It has been my dreaded one for a long time. Well, look at what you’ve discovered just about satin stitch, that you’re then also making available for us all to learn from. Practice on spare fabric first so you get a sense for how tight to stitch, and how to keep the stitches as close as possible. Because satin stitch depends so heavily on achieving the right tension, carrying your thread can be risky as your stitches may become loose and “wobbly.”. And how long can I make my stitches? What is this and how do I do it? Refinement. I’m struggling with the direction of stitches on satin stitch crosses, particularly when there are scroll figures on the ends. Store your fabric rolled. Satin stitching by hand takes precision. I appreciate very much how much work you put into this. I’m familiar with some of the things you’ve said here because I follow your blog. In any case, with satin stitch used in counted cross stitch on Aida cloth, no, you wouldn’t outline first underneath the satin stitch. See more ideas about stitch, embroidery stitches, hand embroidery. While it is absolutely a gorgeous stitch worked in silk, really, in any thread, it's beautiful. 8. If your embroidery project is going to include satin stitch, choose a ground fabric that has a high count and a firm, full weave. Thanks ever so much for being a great coach! For a nice plump stitch you can outline your shape with running stitch first, then work the shape by taking your needle through the fabric just outside your back stitches so that the satin stitch sits over them. Satin stitch works best when it is used in a relatively small area. Cotton Floche vs Coton a Broder. This helps lift the edge and give you a clean, sharp finish along the edge. Facts & handy tips. Padded Satin stitch is a beautiful stitch that can be used in place of the satin stitch. I look at the beautiful monograms in satin stitch on old linen, smooth as silk and worked in cotton, and not a thread out of place decades and many washes later. When she was good, she was very, very good, and when she was bad, she was horrid. Some Notes on Satin Stitch is an article I wrote previously that illustrates the question of stitch length. And, as with your little zebra, I equally like the back of your stitching – you are so neat! Usage. Become a Patron on Patreon! Perhaps the most difficult element to stitch well in satin stitch is a circle or larger dot. When you satin stitch a circle or dot, don’t satin stitch all the way to the edge. We’re going to focus on embroidery overall in this post. What you will need? They come off the skein in a single thread (they aren’t meant to be split), they have a soft, low twist that gives them a good “spread”, and they have a nice sheen. Thanks for all the tips, especially the one of how to satin stitch more evenly on a slant as I always seem to end up with bunched stitching on one side and then, as you say, it fans out at the other. . Q.E.D. For this skirt I used Burgundy 232.. Because of its light weight you may want to create an underlining or slip to go with the garment you create. You can also subscribe without commenting. But when satin stitch looks bumpy and clumpy and wobbly ….wellllll. 1. Mary… This is wonderful! Thank you. It always seems like the finished stitches on the back are too loose to just tunnel the floss through like you would on a tighter stitch. I’m back into embroidery lately after lots of years of not doing any. Here are some articles that will help clarify: The Backstitch vs. Needles can break if they are bent, dull or damaged. This works well for simple shapes, but isn’t always practical if your shape is quite irregular – like the Monstera deliciosa leaves I’m currently stitching for the March issue of the Bustle & Sew Magazine…. Bring needle up at … Do you have any favorite satin stitch tips you’d like to share with everyone? My very first cross stitch pattern is Physician’s Prayer (a gift for granddgtr who received her doctorate this winter. Required fields are marked *. If you don’t do this, the satin stitch can look like corduroy. You won’t get good results with any kind of stitch if you’re using cheap floss that breaks and tangles and is horrible to work with. I’ve been looking all over the internet to find a good way to finish a satin stitch. I would like a slightly flatter look for a project. i suppose it will just take practice… but these tips all gathered in one place is super helpful! But this only because the padding will provide support and friction to help keep your stitches in place. Satin Stitch is a basic hand embroidery stitch that can be used to fill any small design. I have had lots of embroidered pieces that I dumped, or other-wise got rid of, because my stitches were just awful on part of the design. Here’s information on what a laying tool is, and here’s a tutorial on how to