Flowers are one of the most popular embroidery themes. And why not? You can’t go wrong with nature inspired designs, especially when there are so many floral shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns.
Want to expand your hand embroidery knowledge and create beautiful floral embroidery? Try these 10 stitches. Each are perfect for creating petals, flowers, and vibrant bouquets.
Radial Satin Stitch
I love using the radial satin stitch for flower petals because it fills in curved shapes easily while having the stitches radiate out from a central point. This stitch is similar to how a flower petal looks when it’s in a flower.
The create the radial satin stitch, bring the needle up from the back of the fabric to the front at the center outer edge of the flower petal. Then make a straight stitch across to the other side of the petal. Next, bring the needle back up next to the stitch along the outer edge of the flower petal. Now make a straight stitch towards the end of the first stitch and tuck the needle underneath the end of the first stitch. Repeat the same on the other side of the straight stitch. Continue to fill in the flower petal with satin stitches that fill in the entire petal and others that are tucked underneath the inner ends of stitches.
Detached Chain Stitch
Also known as the lazy daisy stitch, the detached chain stitch creates an individual looped petal shape. This stitch can be used to create small flowers or fill in larger flowers.
To make the detached chain stitch, bring the needle up from the back of the fabric to the front at the center point or base of the flower petal. Next, hold the thread towards the top of the flower petal and bring the needle back down through the fabric in the same place it’s coming out. Tug the thread gently so an open loop forms on the front of the fabric. Now bring the needle up through the fabric at the top of the flower petal inside the loop. Gently tug the thread so that the loop is flush with the fabric. (The tighter the thread is pulled, the thinner the flower petal will look.) To complete the detached chain stitch, make a short stitch across the top of the petal on the other side of the loop. This creates a single detached chain or flower petal.
French Knot
French knots are some of my favorite stitches. I love that a single knot can be a small flower bud, a small cluster can fill a flower center, and a large cluster can create a textural flower.
To stitch a French knot, start by bring the thread up through the fabric at the center of the knot. Place the hoop flat on your workspace. With your hand that isn’t holding the needle, pinch the thread that is coming out of the fabric about 4 inches away from the fabric. In between where the thread is coming out of the fabric and the thread is pinched, wrap the thread around the pointy side of the needle three times. Continue holding the thread in your other hand and bring the needle down through the fabric next to where the thread is coming up. Before pushing the needle all the way through the fabric, gently tug the thread around the needle so that it’s taught. Then push the needle through the fabric and gently tug until the thread becomes a knot on the front of the fabric.
To create small knots, use fewer strands of thread and wrap the thread around the needle less. To create larger knots, use more strands of thread and/or wrap the thread around the needle more.
Pistol Stitch
The pistol stitch is a French knot with a line attached to it. This can be used for thin flower petals, blooms, flower centers, and more.
To create the pistol stitch, bring the needle up through the fabric at the bottom point of the section to be filled. Pinch the thread in your non dominant hand about 3-4 inches from where the thread comes out of the front of the fabric. In between where the thread is pinched and it is coming out of the fabric, wrap the thread around the needle. With the thread is wrapped, bring the needle back down through the fabric at the top point of the pistol stitch. Before pushing the needle all the way through the fabric, gently tug the thread so that it is tightly wrapped around the needle and flush with the fabric. This creates a single pistol stitch.
Woven Wagon Wheel Rose
The woven wagon wheel has become the stereotypical flower fill stitch. This voluptuous stitch creates a completely filled in flower.
For the woven wagon wheel rose, start by making five evenly spaced straight stitches. These stitches should start at the outer edge of the woven wagon wheel rose and connect in a central point. The straight stitches will act as spokes to create the woven portion of this stitch. Now, bring the needle up through the fabric next to the center point. Using the eye of the needle, weave the threaded needle over and under the five spokes. The first few woven circles around the spokes should be pulled taught so that the center is filled in. After that, the woven rows should be loose to create the voluptuous flower. If the woven rows are pulled too tightly, especially towards the outer rings of the flower, the woven wagon wheel rose will become distorted. To finish the woven wagon wheel rose, tuck the needle underneath the outer edge of the stitches and bring the needle back down through the fabric.
Ribbed Spider Web Stitch
The ribbed spider web stitch is the flattened version of the woven wagon wheel. For this stitch, the spokes of the stitch are raised, and the rest of the stitch is flat. Instead of weaving the needle over and under the spoke stitches, this thread is wrapped around the spoke stitches.
