beyond basics // foliage stitch pineapple embroidery

I recently learned about foliage stitch, which was new to me. And wanting to give it a try right away, I decided to make an embroidered pineapple. Because we just can't get enough pineapples, right?

My encounter with foliage stitch was on Pinterest and I was smitten. The style of it tells me that it's a needlepoint stitch, but I didn't see many other references to it by this name. So maybe it's called something else? Since the person who posted it called it foliage stitch, I'm going with that.

But since her example was on evenweave and done more like traditional counted thread embroidery, I worked it up my own way. Breaking the rules of embroidery is perfectly fine and worth perfecting. So here's my version of how to work foliage stitch:



This stitch is worked within a square turned on the diagonal. If you look closely, you'll see a faintly marked pink square here.

Come up at one side corner and go back down at the bottom corner. Come up at the opposite corner and back down at the bottom corner.



We start getting into more breaking the rules territory here. Because in theory, you should make the next row of stitches immediately above the first. But I'm jumping to the middle because it's easier to visually space out the stitches this way. At least, for me it is.

Feel free to stitch these in any order you choose. You can even stitch one side first and then the other side. I did this while stitching my pineapple, as it saves on thread.

So, come up in the middle of one of the top edges, then go down directly in the center of the square. Repeat on the other side.



Come up half way between the first stitches and go down half way between them, right on the vertical center. Repeat on the other side.



Come up half way between the top corner and the top stitch and go back down on the vertical center between the top corner and the point where the top stitches meet.

This is a little different from the original stitch I saw, because that one only had three sets of these angled stitches. Technically, you could do as many or as few as you wanted, depending on the size you're making these stitches, as well as how dense you want them to look.



Finally, finish it off with a vertical stitch from top to bottom. Or bottom to top. Again, it's not vitally important what order you work these stitches.

So now that I've showed how to do foliage stitch, it's time to find a way to use it! I loved the piece that inspired my exploration into the stitch, but is it only for a purely geometric design? My trouble with stitches like this is that they aren't always easy to work into the kinds of patterns I like to make and stitch.

I mean, I LOVE learning new stitches, but I keep going back to the basics because they work for the designs I enjoy. So I started thinking about how this "beyond basics" stitch could make something cute.



And a pineapple came to mind! The shape of the stitches works really well for the pattern of a pineapple, and even for the top. Not to mention, this stitch makes it possible to finish this little stitchery in an evening!

I set up a pattern for you, and it comes in two sizes on the page. My finished pineapple is the larger pattern and it fits in a 4in hoop. The stitches are a little long at this size, but it just barely works. I used all six strands of floss, but I think it would very pretty with fewer strands or perle cotton.

DOWNLOAD THE FOLIAGE STITCH PINEAPPLE PATTERN

As you can see, some of these are half foliage stitches. Also because I kept true to the form of the stitches, some edges of the pineapple are more open. Feel free to finish those off and have more of a border of long stitches around the entire shape.



Happy pineapple stitching!

beyond embroidery basics // sprats head shamrock

I love that embroidery is something you can pick up and learn in a very short amount of time, and also something you will never master. There are so many stitches, and just when you think you've seen it all, you find a new stitch or a new way to use what you've already learned.

Yesterday I stitched my first "Sprat's Head" (sometimes also called Arrowhead Tack) stitch.

It's right up there for you to see, and it's not perfect. It was my first try after all! I also stitched it on felt, which might not have helped, but I had a plan. It involves triangles and green, and you'll see it start to take shape.

I've just learned this, but jump in with me and try Sprat's Head stitch for yourself! (If you're left handed, you'll want to reverse the direction of these.)



The stitch makes a little triangle, so you need to sort of envision the triangle you want, or mark it on your fabric. Come up at the left base of what will be the triangle, and take a tiny horizontal stitch at the apex.



Go down at the right of the base, and come back up on the left side, just to the right of that first stitch.



Take another horizontal stitch just below the apex. Go down on the right side and back up on the left.

It's really easy to have these points be too close together, which will draw in the sides of your triangle. My first one had a lot of this. Be sure that you're staying right on the triangle "lines" and not going under the lines created by the floss.



