Backstitch

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Back stitch is a simple embroidery line stitch most commonly used in Cross stitch to outline an area of stitching or to add detail to an embroidered picture but it also has many uses in other types of embroidery and general sewing.

Although superficially similar to Holbein stitch, commonly used in Blackwork embroidery, backstitch differs in the way it is worked, requiring a single journey only to complete a line of stitching. A versatile and easy to work stitch, backstitch is ideal for following both smooth and complicated outlines and as a foundation row for more complex embroidery stitches such as Herringbone ladder filling stitch.

Back stitch is also known as point de sable.

[edit] Description of the technique

Backstitch is most easily worked on an even-weave fabric, where the threads can be counted to ensure regularity, and is generally executed from right to left. The stitches are worked in a 'two steps forward, one step back' fashion, along the line to be filled, as shown in the diagram.