blanket stitch – single, double and whipped

the blanket stitch is very versatile, and there are a few variations that are easily achievable with a little practice.  the blanket stitch can be done straight, crossed, whipped, closed, and worked long and short. it is a great stitch not just for edgings but also for creating either straight or curved borders.

this stitch is worked from left to right and if it helps, you can draw two parallel lines on the fabric to follow as a guide.  first bring the needle up at 1, down at 2 and up at 3, making sure the thread is looped under the needle. pull through. repeat the next stitch to the right. fasten down the last loop by making a small stitch along the lower line.

blanket stitch – single

blanket stitch – double

work this in exactly the same way as single blanket stitch, only this time work a row of blanket stitches from left to right and then turn the work upside down and stitch another row of blanket stitches. position the ‘teeth’ of the stitch between the ‘teeth’ of the first line as shown in the picture.

blanket stitch – whipped

as with the backstitch, you can whip the lower edge with a contrasting color thread. start at the right side and bring your needle up through the fabric close to the first stitch, and then pass the needle from top to bottom through each of the lower threads without going through the fabric.

backstitch – whipped

and now, duh nuh nuh nuh nuh…crack that whip! 

first work a line of backstitch as show above and then, using a contrasting color, start at the beginning of your backstitch line by bringing your needle up at 1 (this is halfway along your first backstitch). pass your needle under each stitch, top to bottom without going through the fabric until you reach the end of your line and then finish at the top, halfway along the last backstitch.

a deceptively simple stitch that always makes me smile.

backstitch – threaded & double threaded

on to the threaded version! first work a row of backstitch again and then, using a contrasting color, bring your needle out at 1 and thread the needle through the second stitch along. work each stitch alternatively up and down but not going through the fabric.

 

backstitch – double threaded:

for double threaded backstitch, work exactly in the same way as above. using a contrasting color, bring the needle up at 1 and thread through the second stitch and carry on all along the row of backstitches, filling in the vacant spaces with loops. keep the thread relaxed and don’t pull too tight!

check this out…by drawing circles onto fabric (using an air erasable pen) and using backstitches (plain, whipped, threaded and double threaded) you can practice creating circles in a variety of colors, and end up with something pretty neat:

a close up view:

many a possibility using this modest little stitch!

backstitch – simple

the humble backstitch is one of the most versatile stitches in the embroiderer’s stitch arsenal, as it can be used as an outline stitch on plain or evenweave fabrics or as a foundation for other embroidery stitches, such as pekinese stitch. it is also used in cross stitch, blackwork and assisi work.

worked on its own using straight and even stitches, the backstitch resembles a machine-like stitch.  but it’s not all utilitarian where the backstitch is concerned…there are other things you can do with backstitch to make it a decorative stitch in its own right! these include whipped, threaded and double threaded backstitch.

for the plain backstitch:  first bring the needle up at 1, down at 2 and up at 3. it is important that you make all of the stitches the same length. to start the next stitch, insert the needle at 1 again. repeat along your line, keeping the stitches as even as possible.

algerian eye stitch

an algerian eye stitch, (other aliases…star stitch or star eyelet stitch) consists of eight straight stitches which radiate from a central hole to create a star effect. stitches are evenly spaced and arranged in a square. it can be worked in thick thread on canvas or a thinner thread on evenweave fabrics. if worked on evenweave, the stitches should be pulled firmly during stitching to create the holes. algerian eye stitch can be worked as a single stitch, in blocks to form bands or as an all over pattern fill. it is great for multicolored borders around a design.

the best place to start the stitch is at the top and to follow around the square shape to form the central hole, counting the holes in the fabric to get the stitch even. bring your needle up at 1 and down at 2 to create a diagonal stitch (2 is the center of the hole), up again at 3 and down again at 2.

continue working the stitch around the square  by bringing the needle up at 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and then down at 2 each time.

then bring the needle up at 9 down at 2 and bring the needle out again at 8 to start the next stitch in the row if working a block of stitches. pull the stitches tight each time to form the hole. you can also use a stiletto to push the threads apart to make the hole more obvious.