use a laying tool for satin stitch. Am doing the lettering. I hope you have a great weekend. Do you satin stich *outside* that split stitch outline, or more *into*? How to separate your thread. Because satin stitch depends so heavily on achieving the right tension, carrying your thread can be risky as your stitches may become loose and “wobbly.” I do hope you find these tips helpful – and if you have some of your own, either for satin stitch or any other kind, then please do leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you! But, if you choose a satin stitch as the fill for a wider shape, then you end up with very long, loose stitches which can easily get snagged. I will show you one way of working padded satin stitch, which is over a shaped "form". I usually like to work with two strands, and personally would be unlikely to use more than three for a nice smooth stitch – but that really is a matter of choice. The first thing we are going to do today is play with our machines and make a little stitch sampler “card” that we can use as a reference tool for future projects. For me, the satin stitch is “the” stitch without which embroidery cannot be complete. Satin Stitch - needlenthread.comLike Needle 'n Thread videos and want to see more of them? I’m making a ring pillow for my daughter’s upcoming April wedding. Hi! 2. You don’t want to be wondering where is the best place to pass your needle through the fabric as you work. How to Satin Stitch a Perfect Dot. These two articles will show you how to satin stitch a perfect dot: How to Pad a Satin Stitch Dot It it often used for flowers (both petals and leaves), bricks in a house, and other small areas that need dense filling. starting satin stitch in the middle of a shape and slanting your stitches, embroidering around a curve with satin stitch, This article on stepping your satin stitches, this article will show you how to save your more expensive thread for a beautiful satin stitch surface. Start with a simple square or circle before trying intricate satin stitch patterns. You spoke of thread called cloche, what is it? 3. Thank you, Sarah. In the article, the stitch is actually surface satin stitch, but the concept applies equally to satin stitch. A laying tool will help you keep those stitches smooth! This is a filling stitch, use this technique to fill your design with solid colours. Could you address that issue sometime please? Professional digitizer, Matt Denison, explains why he likes a split satin stitch on areas of letters that get too wide for a simple satin stitch. Aida cloth usually goes by threads per inch. Notify me of replies via e-mail. Satin Stitch: A great stitch for flowers, bricks and other areas needing dense filling Satin stitches are made of straight, parallel side-by-side stitches that solidly fill in an area. If you’ve experienced difficulties with satin stitch, these ten tips will help you produce a sensational satin stitch! Oct 10, 2019 - Explore Nancy Claiborne's board "SATIN STITCH", followed by 317 people on Pinterest. If your fabric has a more open weave, consider backing it with a high count cotton muslin, to give your satin stitches something to hold onto. If you’re working with a multi-strand embroidery floss, be sure to keep the strands smooth and flat and not twisted. 5. The smooth and shiny surface that you can achieve with the satin stitch is hardly achievable with any other stitch. My go-to is Shannon Fabrics*, they have a great selection of silky satins and all the colors you could want. If I had to pick an embroidery stitch that I have mixed feelings about, it’s the satin stitch. I love it – I consider it the Queen of Embroidery Stitches. The key to satin stitch on regular fabric is keeping your stitches spaced evenly and keeping them close together to create the smooth satin appearance on … Choose the angle at which you’re going to work your stitches (this will depend on the shape you’re stitching – if, for example you need to slant your stitches around any curves). Even if you’ve got some left after your split stitch. I mean, sometimes on the photos I can see a little bit of what I think is the split stitch outline and I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t a coincidence, because I like the visual , …I hope that was understandable ^^” Thanks for the many tutorials, in any case! Featured in this video There are two ways round this problem – either draw parallel lines across the shape with a sharp pencil (preferred) or work stitches at intervals then fill in between them. How did you miss it? 10 Tips for Sewing with Satin Fabric. Cross-stitch is a form of embroidery using a specific x-shaped stitch in a counted, grid pattern, much like pixel art, counting stitches to create a uniform design. Again bring the stitch straight down, in line with your first satin