Things You Ought To Know About Embroidery Stitches

If you have been into embroidery for some time now, you are surely familiar of all the things related to it. And surely, you know all about embroidery stitches. But, if you are new to the crafts of embroidery, you might know embroidery stitches as a part of embroidery. Nothing more than that. Now, you need to have in-depth knowledge of embroidery and the stitches used in it if you wish to be a successful embroiderer one of these days.

So, what are embroidery stitches? Basically, these are the stitches which are executed in the same way at all times; thus, creating a recognizable figure. These are also known as simply stitches. These are also considered as the smallest units in embroidery. You need to do many stitches of different or same kinds to form embroidery patterns.

Techniques Used Involving Embroidery Stitches:

• Hand-Sewing Method – in this method, you need to bring the needle to the fabric’s upside. This technique involves movement that is similar in regular hand sewing; thus, the name.

• Stab Method – also known as Maggam work. This is very popular in India. In this method, you need to insert the needle into the fabric at an angle of 90 degrees.

Basically, the techniques in embroidery that you will use depend on the stitches, the materials used in the embroidery project as well as your own preferences in working on your project.

What Are the Common Stitches?

It is important to know the common stitches use in embroidery if you are new to this craft. But, this should not be hard on your part as every embroidery stitch is named so one can easily identify it. The following are the common stitches used in embroidery;

• Straight stitches – examples of these stitches include basting or running stitch, simple satin stitch, Algerian eye stitch, and Fern stitch. Holbein stitch and Bosnian stitch are also straight stitches.

• Back stitches – examples of these are stem or outline stitch, split stitch, and Crewel Stitch

• Chain stitches - examples include chain stitch, the Lazy Daisy or detached chain stitch, the Spanish Chain or Zig-zag chain stitch

• Buttonhole stitches – examples of these stitches include blanket stitch, buttonhole stitch, crossed buttonhole stitch and closed buttonhole stitch. Knotted buttonhole stitches such as top knotted buttonhole, Tailor’s buttonhole and German Knotted buttonhole are also among these stitches.

• Feather stitches – fly stitch, feather stitch, faggoting stitch and Cretan stitch are examples.

• Cross stitches – though these stitches have its own industry, it is still considered as a common stitch in embroidery. The Breton Stitch, Sprat’s Head stitch, Crow’s Foot stitch and Herringbone stitches are examples.

• Knotted Stitches - these are predominant in Brazilian embroidery. Among the examples are French knot, bullion knot, coral stitch, Chinese knot, etc.

• Couching and laid work – pendant couching, Oriental couching and square laid work are few examples.

These are just few examples of the stitches that you will mostly encounter in your embroidery projects. If you need further information, guides and tips on how to do them right, you can always get an embroidery book or magazine. Surely, there are several pages there to help you out. On the internet, there are hundreds of websites which offers information about embroidery.

You will surely find instructions on how to do each embroidery stitch. Figures and diagrams are also available; these will be a big help as you can see drawings on how to execute the stitches.