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Embroidery Stitches Guide

If you’re frustrated with the diagrams and photos that came with your embroidery pattern, you’re not alone.  My hand embroidery stitch tutorials have been viewed millions of times by people from all over the world, and they frequently comment that they couldn’t do these stitches until watching one of my videos.  These stitch tutorials have EASY photos, diagrams, and videos so you’re sure to learn the stitch, no matter what your learning style may be.

Embroidery Stitches Tutorial

Types of Embroidery Stitches

There are all kinds of embroidery stitches that have different uses. The sky’s the limit with embroidery stitches, and there are so many you can learn.

  • Stitches like the backstitch and split stitch are used for making lines.
  • Stitches like the satin stitch and long & short stitch are used for filling in areas.
  • There are also several types of knots that can make dots, lines, or even triangles.
  • Then you have all kinds of stitches that create different patterns, shapes, and textures. They can be used to make flowers, decorative borders, hair, you name it!

Basic Embroidery Stitches

Running Stitch

How to do a Running Stitch

Steps:

  1. Bring your needle up at 1and down at 2.
  2. Repeat at even intervals.

Watch the video: How to do a Running Stitch

Backstitch

How to Back Stitch

Steps:

  1. Bring needle up at 1 and down at 2.
  2. Bring needle up at 3 and back down at 1.

Watch the video: How to Backstitch

Split Stitch

How to do a Split Stitch

Steps:

  1. Bring needle up at 1 and down at 2.
  2. Bring needle up at 3, splitting the thread from the previous stitch in half.
  3. Bring needle down at 4.

Watch the video: How to do a Split Stitch

Stem Stitch

how to stem stitch

Steps:

  1. For the first stitch only, bring needle up at 1 and down at 2.
  2. Bring needle up at 3 (between 1 and 2).
  3. For all following stitches, bring needle down at 4, and back up at 2. Make sure needle comes up on the same side of stitch every time.

Watch the video: How to Stem Stitch

Satin Stitch

how to do a satin stitch

Steps:

  1. Bring needle up at 1 and down at 2.
  2. Bring needle back up at 3. Keep stitches close together and stitch across the entire shape to fill it.

Watch the video: How to do a Satin Stitch

French Knot

How to do a French Knot

Steps:

  1. Bring your needle up through the fabric at 1.
  2. Twist the thread around the end of the needle twice, while holding the excess thread taut with your non-dominant hand.
  3. Turn the needle toward the spot you came up at, and bring it down at 2 (slightly away from 1.)

Watch the Video: How to do a French Knot

Other Embroidery Stitches for Beginners

Straight Stitch – Watch the video: How to do a Straight Stitch

How to do a Straight Stitch

Chain Stitch – Watch the video: How to do a Chain Stitch

How to do a chain stitch.

Lazy Daisy Stitch – Watch the video: How to do a Lazy Daisy Stitch

how to do a lazy daisy stitch

Fishbone Stitch – Watch the video: Embroider Leaves with the Fishbone Stitch

embroider leaves with the fishbone stitch

Blanket Stitch – Watch the video: How to do a Blanket Stitch

how to do a blanket stitch

Woven Wheel Stitch – Watch the video: How to do a Woven Wheel Stitch

how to do a woven wheel stitch

Fly Stitch – Watch the Video: How to do the Fly Stitch

 How to do the Fly Stitch

Seed Stitch – Watch the video: How to do the Seed Stitch

How to do the Seed Stitch

Colonial Knot – Watch the video: How to Make a Colonial Knot

Buttonhole Wheel – Watch the video: How to Make a Buttonhole Wheel

 How to Make a Buttonhole Wheel

Feather Stitch – Watch the video: How to do the Feather Stitch

How to do the Feather Stitch

Long and Short Stitch – Watch the video: How to Long and Short Stitch

how to long and short stitch

Different Embroidery Stitches that are Uncommon

Bullion Knot – Watch the video: How to do a Bullion Knot

how to do a bullion knot

Threaded Running Stitch – Watch the video: How to do a Threaded Running Stitch

how to do a threaded running stitch

Whipped Back Stitch – Watch the video: How to do a Whipped Back Stitch

 How to do a Whipped Back Stitch

Double Threaded Back Stitch – Watch the video: How to do a Double Threaded Back Stitch

 How to do a Double Threaded Back Stitch

Couching Stitch – Watch the video: How to do the Couching Stitch

How to do the Couching Stitch

Danish Knot – Watch the video: How to do a Danish Knot

How to do a Danish Knot

Bullion Knot Rose – Watch the video: How to Embroider a Rose with Bullion Knots

How to Embroider a Rose with Bullion Knots

Looped Blanket Stitch – Watch the video: How to Make a Looped Blanket Stitch Flower

How to Make a Looped Blanket Stitch Flower

Turkey Stitch – Watch the video: How to do the Turkey Stitch

How to do the Turkey Stitch

Herringbone Stitch – Watch the video: How to do the Herringbone Stitch

How to do the Herringbone Stitch

Chevron Stitch – Watch the video: How to do the Chevron Stitch

How to do the Chevron Stitch

FAQ for Hand Embroidery Stitches

What is the easiest embroidery stitch to make?

The easiest embroidery stitch is a running stitch.  It’s just a series of small straight stitches done in a line and can be used for hand embroidery or hand sewing. The second easiest is a backstitch.

How many basic embroidery stitches are there?

There are 6 basic embroidery stitches: running stitch, backstitch, split stitch, stem stitch, satin stitch, and French knots.

What is the most popular embroidery stitch?

The most popular embroidery stitch is the satin stitch.  It is commonly used to fill areas with color and is frequently used in machine and hand embroidery.

How many types of hand embroidery stitches are there?

There are at least 300 embroidery stitches in existence.  Every culture and time period seems to create its own style of hand stitching, so it’s almost impossible to know exactly how many there are.

Free Sampler Patterns!

Learn all of these other embroidery stitches by stitching these free embroidery sampler patterns with me.  It’s a great way to practice and a nice reference to have while you are reading other embroidery patterns.  Click the links to get the Free Embroidery Sampler Pattern 1 or the Embroidery Stitch Sampler 2 Pattern.

Embroidery Stitches Guide Tutorial

Which of these embroidery stitches is your favorite?  I’ve got to say, I love the look of woven wheel flowers!  They are just so pretty! If you find this information useful, make sure to take a look at my How to Embroider for Beginners series.

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