Stitch Library
Bullion bars
This unusual stitch can be adapted to make a raised bar to the length required by the design. It can also be made to curve (by winding more threads round the needle) for building up ‘Porto Rico’ roses.
Start with a back stitch the same length and in the same position as the finished bar. Do not complete the back stitch - leave the needle in the fabric. Wind the thread round the needle until the coil is the intended length of the finished bar. Hold the needle and its coil of thread firmly against the fabric, gently but firmly pull the needle through the coil and the fabric, then turn the coil back on itself and push the needle through the fabric at the rear of the back stitch. (Note that a gold-plated needle makes bullion bars easier to work.)
