Have you ever wanted to try embroidery? With these four stitches, you’ll be able to stitch any of the kits in my shop.
Running Stitch
It’s always best to start easy and it doesn’t get any easier than the running stitch. Think of this stitch as sewing sprinkles. You simply come up through the fabric and then go back down again 1/4” away. Repeat these steps as needed, jumping around under the fabric as you go.
Back Stitch
Sometimes, you just want a clean, straight line. For that, you’ll love the back stitch. Start with a running stitch. Under the fabric, jump ahead 1/4” on the pattern line and come up. Then go back down the same hole that started the running stitch. Now you have 2 running stitches end to end. Come up again at the far end of the second stitch and continue to make another running stitch. Repeat these steps as needed, stitching forward and backwards.
Split Stitch
Nothing beats a nice curve. Split stitches are perfect for curves because you get to control how tight or loose they are by using shorter or longer stitches respectively. Start with a running stitch. Then come back up halfway through your last stitch. Your needle will come up between the threads. Since I use 3 strands to sew, my needle has 2 strands of thread on one side and 1 on the other. Now go back down through the fabric 1/4” further along the pattern line, making a second running stitch. Repeat these steps as needed.
Satin Stitch
Bold is beautiful and it doesn’t get bolder than satin stitch. Start by outlining the area you want to fill with back stitches. These stitches act like a mini corral for your satin stitches. Now start at the top or bottom of the area you’re filling and make a running stitch that stretches across the entire area from left to right. Jump back to the left side under the fabric and make another running stitch just above or below the first. Repeat this until the area is filled in completely. If the space feels too wide for a running stitch, you can use back stitches instead to ensure the fabric doesn’t warp.
You can also watch this short video to learn all of these simple stitches.
So now that you know all four of these stitches, you are ready to sew anything!
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