Handle small curves and corners

Shorter stitches follow tight curves more closely. Treat a sharp corner as a deliberate endpoint rather than rounding it with one long stitch.

Before you start

Prepare a small offcut of the intended ground with the intended needle and thread. Mark the practice area lightly and support the fabric without stretching its grain.

Try this example

Draw a small S beside a square corner. Gradually shorten stitches through the S and place one stitch end exactly at the corner; inspect from normal reading distance.

Check your result

• Release the frame and inspect front and reverse. The thread should lie as intended without distorting the ground; shorten a stitch or change the sample before pulling harder.
• Coverage and tension depend on the actual ground, thread and stitch length. A diagram shows the route, not a universal thread quantity or tension setting.

Sources

• rsnstitchbank.org: stem stitch
• rsnstitchbank.org: running stitch

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