This stitch works from
the upper left to the lower right of the canvas. Rows fill to the left of the
first row, so start on the right side of your little square. The reason for this
is so you can come up in an empty hole and go down into a full hole as you fill
the area. If you are filling an area, work all the rows from top to bottom. This
is one of two extremely useful diagonal stitches on this page (stay tuned for diagonal
Greek, coming shortly).
Diagonal upright cross is most useful as a diagonal band dividing two areas. Frequently, you have a two-thread wide area painted and you really don't feel like doing tent stitch -- diagonal upright cross is perfect for this. It makes a braided look that is very attractive. It can also be used to fill a small area if you want a very diagonal feel. Count carefully until you get the rhythm of this stitch.
I worked my sample in #5 pearl cotton, Watercolours, and Flair, just to try out different looks. I have primarily used this stitch on canvases as a single line. You can reverse the stitch to make a diagonal the other direction, but I recommend working out the stitch sequence on paper first.
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