Portuguese Stem Stitch

Portuguese Stem Stitch is also known as

Portuguese knotted stem stitch_[EN], Puntada de tallo portugués / Nudo portugués _[ES], Point de tige portugais _[FR], Portugiesischer stielstich _[DE], Ponto de haste português _[PT].

How to do the Portuguese Stem Stitch

This stem stitch looks sophisticated after being completed. It follows a simple Stem Stitch technique with a little extra looping between each stitch. I will work on a slightly curved stitch line to demonstrate this stitch to you. You need to know the stem stitch to be able to do this stitch.

Fig 1: We start with a single Stem Stitch. Bring the needle out through A, take it in through B and out through C.	Fig 2: Now, take the needle under the stitch A-B without plucking the fabric beneath. Make sure the needle comes out from the left side of the point C, as shown. This makes a loop around the stitch A-B.
Fig 3: Make another similar loop around the stitch A-B, keeping it towards the left of the previous loop. So, we get two loops.	Fig 4: Now, make the next stem stitch. After making both loops, continue to take the needle in through D and bring it out through E. Then, make the two loops. Make sure the loops encircle both A-B and C-D.
Fig 5: Halfway through, our Portuguese stem Stitch would look like this. It gives out a complicated look.	Fig 6: A full curved stitch line would look like this. Observe how the stitch shows up at the two curves.