Botanical Stitch Practice
This is an opportunity to have a play around with different embroidery stitches. You can use the design provided or create your own layout as you try out the different stitches. Firstly iron your fabric - use a water spray if you have any stubborn creases. Place your calico into the hoop and tighten the screw. Pull the fabric taut and tighten the screw even more. Hold the ‘Botanical Stitch Practice’ sheet up to a window and trace the guide lines onto the back of the calico so that the hoop lies flat against the window (see above left). When you’ve finished tracing or adding your own marks, take the fabric out of the hoop, turn it over, and then replace the hoop so that the drawing now sits at the front.
Running Stitch: (3 strands) Simply push the needle up through the fabric at the start of the stitch and back down through at the end.
Back Stitch: (2 strands) Start with a single running stitch and then come back up through the fabric in the position that you would like your next stitch to end. Then send the needle back down at the end of the previous stitch.
Split Stitch: (2 or 3 strands) This one is similar to back stitch but this time you finish the stitch by sending the needle down through the centre of the previous stitch, thereby splitting it. This is a lovely stitch for ‘drawing’ with in thread, and can look fairly seamless as the stitches blend into each other.
Seed Stitch: (2 strands) Go in and out of the fabric making randomly placed single stitches.
w
Cross Stitch: (1 strand) Stack little crosses on top of each other, bringing the needle up through the fabric on the top of the last cross made and on the opposite side of where the last cross finished. This makes most sense when you try it!
Satin Stitch: (2 strands) Give the leaf a bit of a skeleton with a few guide stitches. Leave the central stem as this is stitched on at the end.
Now fill inbetween the guide stitches, placing each stitch right next to the last, until the leaf is filled in completely.
Finish with the final stitch along the centre of the leaf.
Chain stitch: (1 strand in the centre, 2 strands on the outer rings) You might find it easier to take your hoop off for this stitch especially if your chains are close to the edge of the hoop. Bring your needle up from the back to begin with, and then send it back down and through (as shown left) Before pulling the needle right through, wrap your thread around the back off the needle. Now pull the needle through and your first link in the chain will appear.
Now send the needle back down through the middle of the first link and through to the other side but again, before pulling the needle right through, wrap the thread around the back of the needle as before and then pull through. Now the second link in your chain has been made.
Continue in this way sending the needle through the centre of the last link made each time.
Lazy Daisy Stitch (2 strands) This is similar to chain stitch and is used to make flowers. Your starting point for each petal will be the centre of the flower. Wrap the thread around the back of the needle as you did with chain stitch and then pull the needle right through.
Now secure the petal by stitching down over the other side of it (as shown left). Bring the needle back up through the centre of the flower and repeat the process to make the next petal.
Needle weaving: (1 strand) Make an even number of long straight stitches next to each other in a row. Using another colour, make a stitch from the back and come up at the top left hand corner of the square. Now sending the blunt end of your needle through first, weave over the first long stitch, under the next, over the next, etc... When you reach the end of the row, stitch down through to the back of the fabric and then stitch back to the front just underneath, and weave the next row back across. Make sure you start your weave with the opposite of how the last row finished. Continue weaving from side to side, stitching down and back at the end of each row and changing colours if you like as you go along.
Catkin Stitch: (3 strands) This little stitch is like a wishbone but it reminded me of a catkin, so that’s what I’ve called it. It’s useful for little embellishments and looks sweet in a group. It’s like a lazy daisy stitch but with a gap at the bottom.
Secure the thread in the same way as a lazy daisy stitch, over the other side of the loop.
French Knots: (3 strands) Bring your needle and thread up from the back. Wrap the thread around the pointy end of the needle twice. Then slowly send the needle back down into the fabric close to where you came up. (see bottom left) If you’re not familiar with French knots and you’re doing a group of knots, it’s probably best to finish off each one at the back before moving onto the next. When you’ve finished your stitch practice, tighten the hoop and make sure the fabric is taut. Then trim around the fabric leaving a 1cm border and use a glue stick to secure it to the hoop.