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A ruff, or neck-ruff, was a fashionable garment worn in Western Europe from the mid-sixteenth to the mid-seventeenth centuries. They were worn by urban men, women and children. Ruffs were often embellished with lace (bobbin lace, embroidered lace), embroidery or a combination of these forms. The lace, and the full ruff, were sometimes also known as a piccadill. The garment is probably of Spanish origin.

The rice stitch is a variant of the cross stitch, whereby the four 'arms' are covered by small, diagonal stitches. These small stitches can use a thread of the same colour, or a different thread is used to create an extra effect. The rice stitch is also known as 'crossed corners'.

The zigzag stitch is a simple technique, which looks like a row of cross stitches separated by vertical stitches. First a line of vertical stitches and of one direction of the diagonal stitches is embroidered, from left to right; upon the return of the needle, and working from right to left, the opposing diagonal stitches are made.

A diagonal stitch is used on canvas and is applied to fill large areas with the effect of woven or brocaded material. It consists of a satin stitch (or tent stitch) being worked in diagonal rows from top left to bottom right hand corner.

Couching threads are used to fasten the laid thread of couching to the ground material. WV

See seed stitch.

The twisted chain stitch is a variation on the chain stitch. The needle emerges at A. The working thread is then held down with the left thumb and the needle is inserted just above it at B, in a slanting direction. The needle is then pulled through the loop that has just been made (C). The second stitch can now be started.

A scallop stitch is a composite stitch that is made up of a running stitch as the base and attached blanket stitches to fill in the pattern. WV

A darning needle is fairly big, with a large enough eye to thread a yarn. It usually is not very sharp.

The hem stitch or hem stitching is a ornamental drawn thread work technique, which is generally used to decorate the hem of garments or household textiles. Sometimes the technique involves the use of threads with a different colour from the main material.