Basic Embroidery Stitches

If you are new to embroidery, it is a must that you learn all the basics first. Any successful embroiderer started as a newbie and went through the process of learning the basics.   Among the things that you need to learn first are  basic embroidery stitches.

As hand embroidery starts with basic stitches, it is better to learn at least few stitches before starting an embroidery project.  You can even do practice stitches or pick a project that has limited stitch types.  You have to know the whats and hows of basic embroidery stitches. Basic embroidery stitches are  categorized by stitch families;  outline stitches, detached stitches, chain stitches, filling stitches, knots, etc.

Line Stitches include stitches such as the running stitch, backstitch, outline stitch, couching, whipped running stitch, stem stitch, scroll stitch, coral stitch, and Portuguese Knotted Stem stitch.

Chain Stitches considered  an old stitch. This stitch is a useful stitch in embroidering lines and curves.  Stitches included in this category are chain stitch, split stitch, and wheat stitch.

Detached Stitches and Knots these includes the detached chain stitch which is also known as lazy daisy stitch, fly stitch and the French Knots.

Buttonhole Stitches includes buttonhole stitch which can be used as decorative edges in your embroidery project;  buttonhole wheels or eyelets are used in creating eyelets or a design which needs cutting at the center; buttonhole shading which is also used as a filling stitch; detached buttonhole filling which is used in needle lace.

Filling Stitches includes stitches such as the fishbone, satin stitch and flat stitch.

These are the basic stitches that you need to know when starting in embroidery. They are the most common stitches that you will use,  of course, if you are new to embroidery, you will need to look for tutorials and how tos. You can  find many tutorials of these stitches. Here’s where you can find them;

Embroidery books. In most embroidery books for beginners, you will see instructions not just on how to embroider but also how to do each basic stitch. Diagrams and figures are also included in most of these books and are  easy to understand.

Embroidery magazines. If you are collecting magazines about embroidery, you will find tutorials in every issue.

The Internet.  If you don’t have time to look for books and magazines,  you can always try the Internet.  There are lots of websites on the net which offer easy-to-understand tutorials of basic embroidery stitches.

Now that you know what basic embroidery stitches you need to learn and how you can find tutorials for them, it is time you know why it is important to your project.  Basically, embroidery is composed of different stitches. And even if you see a complex stitch in a pattern, you should realize that it is most likely made up of two or more basic stitches. You see, these basic stitches are the foundation of even the most complex stitches in hand embroidery.

It is important that you know the basics, then  you can do even the most complicated stitches using a combination of few basic stitches.  You can have beautiful embroidery projects even for a beginner. Besides, everything beautiful in this world needs basic components to be a  whole  and your embroidery project is no different.

Tags: backstitch, chain stitch, coral stitch, couching, Detached Stitches, Embroidery, Embroidery Stitches, fishbone, flat stitch., fly stitch, French Knot, lazy daisy stitch, Line Stitches, outline stitch, Portuguese Knotted Stem stitch, running stitch, satin stitch, scroll stitch, split stitch, stem stitch, wheat stitch, whipped running stitch