CLOTHING EDU

Embroidery Basics
Stitch Types
ADR Hashan

2010

RANILHASHAN@YMAIL.COM

Embroidery Stitch Types

Running stitch This is perhaps the most basic sewing stitch, and it can be used well for decorative effects in embroidery. This is the first stitch I teach in my embroidery classes, and even though it seems really basic, it makes for a good exercise in judging stitch length and spacing. To look nice, running stitches need to be evenly spaced and of even length though the space between the stitches does not always have to equal the length of the stitch! You can create different effects by using longer stitches, with smaller spaces between them. You can create a light fill with running stitch, by alternating the spacing in parallel lines, forming a kind of brick effect. The running stitch, when worked very small and very close together in fine thread on fine fabric, can be used for delicate vines and lines. It can also be whipped (explained below) to make a solid line with a rope-like effect. Direction: For right-handers, work from right to left or top to bottom. For left-handers, work from left to right, or top to bottom. Bring the needle to the front of the fabric at A, and pull the thread through. Now, for the rest of your stitches, you can work them more quickly if you run them on the top of the fabric, without taking your hand to the back. Go down at B, and, using your fingers on your non-dominant hand (the one thats not holding the needle!) behind the fabric, encourage the needle to come up again at C. Pull the thread through. Work to the end of the line or curve in this manner, and try to keep your stitches straight and even! The more you practice, the easier it gets!

Whipped running stitch The whipped part of this stitch is demonstrated in red. You can whip a stitch with a contrasting color, with the same color, or with a shade of the same color, all of which will give a different effect. The weight of the thread also determines the effect. If you are using one fine strand of floss or thread, your stitch will be very delicate. In this case, you should stitch a row of tiny, close running stitches. Direction: Bring the needle up at the point where you began your running stitches. Take your needle down through each running stitch, passing between the stitch and the fabric, without picking up any fabric. When you reach the end of the running stitch foundation, take the needle to the back of the fabric at the same point where you ended your running stitches. Secure the thread in the usual way (by running it under the backs of your stitches) and snip. And there you have it!

Back Stitch Back Stitch: This is another easy outline stitch which can be used to good effect on delicate or heavy lines. This stitch is commonly used in counted cross stitch. The back stitch can be further decorated by whipping it, just like the running stitch above. The key to good looking back stitches just like running stitches is even stitches. Direction: Left-handers: youre going to work left to right. Right-handers: work right to left, bringing your thread up at A, determining the length of your stitch between A and the starting point of your line. Take your needle back to B, insert and encourage it up at C (using a finger of your other hand under your work). Pull the thread through. Continue working in a backwards-forewards motion until you have completed the line. At the end of the line, take the needle down at the end of the second to the last stitch, thus forming your final stitch. On the underside of your fabric, whip the needle and working thread in and out of the stitches formed to secure it.

Outline Stitch This stitch is a lot like the stem stitch in technique, but the outcome looks slightly different. In stem stitch (below), the individual stitches remain quite distinct, while in outline stitch, the stitches twist together, forming a solid line without clear distinction in the stitches. They kind of twist together and make a smoother looking rope. I prefer the stem stitch (below) to the outline stitch, especially if Im using it as a filling. You can use both of them as filling, by working rows close to each other, and you can achieve a nice shaded effect by switching to lighter shades as you go along. But for some reason, the stem stitch seems to work better for that than the outline stitch does. The outline stitch is great for nice, tight-looking, fine outlines. It takes curves well, so its great for curly-qs. Direction: For left-handed stitchers, you will stitch in the opposite direction, and keep the thread below the needle. For right-handed stitchers: outline stitch is worked from left to right, by bringing the needle up into the fabric at the beginning of the line to be covered. Put the needle into the fabric at the point that determines the length of the stitch. Without pulling through, pointing the needle back towards the beginning of the line and keeping the thread ABOVE the needle, push the tip of your needle through the fabric about halfway down the length of the stitch. Pull through.

