Stitch Guide

French Knot

Bring the needle up at 1. Holding the thread with one hand, twist the needle around the thread twice. Insert the point of the needle into the fabric close to where the thread emerged, pull the thread to tighten the knot, then push the needle slowly through the fabric. Make a larger knot by increasing the twists.

Leaf Stitch

Bring the needle up at 1 at the top then down at 2. Bring the needle up again next to the first stitch but a little lower down then repeat so you have three Straight Stitches. Fill the rest of the shape in the same way by working Satin Stitches down the shape always coming up on the edge and down in the centre until filled.

Padded Satin Stitch

Padded Satin Stitch gives a more raised appearance than Satin Stitch. First, fill the area with stitching such as Chain Stitch, Seed Stitch, Straight Stitch or Running Stitch. Next, work Satin Stitch over the area to cover the padding stitches in the usual way. For an even more raised look, add another layer of Satin Stitch on top.

Lazy Daisy Stitch

Bring the needle up at 1 and down at 2, right next to where it first emerged, but without pulling the needle all the way through the fabric. Bring it up again at 3, with the thread under the needle. Pull the needle gently to form a loop. Secure the loop with a short stitch by pushing the needle through the fabric at 4.

Long and Short Stitch

Work alternate long and short stitches for the first row, with the short stitches being half the length of the long ones. Bring the needle up at 1, down at 2, up at 3, down at 4 and so on. Subsequent rows are worked with just the long stitches, although the stitch length can be adjusted to suit the area being filled.

Pistil Stitch

This is a variant of a French Knot which has a tail. Bring the needle up at 1. Holding the thread with one hand, twist the needle around the thread twice. Insert the point of the needle into the fabric at 2, where you want the knot positioned, pull the thread to tighten the knot, then push the needle slowly through the fabric.