4 ideas on stitch size

There are a lot of factors contributing to how finished embroidery looks. One that I've been considering lately is stitch size. Basically, how long the individual stitches are. I think it stands out most on back stitch, running stitch and even chain stitch, but it certainly has an effect on stem stitch and others.

So here for you are 4 ideas I have on using stitch size to change the look of your back stitching!



When your stitches are uniform, and all the same length, it looks high quality! Tiny stitches are even more impressive (at least to an embroiderer, who knows how long it takes!).

When stitching this way, you need to plan out how you'll get to the end of a line and keep it all even. To do this, you may need to start "cheating" your stitch size as you approach the last 3 or 4 stitches. Do it right, and you'll hardly notice that some stitches are just a little different in size!



This one is like above, with stitches being the same length. But you change the length in different sections of the embroidery. The size of the stitch can change its appearance so much that it can give it a whole new look!

I think this would work really well in red work, where the color remains the same. Like above, remember to plan out the end of a line.



Another way to change the look of a line is to pattern the stitch size. The cupcake above is done in short-long-short-long, but you could do other patterns too!

Think of it as texture within a simple line of stitching. To me, this is the most fun way to use stitch size, but it could also be distracting, so use wisely! (I'd also like to point out that you could stitch morse code into your work this way!)



Finally, we have what I call haphazard stitching. For the sake of the example, I was a bit more sloppy that I normally would be for this so you can see it a little more. These stitches are whatever length work for an area. (Small curved sections! Long straight sections!) As you see, it's not as crisp and clean as planning your stitches.

But don't let that kill any ideas of stitching this way! If you want to just stitch and not think too much, this method works. Also, if you make a point to use varying stitches throughout, and mix it up a bit, it has a cool, casual look. Especially when stitched with 6 strands of floss.

So there you have it. 4 ways to use stitch length to alter the look of your embroidery!