Stems These stitches lend themselves to creating stems of plants and flowers. Stems Stitches Back-stitched chain stitch Braid stitch Cable stitch Chain stitch Closed fly stitch Elizabethan twist application Gold twist application Open chain stitch Outline stitch Overcast stitch Pearl Stitch Plaited braid stitch Reverse chain stitch Rope stitch Sinhalese chain stitch Stem stitch Straight stitch Turning metal thread couching Twisted chain stitch Whipped back stitch Whipped chain stitch Whipped stem stitch