Again, go down at the right of the base, just to the left of the previous stitch down there, and come up on the left, to the right of the previous stitch.

Keep these points close together to have a more solid triangle. I haven't played with spacing out the stitches more. Hmm...that could be interesting.



Keep going until the base is solid with stitches.



You've got a nice little triangle now! Mine is more acute (skinny!) than most of the examples I found for this stitch. Do a search for Sprat's Head stitch and you'll see what I mean. But again, I had a plan. And it was a perfect way to practice this new stitch:




Because by the time I reached my third Sprat's Head, I was really happy with the shape. All I had to do was add a mini stitch to be the stem of my shamrock!

You could make this a four-leaf clover, but I like the shamrock and its connection to the Holy Trinity. It might only be folklore that St. Patrick used the symbol, but it's still a beautiful way to look at it. Now I'm going to make something with my newly stitched shamrock! I'm thinking headband or maybe a necklace!

Oh, and something fun for today, Friday the 13th! All orders from my Etsy shop will receive a FREE DIY lucky charm, my Lucky Me embroidery pattern!

beyond embroidery basics // coral stitch coral

A few years ago I first published my Embroidery Basics series. If you're new to embroidery or are wanting to get started, I recommend that you check it out. Recently I've been sharing some additional stitches, and calling it Beyond Embroidery Basics. These stitches are more advanced, though not necessarily difficult, and they are great for making your embroidery well, less basic.

For a long time, I've loved today's stitch, even though I rarely get the chance to use it. To get us started, I thought I'd let my friend Olive introduce what we'll be working on.

Wait. Um, Olive? I think you're confused. A corral holds horses. We're talking about coral stitch. You know, like the color.

What? No, no, no. You can stitch with any color of floss, I just happen to be using coral for my coral stitch. Never mind. Let's just start stitching.



To start, I've traced the coral from my Bitty Beluga pattern. But you could easily draw something similar on your own, or try this with just about any like you'd like. I'll be using all six strands of (coral!) floss. Tie a knot in one end and thread the needle with the other.



Come up from the back at the start of your line. Lay the floss in the direction that you'll be stitching, and then curve the tail to the left. If you're left handed, you'll want to reverse all these directions.

Just a short way from where your thread came up, take your needle down and back up in a single stitch, perpendicular to the line you're working.



Bring your needle over the working thread on the left and pull it through.



As you pull the thread taut, it will form a knot on the surface of the fabric. Which is why this stitch is also called coral knot.



Here's the next stitch forming, from another angle. The same process is repeated, with the knots spaced evenly.



Each of these knots is about 1/8" apart. See what a neat little line they make? At the end of your line, just bring the needle through to the back of your work.

Oh, sure! You can change the spacing and size and you'll have a different feeling to the coral stitch. It's subtle, but it's there.



With this little line, I started making the knots further apart. You probably wouldn't want to go more than about 1/4" apart, because the floss separating each knot could snag.



Here the stitch worked perpendicular to the line is wider. This results in a larger nodule on the line. I think it would look cool to have this alternating with the standard size!



Try out a few ways to do this, and you'll find it has a nice rhythm, and a really pretty look.

Well, what do you know, Olive? It is coral. That's why we call it coral stitch!

Oh, and Jennifer asked what else you might use this stitch for, and here are some ideas: curly hair, necklaces, ruffles...lots of girly things! I've also seen it used as a fill stitch, with the nodules nestled together in rows. Plus, frames and borders would be fun with this stitch. If you have ideas for using coral stitch, share them in the comments!





Happy Stitching!

beyond embroidery basics // fishbone stitch palm

One of the things I love about embroidery is that you only need to know a few stitches to be able to make something wonderful. But even though you can do very well with only two or three, you can also learn many, many stitches. The thing is, I enjoy designing and stitching patterns that have a lot of outlining, so I'm not always sure how to put those stitches to use. I'm trying to find good ways to use these stitches while hopefully spreading more embroidery fun with you!

Today I've brought back my friend Olive along with a great way to use the fishbone stitch.

Don't worry, Olive! Since I've never had reason to stitch an actual fish bone, I thought that some palm branches would be a better option. No fish needed!



