To do it this way you’ll need a clearly-defined shape drawn onto your fabric. I’m using a square but it can be any shape you like.
Bring your needle to the front at a corner of your shape.
Take your needle down at the opposite corner, then up again right next to where your needle first emerged.
Pull the thread through making sure your floss lays flat.
Placing your stitches close together, continue along until your shape is filled. Follow the exact guidelines you’ve drawn for a smooth, even edge. This is actually pretty hard to achieve so I'm looking forward to trying the outlining technique.
When you’re finished filling the shape, hide your ending thread behind the shape by weaving it in under the threads on the back. You'll notice that the back looks very much like the front.
Essentially you’re doing the same stitch we learned last week except that you’re packing them closely together to make a smooth surface.
With the split stitch technique you’ll first outline your shape then work over that outline. Another technique is called padded satin stitch. For this you make a series of small stitches in the center of your shape, then work the satin stitch over the top. This raises the surface of your shape slightly. You’ll see this technique used a lot in whitework.
Here are a few examples of satin stitch. It’s great for flower petals and leaves.
And for animal eyes and noses.
See you next week for split stitch! And a special thanks to those of you who've commented that you're enjoying this series :)
And if you've missed any of the lessons in this series, there's a handy list of previous Stitch School posts in the menu to the right.
9 comments:
I always have trouble making this stitch look as it's supposed to look. Your tutuorial really helps. Thank you!
Wow- you did a great job of this, and I didn't know by past bitter experience, I would say that it looks easy! You have fantastically even tension - any tips you can share for getting better at this?
I agree that it's not as easy as it looks. Getting the tension right while staying inside your line and keeping the thread from twisting all at the same time can be a challenge. I find myself smoothing the thread with my left thumb or a finger so it lays flat as I pull the thread through. But, tension depends a lot on the fabric you use. Linen or very soft cottons need a looser tension; stiffer cottons can take a tighter tension. As with most things, the more you do it the better you'll get—so practice!
But, I'll say this, too. Most people, when looking at your finished work won't notice if your stitches aren't absolutely perfect. The cool thing about satin stitch is that you see the finished shape and not the individual stitches.
I buy tons of vintage things that were embroidered by other people - only a few were done by what I'd call experts. The little flaws and mistakes just add to the charm of them. So strive for perfection but don't beat yourself up about it either.
Thank you so much for this step-by-step instruction of a satin stitch. I am just beginning to learn about all of this and your instructions were very helpful. Thanks again.
thank you very very much for this fascinating site, you've really helped me with my satin and blanket stitch, thanks
thank you so so so so much - this was a really great site!
thank you so much
im makin my mum a purse for christmas and im doin a letter this is really helping
and so are your other blogs
thanks
beth
12 years old
This has been so helpful as I am a visual person so reading or being told something tends to go in one ear and out the other.
Cheers
Joy
Thank you so much for posting these tutorials! I just recently started making my first quilt for a couple getting married this summer and I wanted to embroidery their initials into it. I read through all your pages and figured out exactly what I wanted to do and how to do it. All the pictures you take help so much!
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