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Montenegrin stitch icon
Montenegrin stitch

  • Two-sided Montenegrin cross stitch
  • Montenegrin cross stitch
Montenegrin stitch main image

Montenegrin Stitch is a form of cross stitch.  It consists of one long diagonal stitch, crossed by a short diagonal stitch, a short vertical stitch and then by another short diagonal stitch.  It is useful when both sides of the fabric may be exposed to view although the appearance of the wrong side is different from the one on the right side.

Montenegrin stitch was obviously in use in the 16th century as it features on a border fragment of unknown origin, held by the Cooper Hewitt museum.

From the following century it features on a 1618 German sampler held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and on a 1648 British sampler held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

add_circleMy Stitches
Crossed Reversible Filling Counted Thread Canvaswork

Montenegrin stitch is generously sponsored by Joy Law

Method

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Montenegrin stitch method stage 1 illustration
Montenegrin stitch method stage 1 photograph
1

Work a diagonal stitch from bottom left to top right over eight vertical and four horizontal canvas threads.

Montenegrin stitch method stage 2 illustration
Montenegrin stitch method stage 2 photograph
2

Bring up the needle to the right of the bottom left corner over four canvas threads. Make a diagonal stitch in opposite direction over four vertical and four horizontal canvas threads.

Montenegrin stitch method stage 3 illustration
Montenegrin stitch method stage 3 photograph
3

Come up at the same spot of the start of the second stitch.

Montenegrin stitch method stage 4 illustration
Montenegrin stitch method stage 4 photograph
4

Then work a straight stitch to the top over four threads.

Montenegrin stitch method stage 5 illustration
Montenegrin stitch method stage 5 photograph
5

Bring up the needle at the same spot again.

Montenegrin stitch method stage 6 illustration
Montenegrin stitch method stage 6 photograph
6

Repeat the stitches by starting a diagonal stitch to top right over eight vertical and four horizontal canvas threads.

Montenegrin stitch method stage 7 illustration
Montenegrin stitch method stage 7 photograph
7

Bring the needle up at the bottom, four threads to the right from the beginning of the previous stitch.

Montenegrin stitch method stage 8 illustration
Montenegrin stitch method stage 8 photograph
8

Work a diagonal stitch in opposite direction and come up at the same spot as the previous stitch starting point.

Montenegrin stitch method stage 9 illustration
Montenegrin stitch method stage 9 photograph
9

Work a straight stitch to the top over four canvas threads, and bring the needle up at the same hole as the beginning of the previous stitch.

Montenegrin stitch method stage 10 illustration
Montenegrin stitch method stage 10 photograph
10

Continue Montenegrin Stitch to form a dense line.

Montenegrin stitch

Structure of stitch

Crossed Reversible

Common uses

Filling

Embroidery Techniques

Counted Thread Canvaswork

Related Stitches

Cross stitch Long-armed cross stitch Two-sided Italian cross stitch Greek stitch

Identifying Montenegrin stitch

This stitch consists of long diagonal stitches worked bottom left to top right, crossed by short diagonal stitches which slope in the opposite direction and short vertical stitches.
From the reverse, the stitch consists of a succession of cross stitches, each separated by a short vertical stitch.

References