Start with some hooped fabric and draw a curved line. You could draw outer lines to define the edges of your shape, but since we're going for a branch, a little freeform stitching works well. Bring the needle up through the fabric just shy of the end of the line.



I'm using the sewing method (see my previous post here), but you could use the stabbing method if you prefer. In one stitch, take the needle down just over the end of the line, then back up on the line, just past where the floss came up from the back.



Try to envision the leaves of the palm branch coming off the center line. Take the needle down where the end of the first leaf should be, and bring it back up along the center line.



The next stitch is just like the previous, but along the bottom of the line.

Good question! The stitches should go at an angle, sticking out from the center line. The stitches on each side go at a different angle. In the example I'm stitching here, one side is angled up, and the other is angled down. Let's keep going!



As you continue stitching, leave just a bit of space between each stitch, and lengthen them as you go. If you want to make the center a little more dramatic, you can bring the needle up just to the right or left of the center line so that you see a little more overlap.

At this point, I should mention that this isn't a true fishbone, but rather, an open fishbone. The big difference is that with a standard fishbone stitch, the lines stitches coming from the center are closer together...touching even! Try them both!

Thanks, Olive! Notice how the stitches got longer toward the center of the branch and then shorter again at the end. That's my version, but you could easily change it up and alter the stitch length, spacing, and even the angle.

And since my fishbone palm branch came out like this, I thought it might be fun to try it at a much smaller size. So I grabbed a 5/8" hexagon I had close by and tried adding an itsy bitsy palm tree.



No pattern is needed, this tree is just a few slightly curved lines.



Tiny fishbone stitches make up the branches. In the center where the branches come together, stitches that would overlap can be omitted.



To finish it off, the tree trunk is stitched with chain stitch. Itsy bitsy stitching is always cute, don't you think? And just picture this stitched on a pocket or shirt cuff! Perfect for end of summer vacation wear!

beyond embroidery basics // pistil stitch fireworks

A few years ago I created a series of posts teaching the basics of embroidery. I love that embroidery is something that can be done with just a few stitches (most of the time, I stick to only three!), but it's also nice to have a few more stitches to use from time to time. So, how about we go beyond the basics?

Starting with Pistil Stitch! This stitch gets its name from flower pistils, and it is perfect for them. But it also looks a lot like fireworks to me, so that's what I've done. About the time that I was planning this post, Carina made something similar. Great minds, eh? Anyway, go check out her version too, because I think it's nice to see more than one perspective.

I've invited my friend Olive to join us today. Say hello, Olive!

So, hoop up some fabric, grab some floss and a needle, and let's stitch!



Pistil stitch is basically a French knot with a tail. I read about someone who formed these stitches by making a French knot and then making a straight stitch leading to the knot. That might look okay, but a true pistil stitch is made all in one go, which is easier I think.

Start like you're doing a French knot. Come up from the back and wrap the floss around the needle two times.

When making a regular French knot, the needle goes downright next to where the floss came up. For this, hold the wrapped thread taut around the needle, then send the needle through a little way off from where the floss came up.

Where the needle came up will be the tail end and where the needle goes down will be the knot end.



Holding the working thread in one hand and the needle in the other, pull the needle through the fabric while keeping the floss semi-snugly wrapped around the needle and thread as it goes through.

Thanks, Olive!



To make fireworks, stitch a series of pistil stitches forming a circle, with the tails toward the center. You can also add some more of these with the stitches going the other direction.



Add more fireworks and if you'd like to add a face to one of them (Why wouldn't you? Faces make things cute!), leave a space in the center. An oval-ish space is good.



Adding some plain old straight stitches to your pistil stitch fireworks gives them some extra depth and detail. You can even throw in some French knots too, though I left them off of mine.

Finally, it's time for a face. To get this expression of glee, use three small scallop stitches. I recommend a darker color (I find that light faces look a bit odd), but if you're using dark fabric for a night sky, make sure that the floss isn't too dark.

I hope you try this new stitch and find fun ways to use it! I've got some more stitches planned, but I'd love to hear what more advanced stitches you'd like to learn!