The nice thing about the raised stem stitch is that it is a quick way to fill up a raised space with embroidery. Once the foundation stitches are worked, the thread passes over and under the foundation stitches, but not through the fabric, which moves the stitch along at a rapid rate.
Casalguidi embroidery takes the raised stem stitch to even greater heights by working it over a heavy cord padding. To see Casalguidi stitch worked out step-by-step, you might take a look at this Stitch Play article focusing on Casalguidi stitch.
Raised Stem Stitch Video
In the raised stem stitch video below, I’m working with #5 perle cotton in two colors, so that you can easily see the stitch. You can work the raised stem stitch in the same colors for the foundation stitches and the stem stitch (which is how it would normally be worked as a filling). You can also work the stitch over much larger spaces as a filling stitch.
In the video, I don’t wrap the first or the last foundation stitches in the band. Stitch dictionaries differ in their instructions on this point, but in fact, it doesn’t make that much of a difference either way. In the Stitch Play article on raised stem stitch, I skipped the first foundation stitch, but I did wrap the last foundation stitch. You can experiment with it either way, to see which way you like it best. Personally, I find that wrapping the first foundation stitch makes the beginning too bulky, but wrapping the last foundation stitch works fine.
Here’s the video. I hope you find some good use for this stitch!
