How to decide which embroidery stitch to use?

There are hundreds of different embroidery stitches so how do you decide which ones to use in an embroidery project?

Most embroidery patterns will be made up of elements involving lines, areas and details. The type of stitch to pick will depend on the element that you are stitching.

Lines or outlines

You need to consider whether you want a basic look that you get from a stitch such as backstitch or something that makes a feature from the line stitch such as split stitch. I share some of my favourite line stitches here.

Areas that need filling

These require stitches that can cover the fabric. Satin stitch is a popular stitch for filling large areas but I really like long and short stitch which breaks up satin stitch into sections. You can see a selection of filling stitches here.

Details

There are a range of stitches that can be used to highlight a feature or add texture or detail. Texture stitches such as the ones I’ve selected here can add a 3-D feel to the embroidery. Isolated stitches are those that can be stitched on their own (or in groups) to highlight a feature for example the centre of a flower. A range of isolated stitches are listed here.

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Four Texture stitches for embroidery

What do I mean by texture stitches? My definition are stitches that stand away from the fabric in some way, that give an added dimension to embroidery that other stitches may not.

Needle Weaving

If you’ve ever woven with a loom then needle weaving is a version of this just on a much smaller scale. It’s also the same technique you’ll use if you need to darn a sock or jumper.

Woven Wheel

This is created by laying down 5 base stitches and then weaving the thread under and over etc until the base stitches can no longer be seen.

Woven Picot

Another woven stitch, the base is created by making a triangle using a pin. The thread is then woven under and over the 3 strands of base stitch.

The picots are attached at the base and the tip can be left free or held down by a tiny stitch.

Turkey Work

This stitch is unlike any other as first create a series of loops which you snip into to create the strands. It can be densely packed or wispy - that’s the beauty of this texture.

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Stitch Showcase: Woven Wheel

Woven wheel is a stitch most commonly used to add some floral textural detail to a piece.

• The base of the woven wheel is 5 straight stitches radiating out from a centre point to form spokes (A to E)

• Once the base stitches are in place bring the needle up through the fabric at the centre point and start weaving over and under the base spokes in turn.

• As there is an odd number of spokes each time you come back round you should be doing the opposite of what you did in the last round eg if last time was over that stitch, the next time round go under it

• Keep on going round and round. pulling the thread loosely but not so loose that the flower has no structure. Try experimenting to see how the tightness of the weaving affects the finished flower

• Keep on going until you cover up all the base spokes then pass the needle back through the fabric slightly underneath the last round

• If the thread runs out part way through, pass the needle back through the fabric, secure the thread and then start a new thread in the same place and continue the weaving pattern.

I love stitching this cluster of woven wheels as a sampler. I used yarn and thread of different textures and thicknesses to experiment with how this affected the flowers. Any gaps between the flowers I added a simple straight stitch of green yarn which really makes the flowers pop.

The second photo is a Mollie Makes free kit which shows how a single woven wheel can be used.

Depending on how you stitch your base stitches, you can leave a gap in the centre or not and one option is to then fill the centre with French knots or beads for added detail.

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Stitch Showcase: Turkey Work

Turkey work is a great stitch to add some texture to a piece of embroidery. This stitch works well with multiple strands are used together, they can be the same colour or strands of different shades

• Bring the thread down through the fabric (B) from the top leaving a tail (A)

• Push the needle up through the fabric close to the first hole (C)

• Take the needle back down through the fabric but leaving a loop. A finger or a pen can be used to loop around to create loops of the same diameter

• For the next stitch, create this so that it lies across the end of one loop (D) and the beginning of the next (E). pull the thread tight to the fabric ie don’t make a loop

• Repeat creating a loop stitch followed by a standard stitch

• Each loop can be stitched in rows or randomly to fill an area

• It might be necessary to hold the loops already made out of the way so they don’t get caught

• Once all the loops have been made snip through them to give the ‘hairy’ texture

• The strands can be trimmed down to the same length or left uneven depending on the style of the finished piece.

Modern embroidery artists such as Salt Stitches and Katy Biele use this stitch frequently in their work. This picture is of a Salt Stitches DIY kit that I embroidered.

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