Continue in this back and forth manner, going forward, but always pointing the needle back towards the beginning of your work, and, for subsequent stitches, bring the needle up where you finished the last stitch. User the fingers on your non-stitching hand to encourage the needle back into the fabric. This way, you can avoid taking your hand to the back of the fabric. Try to keep your stitches even.

Stem Stitch Like the outline stitch, stem stitch can be used to outline delicate lines, curves, and curly-qs. Unlike the outline stitch, the stem stitch produces a line of more defined invidual stitches. Like the running stitch, the stem stitch can be whipped. Stem stitch makes great stems (of course!) on leaves and flowers, as well as simple outlines on any design. Stem stitch can also be used as a thick filler, by working rows next to each other. You can add shading to your filling by changing the shade of the thread. Direction: For left-handers, work this stitch right to left, keeping the thread above the needle (opposite of the diagram). Right-handers: Bring the needle and the thread through the fabric at your starting point (A). Take your needle down at B (which will determine the length of the rest of your stitches). Encourage the needle back up about halfway back along the stitch line, and pull the thread through. You can work directly on your stitch line, and just nudge your thread over as you come up. As you take the second stitch, the emerging point of the needle (C) will be at the end of the previous stitch. You can reduce this distance, and only go back half the space (or even less), and elongate your stitches. You can also stitch on more of an angle (as shown in the diagram) to achieve a wider line.

Couching another great way to achieve a neat line, as well as to fill an area. Couching is basically the stitching down of a thicker thread that is laid on the fabric, using usually a finer thread. It is an essential technique in most goldwork. But it doesnt have to be used only for goldwork! I teach my 10 14

year olds couching by having them fill in an area between two parallel lines with #3 or #5 perle cotton usually in a nice, bright color which is couched down with a contrasting bright color in a brick pattern (that is, alternating the placement of the couching thread in each line). They love the effect! Couching is used in the technique Or Nue (a goldwork technique) in such a way that the placement of the couching stitches determines the shading of the figure being embroidered. I have some links to examples of Or Nue on this page. Direction: Lay your thicker thread (the thread to be couched) on your design. In some cases, you can thread a larger needle with your thicker thread and bring it up through your fabric. In other cases, you take the couched thread ends to the back of the fabric later, or not at all. Thread your needle with a fine thread. Use a contrasting color if you want your stitches to be seen; use a similar color if you do not want your stitches to be seen. If you are couching down gold or other metalics, you will want to wax your thread first. Take small stitches over the laid thread, perpendicular to it, and evenly spaced. Catch the fabric in the back at each stitch. When you fill a pattern, you usually alternate the placement of your stitches, so that, even if the couching thread is a similar color to the laid thread, you still get a kind of pleasing pattern.

Chain Stitch This is a great stitch for lines and curves. It can be delicate or heavy depending on the thread you use. There are lots of variations on chain stitch: it can be whipped, it can be twisted, it can be doubled, it can be checkered, and on and on. Once you know the basic stitch, experiment! Its a very versatile stitch. Chain stitch can be worked from top to bottom or bottom to top it doesnt really matter but as a right-hander, when considering horizontal direction, I prefer working from right to left with it. Left-handers may find that left to right is easier. Direction: To begin, bring the needle and thread through the fabric. Take the needle back down at the same spot you emerged, and then encourage it up again a short distance away (the length of the stitch). Make sure the working thread is under the needle as you pull it and the thread through the fabric. Pull firmly enough to take the loop of the thread to the throat of the working thread, but not so firmly that your stitch stretches too straight and your working thread gets pulled backwards! Its best if you pull the thread through going forwards. On subsequent stitches, you take your needle back down into the loop you just created, and encourage it up a stitch-length later. NOTE: Dont take your needle down outside the loop, as you would for a detached chain! Take it down inside the loop!

Split Stitch Split stitch ends up looking a little like a chain stitch, only its a little finer because youre splitting a single thread. This stitch was commonly used for delicate shading on faces and hands. It also makes a good outline for delicate curves and lines. You can fill an area by working split stitches in lines close to each other, changing the shade of your thread to create a painted effect. Direction: For left-handers, work right to left; for right-handers, left to right. Bring the thread out of the fabric at A. Take the needle back into the fabric close to A, pointing backwards towards A, and as you encourage the needle back up, split the working thread. This is worked in the same manner as outline stitch or back stitch, but when you come up, you take the needle through the working thread.