Similar to the woven wagon wheel rose, create at least five spoke stitches that start at the outer edge of the ribbed spider web stitch and connect in a central point. Then bring the needle up through the fabric next to the center point. Now bring the needle over and under one of the spokes so that the thread wraps around it. Gently push the wrapped thread towards the center of the ribbed spider web. Then repeat while working around the spokes until the entire space is filled in. To complete the ribbed spider web stitch, bring the needle down through the fabric at the end of a spoke.
Blanket Stitch
The blanket stitch created lines within a shape and edging all in one stitch. It’s great for creating flowers and stitching over filled sections to create even more detail.
To make the blanket stitch, start by bring the needle up through the fabric at the center point of the flower. Make an open loop of thread on the front of the fabric and bring the needle down through the fabric next to where it comes up. Now bring the needle up through the fabric along the outer edge of the flower petal. Gently tug the thread so that is makes a loop flush on the front of the fabric. Next, bring the needle down through the fabric next to the center point of the flower. Hold the thread in the direction that is to be filled and gently tug so that a loop is formed. Then bring the needle up through the fabric along the outer edge of the flower petal and continue to tug the thread flush with the fabric. Repeat until the entire flower petal is filled in. To finish the blanket stitch, make a short stitch along the outer edge of the last loop.
Bullion Knot
The bullion knot is a long cylindrical knot that can sometimes look like a worm or thick grain of rice. This stitch can be used for small flower buds, fill in the centers of flowers, used to create roses, and mush more.
To stitch the bullion knot, start by bringing the needle up through the fabric at one end of the space that will be filled. Then bring the needle back down through the fabric. Before pulling the needle all the way through the fabric, push the point of the needle up through the fabric next to the start of the first stitch. With the needle in the fabric, wrap the thread coming out of the fabric around the needle. Wrap tightly and enough to fill in the space of the shape that is being filled. Then, pinch the thread around the needle and gently pull the needle out of the fabric (from the pointed side). Press the wrapped thread around the needle and continue to pull the tread until the wrapped portion is flush with the fabric. Then tug the thread towards the other end of the stitch and bring the needle back down through the fabric at the end of the stitch. This creates a single bullion knot.
For this stitch, the more times the thread is wrapped around the needle, the further the knot will pop away from the fabric.
Cast On Stitch
The cast on stitch is similar to the bullion knot. It also creates a tube-shaped raised knot on the front of the fabric. The cast on stitch creates a thicker shape than the bullion knot.
To start, bring the needle up through the fabric at one end of the space that will be filled. Then bring the needle back down through the fabric. Before pulling the needle all the way through the fabric, push the point of the needle up through the fabric next to the start of the first stitch. With the needle in the fabric, make a loop of thread that wraps around the needle by crossing the thread over itself in your fingers, then sliding the loop over the needle. Gently tug the loop so that it tight around the needle. Continue casting stitches on to the needle until the stitches are the length of the space to be filled. Next, pinch the cast on stitches around the needle and gently tug the needle and thread. Pull the threaded needle until the cast on stitches lay flat on the fabric. To finish the cast on stitch, bring the needle back down through the fabric where the stitch stated. This creates one cast on stitch.
Woven Picot
The woven picot stitch creates a three-dimensional triangle on the front of the fabric. The triangle is attached at the base and pops away from the fabric. This stitch is great for flower petals that pop off the fabric.
Start by placing a long pin into the fabric at the top point of the triangle and bringing it up through the fabric at the bottom center of the triangle. Next, bring the needle up through the fabric at a bottom corner of the triangle. Wrap the thread around the top of the pin and bring the needle back down through the fabric in the other bottom corner of the triangle. This outlines the triangle with thread. Next, bring the needle up through the fabric next to the pin, at the bottom center of the triangle. Again, wrap the thread around the top of the pin. With the outline of the woven picot is complete, it’s time to weave the thread around the three strands. Flip the needle around and work with the eye of the needle. Glide the needle over, under, and over the three strands of the triangle in the opposite direction the thread is from the top of the pin. After weaving the needle through, gently tug so that the thread is tight at the top of the triangle. Now weave back through the strands in the opposite direction, going under, over, under the three strands of thread. Continue weaving until the triangle is entirely filled and the rows are tightly packed against each other. End the woven picot stitch by finishing a woven row and bring the needle back down through the fabric at the base of the triangle. Knot the thread on the back and then remove the pin to see the woven picot stitch pop away from the fabric. This creates a single three-dimensional triangle.
For more embroidery stitches and patterns, be sure to check out the MCreativeJ shop or join Melissa for a hands-on workshop.
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