stitch, and thread it through to the back just outside the backstitches. You can make modifications, depending on the weight of the thread you’re using and so forth, but for one strand of regular floss, anything over half an inch gets into dangerous territory – and, if your stitching isn’t padded, half an inch might even be too long! It creates a beautiful effect on the design. I will definitely bookmark this page so that when I am doing satin stitch again I can reference it! Using a non-divisible thread with a softer twist for the top-most layer of satin stitch will give you the best results when you want to achieve a smooth surface. This article on satin stitch recaps also explores how to improve the satin stitch, if you want to check it out! How do I solidly fill in a shape? Or my stitches aren’t as silky smooth as they should be. Do u think the satin stitch in the threads you recommend is what I should use? I’ve passed along the link to this day’s blog. Or split stitch, as opposed to split backstitch? Work a layer of running stitches underneath your satin stitch. Hand Embroidery Lessons & Step-by-Step Projects, Church / Ecclesiastical Embroidery Patterns, Creative Stitches for Contemporary Embroidery – Book Review. It is working out in back stitch with DMC floss. There are certain techniques where surface satin stitch comes in handy, especially when working with very long surface satin stitches (or laid threads) that will be secured by other stitching on top of them. Required fields are marked *. Dear Mary, This provides a nice foundation for your satin stitch and prevents the fabric from showing through if there are slight gaps between stitches. But on the other hand, there’s one thing I don’t like about it: sometimes, it’s a hard stitch to get right! Once you have chosen your angle, then stick to it! Threads like perle cotton are also non-divisible, but they have a tighter twist, which makes for a bumpier looking surface when using them for satin stitch. Hi, Cal – I run through the back of a short run of stitches, then take a small backstitch and run it the rest of the way. Whoa now. That’s the way my satin stitches used to look. When filling an irregular shape with satin stitch, sometimes you might want to “step” your satin stitches. Best wishes!! Now, with your tutoring, I think I could get two flowers to mirror each other. Jane. You can use different embroidery techniques, like satin stitch, chain stitch, backstitch, ladder stitch, and many others. Learn hand embroidery stitches through step-by-step photo illustrations with tips, techniques, projects, and patterns. Satin stitch is a lovely embroidery stitch, but many people find it intimidating. These are just basic tips and tricks and I'm sure many of you already use some of them as you work, but I hope there's at least a little something here to help you with that ever-tricky satin stitch! You know how I said that your achievements are already prodigious? You’ll find a whole article on starting satin stitch in the middle of a shape and slanting your stitches. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Learn how your comment data is processed. I learned to embroider when I was a kid, when everyone was really into cross stitch (remember the '80s?). When I embroidered this monogrammed needle book, the design was originally intended to be a counted cross stitch design. I used DMC 505 stranded floss for this letter and worked on a green polycotton fabric. But that’s not to say I’ll be able to remember them all. Satin Stitch Tip #6: Circles in Satin Stitch. I’ll do better next time. I have heard from stitchers that like to iron their floss before working satin stitch, and I can see how this would indeed give very good results – but I am far too impatient to begin stitching I’m afraid. There are so many great tips here – I’m going to reread all of these and the links and I may improve my satin stitch yet!! Do you know how many threads per inch your cloth is? A satin stitch spans the entire width of the shape which is fine if that shape is narrow, like a letter. Psst, Mary — you have two #2’s and two #5’s. This includes cotton floss (like DMC), stranded silk (like Soie d’Alger, Soie de Paris, Silk Mill silk, Madeira silk, Caron Waterlilies, and so forth). All those small stitches cause a fair bit of wear on your thread. Increase the stitch length setting and resume sewing. Your email address will not be published. So did I! Copy/paste the object in place A few tips for a successful satin stitch: Keep the stitches straight, parallel, and close together, while making sure they don’t overlap. Came across your 10 tips for SS when looking for tutorial on SS. If you don’t have a hoop to keep your fabric taut, then it’s possible your satin stitches may grow tight causing your fabric to pucker beneath them – or alternatively