Wheat Stitch This stitch is worked from top to bottom as shown, or from left to right, or from right to left. It can be used for edges and oulines, especially effective in crazy quilting techniques and such. It obviously makes great stalks of wheat. If I use it for wheat, I usually finish the very top of a line of stitches with a straight stitch to complete the look of the wheat. Direction: Bring the needle and thread out at A, which is slightly off the line you are working. Make an angled straight stitch, by taking it down on the line. Bring the needle back up at B, and make another straight stitch opposite to A, meeting at the line (as shown in the diagram). Bring the needle up on the line below the V created by the straight stitches, and then pass through the base of the straight stitches, and back down where you just brought the needle up. Go up at C, and make an angled straight stitch to the base of the loop you just formed, taking the needle and thread to the back of your fabric, up at D, and forming the last straight stitch. Now, as you continue down the line, keep looping the thread through the straight stitches, as shown in the diagram.

Detached Chain aka lazy daisy stitch: This stitch is great for little accent flower petals and leaves. It can also be used as an outline stitch, when stitches in a line with regular spaces between the stitches. As a very loose or light filling, you could work lines of detached chains in a kind of alternating brick pattern. Direction: Bring your needle and thread through at A. Take the needle back down at A, but dont pull the thread through instead, encourage the tip of the needle up at B (this space between A and B determines the length of your stitch), and wrap the working thread underneath the needle, as shown in the diagram. Pull your thread through from a forward angle, so that the loop is snug against the throat of your thread. Now, take your needle down at C, which is just outside the loop, and bring it up at D, which is the beginning point of your next stitch. You can either encourage the needle up at D without having pulled the thread all the way through, or you can pull your thread through completely when going down at C, and then bring the needle back up at D.

French knot Perhaps this is the most common knot used in surface embroidery. Its uses range from the single center of a little flower (above) to a dense, textured filling. (See a great sample of textured filling here). Outlining shapes with French knots can add a nice stippling effect to your embroidery. In short, you can do heaps of things with this stitch! Vary the type and weight of thread for more texture and for interesting effects. Direction: Bring your needle and thread up at A, which should be the point where you want the center of the knot located. Holding the working thread in your left hand, wrap it around your needle twice. Dont let go of the thread! Keeping a bit of tension on the thread, take the tip of your needle

back through at A. If you are using a hoop, you can hold the hoop and your working thread in your left hand holding the thread between your forefinger and thumb, and using the rest of your fingers to balance the hoop. (If youre using a frame that is mounted on a stand, this stitch is a lot easier!) Anyway, you want to take your needle down again at A, but you do not want to loosen the tension on your thread. You arent pulling too tight, but just enough to keep those coils in place next to the fabric as you pull your needle and thread through them. Use the tension on the working thread to manipulate the coils a bit. You want to keep them next to the fabric, and taut, without choking the thread as it passes through. You can also move the working thread so that your knot is betterpositioned. Pull your thread all the way through the coils, releasing it from your left hand as you approach the end of the thread. This particular diagram on the top left shows your needle coming up for the next knot and this is well and fine if you are working in a row of evenly spaced knots. However, I prefer to take my needle and thread straight down through the fabric, and then come up for the next stitch.

Fly Stitch This stitch can be used as individual stitches for accents and for loose filling. It can also be worked in horizontal or vertical rows, as an edging (in crazy quilting, sampers, and whatnot). Below, you can see an example of it used in a horizontal row. Direction: Bring your thread through and A, and back down at B, without pulling it tight keep it loose and a little bit looped. Your placement of the needle at B will determine the width of the space between the two tops of the resulting V or Y shape. Come up at C, which is inside the tip of the V, and go down at D, anchoring the tip of the V shape. If youre continuing in a horizontal row, you can enter with your needle at D, and encourage it up again right next to B, to start a new stitch.