HOW TO WORK PISTIL STITCH

01 Begin by mounting your fabric in a hoop – Pistil Stitch is best worked with the fabric taut as it means you will be able to keep the tension in your thread more easily. It also makes handling the fabric more manageable while you use both hands to work the stitch. Mark your template circle or line on your fabric. Bring the needle up through the fabric where you want the stitch to begin.

02 Holding the thread with one hand, twist the needle around the thread, as if you were working a French Knot. To adjust the size of the knot, you can vary the amount of strands of thread or increase the amount of twists to create a more pronounced knot – for WKLV H[DPSOH DQG WKH UHZRUN hoop opposite) we used three strands and twisted the needle around the thread three times.

03 Keep hold of the working thread to maintain its tension, then move the needle out to where you want the end of your Pistil Stitch to be and take it back down through the fabric. Pull it through gently, keeping the thread taut until the needle is through the fabric, then release the working thread and pull through until the French Knot forms at the end of the elongated stitch. 04 )RU WKH UHZRUN GHVLJQ

repeat steps 1-3, working your way around the circle and radiating your stitches outwards. Pistil Stitch is also LGHDO IRU RZHU VWDPHQV DQG

repeat patterns. To keep your knots tidy, try using a milliner needle as it has an eye that is the same thickness as the shaft, making it easier to pass the needle through the tight twists without getting snagged.