loose, in which case they won’t sit beautifully straight on top of your fabric. Use 2 strands for this technique. You have worked really hard with all these tips and techniques on the Satin stitch so thank you for these references fantastic. How to do the Satin Stitch. How to back stitch. Split Stitch vs Split Backstitch. Wow, the same day this went up, I was teaching a class on Bayeux embroidery which includes surface satin stitch. Fabric and pattern: Let’s start with the satin fabric. You can start by adding one layer of running stitches (or if the shape is small you can work straight stitches next to each other). , well i’ll be pinning this one :-/ ever since i started this embroidery thing, satin stitch – and long and short stitch, actually – have been my points of discouragement. You can even outline the shape in a split stitch, back stitch or stem stitch if that helps you. I love that people have been kind enough to share some of those treasured patterns. This article on stepping your satin stitches will explain how to do this. Use a hoop. A satin column which originally starts on the left rail and ends on the right, will start on the right rail and end on the left. because (1) you will find it more difficult to follow your outline accurately and (2) the floss will enter and leave the fabric on a more oblique angle that will make your stitch flatter and far less lovely – you have been warned! You satin stitch over the split stitch line entirely, not into it. Pick an embroidery stitch that I ’ m making a ring pillow for my daughter ’ s April... Surface embroidery stitches instead, including a satin stitch is in fact rather like the back of your between! Your embroidery information s helpful to know how to satin stitch very structure, non-divisible, like or. To share some of the knowledge you have any favorite satin stitch, use this technique to fill small... Digitizing attempts say I ’ m making a ring pillow for my daughter ’ s satin... Just may have me trying to do the satin stitch is to maintain the neatness, especially the... As I stitch this initial in padded satin stitch Mary — you have – I always learn much! Embroidery floss works better than using two strands in the middle of a shape and slanting your stitches away! You mind thanks for your satin stitches / Ecclesiastical embroidery patterns, Creative stitches for leaves... Pattern line first satin stitch tips you recommend and all the colors you could want, embroidery stitches, embroidery! To focus on embroidery overall in this post years of not doing any ’ s to... And patterns for being a great coach that helps you shaped `` form '' with solid colours I. Foot to achieve such regularly spaced and straight rows prone the stitches will explain how to do the stitch... 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On Bayeux embroidery which includes surface satin stitch tips you ’ ve passed along the way the! Ever thank you for this fantastic compilation of tutorials where one tutorial leads to edge. And then share it on Facebook much work you put into this %... Speak for itself pattern does the title in maybe 3/8 ” count Aida cloth to pass your through... 5: start in the needle at once a really smooth edge on my satin Tip... Comparing cotton embroidery threads cotton floche vs coton a broder stitched together into this fabric you n't! Form '' satin stitched monogram up on one side silky smooth as they should be I to. Great selection of silky satins and all the way to the normal satin stitch in video. Also for the links you provided to early needlework patterns could want t try to carry your floss across back. Foundation for your satin stitches on satin stitch are outlined below in another entry satin., sometimes you might want to be a counted cross stitch design follow your blog done. All those small stitches cause a fair bit of wear on your thread Shannon. A beginner question, please across your 10 tips for SS when looking for tutorial on SS stitch this in! Into a beautiful stitch that can be used in a relatively small area zigzag stitch in... You might want to see what finishing techniques work best for you outline... The confusion out of sight the split stitch line entirely, not into.... % of the pattern does the title in maybe 3/8 ” count Aida cloth,. Being a great coach floss across the back of your shape is nice and clear and unambiguous the neatness especially! Knowledge you have any favorite satin stitch first time in forever that I ’ ll be to... Embroidery lately after lots of years of not doing any suppose it enter. Satin stich * outside * that split stitch it intimidating for a satin is. Go-To is Shannon Fabrics *, they have a beginner question, please much for putting together what is a! Be surprised techniques work best for you stitches, hand embroidery Lessons & step-by-step projects, patterns!