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Basic Hand Embroidery Stitches
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Time to put those nimble fingers to
work! We’ll start with some of the most basic stitches
very useful for outlining, a backstitch. The backstitch
is simple to do and only slightly less simple to
explain...
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After you have a knot in the back side
of your embroidery to keep your thread in place, come up
and go back down the length of your desired stitch (1 to
2). When you come back up, come up about a stitch length
away (3) from your first entry point (1), and then go
back down right next to it (4). My stitches on this
birdy are really far apart; you can make them much
closer for a more solid outline.
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The backstitch is great for outlining when you have a
lot to do, but since the stitches tend to be longer than
others, it’s not quite as good around tight corners.
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As you can see, this birdy is pretty much very loose,
very basic backstitches the whole way, except when I got
real fancy like with his eye, which is a little tiny
satin stitch. What’s a satin stitch?
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A satin stitch is a nice solid fill
stitch you can use to fill in areas. It gets its “satin”
name because it leaves a shiny smooth raised surface
behind after you’re done stitching. We have a satin
stitch for machine embroidery too.
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To start, be sure you have a knot at the
back. Come up at 1, down at 2. Then, don’t come back up
right next to where you went down. Instead, once you’ve
stitched from top to bottom (1-2), go back to the top
again (3) and then go back down for your next stitch
(4).
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The reason we always go in the same direction (top to
bottom or bottom to top) is because otherwise it’s
difficult to keep those wayward threads straight. If you
always came up right next to your last stitch, your
needle placement needs to be super exact to keep your
stitches straight.
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The split stitch is a lot like the
backstitch, but with one important difference. Instead
of coming up away from your last stitch, you come up
right in the middle of it! Don’t worry, I’ll explain...
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So, start from underneath (1) (with a knot, as usual)
and come up and back down one stitch length (2). Now,
instead of coming up far away, like in the backstitch,
you come right up in the middle of the stitch you just
made, splitting the threads, hence, the split stitch
(3). Go back down again the same stitch length, (4) and
repeat the process!
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This stitch is also great for outlining, and since the
stitches end up a bit smaller, it’s a little more
maneuverable. It does, however, take a little longer to
stitch, since each stitch is half its usual length. If
you’re going to do a bit long outline of something, you
may want to try the backstitch instead!
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Here’s a close-up of a piece done with all three of
these stitches thrown in for good variety. It’s fun to
mix up stitches to see what kids of effects and textures
you can achieve.
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There are lots of other fancy stitches
out there, from stem stitches to chain stitches, but
these few basic stitches will get you a long way when
you’re just starting out.
However, if you’re looking for something
a little more fun and a little more challenging, you
should try out this next stitch...
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This stitch is called the French knot, and it takes a
little bit of practice to get the hang of, but it can
create some really great accents or even some fabulous
texture when repeated as a fill.
Start, of course, with a knot in the back, and pull your
needle through. Once you’ve pulled your thread through,
grab a few inches above where it comes out of the
fabric, and pull it taut so you can control it better.
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Wind the thread around your needle twice
for a nice large knot. Keep tugging gently at the thread
to keep it wound around your needle, and re-insert the
tip of the needle right next to where it came out. Do
NOT place it exactly where it came out, or you might
pull your stitch out completely when you pull the thread
through. Keep it as close as possible to your marked
dot, though, so you get a nice neat stitch.
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Once the tip of your needle is in the fabric, tug on the
thread that’s wound around the needle. The knots will
slip down the needle to form a small little knot at the
bottom. Don’t relax the thread yet, keep tugging at it
gently so the knots don’t loosen.
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Now pull your needle all the way through
your fabric, but keep the thread holding the knots
firmly but gently held as long as possible. You’ll have
to let go eventually to let the last of your thread go
through your fabric.
The more you can control the tension on
the thread, the less likely it will be that your knots
will loosen as you’re finishing the stitch.
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Once you’ve pulled your thread all the way though,
you’re done!! Your little neat French knot is finished.
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French knots are great for little details like eyes, or
do a whole bunch in an area for an amazing textured
fill. They take a bit of practice, but really, they’re
not so scary. Not as scary as a bunny with fangs, for
example...
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Now you have a few basic stitches to get you started! Nothing’s
stopping you now. There are hundreds of designs to choose from,
and hundreds of ways of stitching out each one. personalize it
with your own colors, your own stitches, or even change up the
design! Then if you like, share it in our
flickr pool or send it our way at
support@urbanthreads.com to show off your stitchy work!
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Suggested designs for this tutorial:
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