The Anchor Stitch

The Anchor Stitch described here is not what is usually thought of when this term is used. Many books use this term to describe the method of holding a thread in place, whether at the beginning of a number of stitches or in keeping the thread in a certain position such as in the Daisy stitch. For this, a very small straight stitch is used. The following “Anchor Stitch” is a very specific stitch that you might find useful in your decorative stitching.

Anchor Stitch

This stitch is similar to Horn stitch, but with a longer middle portion.

To work, make two side stitches joined at the bottom. Next make a Chain stitch covering the joining, fasten this Chain stitch down by means of a long overcast stitch, taking the needle to the back of the work.

Upon completion of a number of these stitches, the result will look like the sample below.

Reference to this stitch was found in a book dated 1912. Although this is technically not of the “Victorian Era”, many ladies still produced items that retained Victorian characteristics. This stitch was helpful in doing so.


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