embroidery basics: fill stitches • part 2

Last time around, we talked about some different fill stitches, but there are still more. In fact, today you’ll see the more common fills. We’ll continue using the raindrops from the previous lesson, so if you started that, you’re already set to go!

The first stitch today is called a long and short stitch. Personally, I think the title is deceiving. Only at the edges are you using long and short, the rest of the time you are creating all long stitches.

Think of this stitch as laying bricks (I’ve even seen this referred to as a brick stitch...which makes a lot more sense!). The stitches are all the same length, but they overlap each other.

You can work them in rows going across, which is especially nice if you want to blend colors (use similar shades for this), or you can stitch them end to end, like I’ve done here. This is basically a backstitch.

Oh, and you don’t NEED to have an outline around the whole thing. In fact, in the next stitch, you aren’t supposed to have that one! (I just happen to like the outline look.)

This next one is a satin stitch, and is one of the most popular fills for small-ish areas, and it’s easy to see why. It’s smooth and beautiful!

To satin stitch, come up on one side of the area, and go down on the other side.

Come back up on the first side, just next to your first stitch, and back down on the other side, just next to your first stitch. It’s like you’re wrapping the area on the front and back.


Repeat this over and over until the area is filled in. The trick is to keep the edges smooth, and the area solid. The weave of some fabrics can make this difficult sometimes, but with practice, you’ll get a nice smooth fill.

As I mentioned, traditionally, a satin stitch doesn’t have an outline around it. But why be traditional? I like an outline for two reasons:

1. It looks cute.
2. It hides a multitude of stitching sins. Now no one needs to know that my edges aren’t perfect!

Stitched with pearl cotton, like I’m doing here, a regular satin stitch already has some dimension, but for even more, especially with regular floss, you can add some padding.

An outline and/or some rice stitches in the middle of the area will help with this, so start with that.

Now you can do a regular satin stitch over those stitches. You just come up and back down right on the outside of the outline.

Nice and puffy!

The last fill stitch is a modified satin stitch. Come up on one side of the area, and go down on the other side. Now, here’s the big difference...

Come up on the same side as you went down, and then down on the other side of the area.

You’re working back and forth more, and the back of your work will be open, not wrapped. The result is more open and casual on the front as well. I like it!


Hey! That’s all of the basic fills! And if you're like me, you still have a few raindrops to go. Come up with some ideas of your own, or practice the stitches that gave you the most trouble. Now, get practicing and you’ll never want empty areas again!

Download the raindrops pattern. (It's the same as last time)
Download the lesson with raindrops pattern.

This is the end of the stitch posts that I have planned for the Embroidery Basics series, but if you have any questions about this, or other embroidery techniques, I'd be happy to answer them to the best of my abilities. Leave a comment, and I'll answer all questions in one more Embroidery Basics post in 2 weeks.