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Long-Armed Cross

The long armed cross is a 'line' stitch, though it can be used as a filling as well. It has lots of other names, such as long -egged cross, plaited Slav, Portuguese stitch and twist stitch. You can see where it got its name: you stitch a short stitch, then reach out with a long stitch (the long arm).

This stitch makes a good border, or can also be a textured filling. If you are working it as a filling, you must pay attention to the direction you go. You should either do all of your rows the same direction (from left to right, for example) or work back and forth, back and forth (and never putting two rows going the same direction together). In my samples, the top sample (worked in pearl cotton) goes back and forth, creating a sort of railroad effect. The bottom sample has rows all worked from left to right, which gives a smoother effect.

Long armed cross is very nice worked in Watercolours or other overdye to give a sort of rainbow effect. It can be worked in almost any thread, depending on how much texture you want.

If you are making rows, you will have a compensating stitch at both beginning and end (see red lines on the diagram).

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