Many of my patterns feature leaves so I thought I'd share some different stitches that can be used to stitch leaves. They are all variations on satin stitch.

• Leaf stitch is what I call satin stitch that is angled up each side of the leaf. This creates a ditch of stitching along the centre of the leaf much like a vein which can be covered up with line stitches such as stem stitch or split stitch.

• Fishbone stitch (and raised fishbone stitch which is a bulkier version) are similar to leaf stitch but overlap in the centre of the leaf so there is no ditch. Open fishbone stitch is another variation where a bit of a gap is left between each stitch which I think looks like a leaf skeleton.

• Long and short stitch is one of my favourite stitches. It is satin stitch broken up into sections so gives a much more textured look. Each section can be stitched in the same colour or different colours. This stitch  is used for a technique called thread painting.

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