Types of Embroidery Stitches

Outline Stitch (Stem Stitch is virtually the same stitch; its name changes depending on which side of the needle the thread is carried.)

Needle up at A, down at B, up at C, down at D, up at B, down at E, up at D, etc.

(Editor’s note: When pivoting at a sharp point, such as at the tip of a heart, bring the needle all the way to the back, pass under the last stitch, and return to the surface to resume Outline Stitching).

Back Stitch

Up at A, down at B, up at C, down at A, up at D, down at C, etc.

Couching Stitch

This stitch is worked with two different needles and two different threads or many plies of threads. Usually, the “laid” thread is the thicker of the two, and is often one that cannot be passed through fabric repeatedly without damage to the fibers. Rather it is a decorative thread (such as bouclé yarn or #3 perle cotton, for example) which lays on top of the fabric and is secured by perpendicular “tacks“ by another separate traveling thread. In the Redwork designs of this book, the couching stitch is very handy to know. The stitch allows us to easily make undulating lines such as those seen in certain flower blossoms.

Feather Stitch (There are other variations of feather stitch that show up on antique items.)

Up at A, down at B, up at C, etc. This stitch was often used to decorate block edges on Redwork quilts. Use a tacking stitch on the very last stitch in a series.

Lazy Daisy Stitch

For one stitch, come up at A, down at B, and with tip of the needle come up at C. Make a tacking stitch by going over threads and down at D. This is often used for petals of flowers.

Use multiples of this stitch to form a flower (daisy or similar blossom). There are many variations of Chain Stitch. The Detached Chain Stitch below has a continuous flow and is not tacked down after each stitch is added, but tacked just once at the end of a line of stitching.

Colonial Knot

French knots can be used instead, but colonial knots are fuller and set more squarely on the fabric, and do not seem to pull out as easily. For these reasons, the technique is worth learning. Secure your thread on the back side of the fabric by either of the prescribed methods.

There are hundreds of embroidery stitches and combinations of them! Many needlework magazines offer drawings of them. There are embroidery reference books dedicated solely to descriptions and diagrams of stitches. Several websites also have extensive information about “families” of stitches. Learn and practice as many stitches as you can so that you will be better equipped to make an appropriate choice when you are working from any line drawing for Redwork or other Outline Stitch Embroideries.

HAPPY EMBROIDERING!