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Introduction to Hilton Stitches

by Karen Anthony

There are many types of Hilton stitches. This is the first in a series of discussions/articles. For this discussion we are going to focus on two of them:

• Crescents
• Jessicas

Since Hilton stitches are very "geometric", the most important thing to learn is where the "1-2" stitch (or starting leg) goes. Most of the variations of these stitches are created by where the "1-2" stitch is placed.

The first stitch we will discuss is the Crescent. This stitch has many versatile uses and many variations. One of its most common uses is as either a border or part of a border. Almost any fiber can be used with this stitch. This stitch can be combined to create other exotic stitches as well. Jean Hilton describes the Crescent as being half a Jessica in most instances.

The Crescent is one of those stitches where each leg of the stitch goes over previous ones. It is also one of the stitches that can go in almost any direction. As demonstrated in the design, these stitches can be done on the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal. They can also "face" left or right. This stitch can be done with very specific angles (such as right hand angle) or can have a diagonal section between the horizontal and vertical "halves" of the stitch. If it includes a diagonal section with an odd number of holes, the #2 "space" is in the center hole. If the diagonal section has an even number of holes, the #2 "space" is the hole past the center.

This stitch is very fiber intensive. What do I mean by that? Because as you go over previous legs it is what is commonly called a "thread hog". Therefore, for small and medium crescents, start with at least a yard of the fiber you are using and for larger ones at least two yards. This will prevent running out of thread halfway through your stitch.

The diagrams below show a very simple Crescent on a right angle, one without a diagonal section, one with. In order to use it other ways, just slide the stitch numbers around until you have the "point" where you want it. The best way to understand these stitches is to "follow the numbers". The diagrams show how the numbering for each "leg" is stitched and the photos below show what how the stitches differ. The photos also show the "point" in different locations.

A variation of the Crescent is the "fleur-de-lis". This is another very versatile stitch. If you stitch two of these on a diagonal and have the "curves" facing each other, they form a very pretty heart. The diagrams below show how to make this variation. The diagram on the left shows how to make a "vertical" fleur-de-lis. The diagram on the right shows how to make a diagonal fleur-de-lis.

For each fleur-de-lis you start at the "point" and move one thread along the direction of the stitch (up for the vertical, over for the diagonal). As shown in the diagrams, you will always stay on the outside of the "spine" of the fleur-de-lis. Therefore, if you want your fleur-de-lis to curl to the left, you will stay to the right of the "spine". If you want it to curl to the right, you will stay to the left of the "spine". Each leg wraps over the previous ones as you "climb" along the curve. This continues until you get to the last "side" of the curve. Make sure you have at least two yards of your fiber to create this stitch.

The diagram on the left below shows a vertical fleur-de-lis (going up) and the diagram on the right shows a fleur-de-lis on the diagonal (stitch goes to the right at an angle with the curve going to the left. The best way to understand these stitches is to "follow the numbers". The diagrams show how the numbering for each "leg" is stitched and the photos below show what how the stitches differ. You will continue around the "curve" until you reach the bottom of the side of the curve (#20 in the left diagram and # 28 in the right diagram). The photos below show these two stitches.

For the vertical stitch (left diagram), note that #2 and #19 share the same hole, as do #4 & #21, #6 & #23, #8 & #25, #10 & #27, #12 & #29, #14 & #31, #16 & #33, #18 & #35, and #20 & 37. IMPORTANT: After you lay the "25-26" leg, all remaining legs go down in the #26 hole (legs 27-28 to 37-38).

For the diagonal stitch (right diagram), note that #2 and #21 share the same hole, as do #4 & #23, #6 & #25, #8 & #27, #10 & #29, #12 & #31, #14 & #33, #16 & #35, #18 & #37, #20 & #39, #22 & #41, #24 & #43, #26 & #45 and #28 & #47. IMPORTANT:< After you lay the "31-32", all remaining legs go down in the # 32 hole (legs 33-34 to 45-46).

If you choose to make a heart with this stitch, the "points" from each stitch (sides of the heart) will share the same hole. The sides of the curve (#24 - #28) will also share holes.

The next stitch we are going to discuss is the Jessica. This stitch creates a circle. The variations can be used to create other types of shapes such as ovals, diamonds, triangles, etc. For this segment, we are only going to discuss the Jessica that forms a circle. Almost any fiber can be used with this stitch as well.

These stitches can be done in various sizes. Remember as you change the size to keep the basic numbering sequence.Placement of the "1-2" stitch/leg controls the "size" of the center opening.

As stated above, the Jessica stitch creates a circle. The stitch starts in the bottom left corner and moves around the circle as shown in the diagram. The final leg of the stitch goes from the bottom of the left side to the far right of the bottom side (#9 in the diagram below). As you stitch the last "side" of the circle, the legs go underneath the legs of the bottom side. This is what creates the circle and makes it hard to find the "starting" point after it is complete. You begin this "sliding" under the bottom legs after the leg at the top of the left side goes in the #1 hole.

Just like with the Crescent, the best way to understand these stitches is to "follow the numbers". The diagrams below show two sizes of Jessicas, the one on the left is a Jessica over 4 threads, the one on the right is a Jessica over 8 threads.

Just like with the fleur-de-lis, holes are shared as you move around the circle. Therefore, for the diagram on the left, note that #2 and #7 share the same hole, as do #4 & #9, #6 & #11, #8 & #13, #10 & #15, #12 & #17, #14 & #19, #16 & #21 and #18 & #23. The 19-20 leg closes the circle, after that the remaining two stitches "slide" under the first side (legs 21-22 and 23-24).

The diagrams below show how the "size" of the center opening changes based on the placement of the "1-2" stitch/leg. The diagram above creates the largest opening. The diagram on the left below shows some closing of the opening, it has the #2 hole in the middle of the right side instead of at the bottom (as shown above). The diagram on the right shows the smallest opening, it has the #2 hole at the top of the right side.

The photos below show Jessicas (of two different sizes – over 4 threads and over 8 threads). For the Jessica over 8 threads, the photos show how the size of the opening changes as diagramed above.

Bibliography: Jean Hilton’s Stimulating Stitches

On to " Exploring Hilton Stitches" for further information and fun with Hilton Stitches.