM A FLOWER.

21. ROMANIAN STITCH
IT IS WORKED FROM THE TOP DOWN.BRING NEEDLE UP ON LEFT GUIDE LINE AND MAKE A SATIN STICH ACROSS THE SPACE.THEN THE NEEDLE HAS TO BE BROUGHT OUT JUST AT THE CENTER AND ABOVE THE SATIN STITCH. NOW A LITTLE SLANTING STITCH HAS TO BE MADE OVER SATIN STITCH,AGAIN BRINGING NEEDLE OUT ON LEFT GUIDE LINE.

22. BRICK STITCH
WORK A ROW OF STRAIGHT STITCHES,LEAVING THE WIDTH OF A STITCH BETWEEN EVERY ADJOINING STITCH.MAKE A SECOND ROW OF STITCHES IN THE SAME MANNER BUT INTERLOCK THEM WITH THE FIRST ROW OF STITCHES.

23. STAR FILLING STITCH
FIRST WORK A CROSS STICH WITH THE ARMS ON THE STRAIGHT RATHER THAN THE USUAL WAY.THEN WORK A SECOND CROSS STITCH OVER THE FIRST,MAKING THE SECOND IN THE USUAL WAY.NEXT WORK A SMALL CROSS STITCH OVER THE FIRST TWO, TYING THEM DOWN.

24. TRELLIS STITCH
FIRST WORK LONG VERTICAL STITCHES ACROSS THE GIVEN AREA.MAKE SURE THEY ARE SPACED.THEN WORK ALONG HORIZONTAL STITCHES VER THE FIRST STITCHES.TIE STITCHES IN PLACE AT EACH INTERSECTION WITH A HALF CROSS STITCH OR A FULL CROSS STITCH.

25. HERRINGBONE STITCH
THIS STITCH IS USED FOR BORDERS AND IS WORKED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT.BRING THREAD OUT AT LEFT END OF LOWER GUIDE LINE.MAKE SMALL STITCH FROM RIGHT TO LEFT ON UPPER GUIDE LINE.NOW A SIMILAR STITCH HAS TO BE MADE FROM RIGHT TO LEFT ON LOWER GUIDE LINE.THE STITCHES ARE TO BE KEPT VERY EVEN BY CORRECT SPACING.

26. SATIN STITCH
BRING NEEDLE UPON GUIDE LINE THEN INSERT ON OPPOSITE GUIDE LINE.CARRY STITCH BEHIND WORK AND AGAIN COME UP ON FIRST GUIDE LINE.STITCHES SHOULD BE VERY SMOOTH AND CLOSE TOGTHER.IT HAS TO BE MADE SURE THAT EACH STITCH IS PARRALLEL TO THE PERSIDING ONE.FOR A PERECISE EDGE,WORK SHOULD BE DONE WITH A ROW SLIPT STITCH OVER GUIDE LINES.

27. FISHBONE STITCH
MAKE A SMALL VERTICAL STITCH AT TOP OF AREA TO BE FIILED.BRING NEEDLE UPON LEFT OUTLINE.MAKE A SLANTING STITCH TOWARDS CENTRE,INSERTING NEEDLE JUST BELOW FIRST STRAIGHT STITCH AND A THREAD OR TWO TO RIGHT OF CENTRE GUIDE LINE.BRING NEEDLE OUT ON THE RIGHT OUTLINE.NOW A SLANTING STITCH HAS TO BE MADE TOWARDS THE CENTRE LINE.STITCHES MUST CROSS AT CENTRE.

28. CRETAN STITCH THIS STITCH IS USED INA VARITEY OF WAYS:
AS A BASE THREAD TO DRAW THE DESIGN OUT ON THE FABRIC.
AS A STITCH FORMING LINES.
OR FOR PATTERN OR BLOCKS OF STITCH.
IT IS ALSO USED IN MIRROR WORK AND OTHER CIRCLES OF EMBROIDERY STITCHES,OFTENN CONJUNCTION WITH HERRINGBONE STITCH.

29. MIRROR WORK
THE MIRROR IS NORMALLY HELD IN PLACE WITH TWO VERTICAL AND TWO HORIZONTAL THREADS,FAIRLY CLOSE TOGETHER AND ADDITIONAL DET OF STITCHES WHICH FOR A STRONGER BASE TO HOLD THE MIRROR IN THE PLACE .THE TENSION OF THE BASE STITCHES IS IMPORTANT,AS THEY GET,PULLED OUT TOWARDS THE EDGES OF THE MIRRORS BY THE TOP STITCHING.A NUMBER OF STITCHES CAN BE USED FOR THE TOP STITCH LIKE:
CRETAN STITCH
BUTTONHOLE STITCH
HERRINGBONE STITCH
TWISTED CHAIN STITCH
SHISHA STITCH