Van Dyke Stitch with Reverse Chain Start

Van Dyke stitch is best worked in metal threads or tightly twisted cotton or silks.

For this tutorial, #371 gold wire was used to create a leaf motif.

It could also be used to create veins on a leaf worked in silk, as shown below.

Start out with a few Reverse Chain stitches (reference Reverse Chain tutorial if you aren't already familiar with this stitch).

For Reverse Chain, the working thread is brought to fabric surface, looped around the previous chain stitch, and then plunged to the back of the fabric through the same hole.  To create the legs in Van Dyke, the working thread is brought to fabric surface slightly to the left of the chain stitched row (working towards your body), looped around the previous chain stitch, and then returned to the back of the fabric, slightly to the right of the chain stitches.  See photo, left.




As you create each loop or chain, increase the distance between the legs as shown here.

Keep a firm, but not tight, tension.  Pull only enough to keep the "legs" straight.

If creating a shape such as this one, you will begin to reduce the length of the legs as you come to the final point and the last stitch will be a Reverse Chain.