The fishbone stitch is an easy hand embroidery stitch that works great for creating filled leaves and petal shapes. You can use the stitch for other applications, too, but the fishbone stitch is most often seen as a filling for leaves. This is because it creates a satin-stitch-like filling, with a natural spine down the center.
In the photo above, you can see the fishbone stitch used to create the green leaf. The thread used for that leaf is cotton floche, a wonderfully soft hand embroidery thread.
Fishbone stitch works well with any type of thread, really. In crewel embroidery, it works really well with wool, and you’ll find that the stitch fills up the space rather quickly when you’re using a heavier thread like wool. With a finer thread (such as a single strand of cotton), it will take a little longer to fill the shape, but the result will be a smooth surface, almost like a satin stitch, with a self-forming spine down the center of the area.
To keep the angle of the fishbone stitch correct, when you enter the fabric on the design line, enter very close to the previous stitch. When you take your needle down into the fabric in the middle near the spine, move a bit farther away from the previous stitch, so that your stitches lie parallel. This is demonstrated in the video.
Here’s the video for the fishbone stitch:
If you’re looking for other embroidery stitches to play around with, you can find plenty of embroidery how-to videos here on Needle ‘n Thread!
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We do it in a bit different way. The very first stitch is the same. After that we pull the thread up from right then put the needle down from left and take it up again in the middle before the thread goes down. I dont know whether you can understand from what i have written.
I’ve got a couple quick questions
How do you tie this stitch off? and, is it suitable to do a circle (i.e. to fill in a monogrammed ‘o’)?
Hi, BT –
I think it would work to fill an “O” if you are careful with compensating as you work around the curves. To tie the stitch off, you’ll notice that, on the back, you’ll have a leaf, too. Run the threads under the leaves there, and then hitch them into the threads by taking a couple backstitches through the threads (not through the fabric).
Hope that helps!
MC
This is the only herringbone stitch I found. It didn’t help any that I haven’t sewn in so long I couldn’t remember the name of the stitch! But I can now continue with my project. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I’ve been looking for this for so long. I’ve been trying to teach my granddaughter to embroidery for a 4-H project, I’m mostly self-taught, but I wanted to teach her the right way. Your stitch tutorials are marvelous and so helpful. It is great for us because we can see what you are doing and don’t have to rely on what we think someone’s description means. Thank you again.
SarahD
I appreciate the step-by-step, the close-up view, and the commentary. The videos on this website are very well-done. Thank you!
I greatly appreciate your step-by-step video tutorials. Your teachings are very clear and helpful even for someone who does not know any hand embroidery at all. Thank you so much.
Ayona
dear mary i wish i have time to do some embroidery you have nice patterns. thank you for sharing your work with us. i like craft verymuch
Hi Mary!
I just happened to stumble upon this treasure of yours! Wow! You have done a marvelous job! I have been looking to learn embroidery for some time time now, but could get the right guidance. After looking through your detailed blog, I think I can go ahead with my pursuit. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge with the world. Keep it up!
-Su
Hi Mary. Thanks for the great tutorials! I love to embroider but have’nt been doing too much lately.Visiting your site has certainly inspired me!!Will definitely start now!
Hi Mary. Approximately how many stitches per inch for the fish stitch?
Hi, Susan – It depends on a few things: the type of thread you’re using, the size of the area you’re trying to fill, whether or not you want a “closed” fishbone stitch (like in the photo on this post – the leaves are fishbone) or a more “open” look by separating the stitches. You can’t necessarily count threads per inch with surface embroidery the same way you would for counted work. Overall, it really depends on the look you want. If you want it to fill the area solidly, you work the stitches close together but not overlapping, like you would with satin stitch.
Hope that helps a bit ~ MC
Good morning!
Thank you very much for this clear tutorial.
V/R
Amber
Hi Mary, Thanks for these video tutorials are very well explained. So if you are eager to learn these so Beautiful Embroidery. Hugs from Bogotá Colombia.
Thank, you very very much my teacher mary
maynay aap ki side say kafi stitches try kiya hany your teaching style very easy i like it.i hope you make more stitch thank you
Thanks,for the vidieo demostertion i like stithing i want to knwo more about hand stitching.please send me brocher
thnk u sooo much 4 d tutorial….i learned to embroider wen i waz in grade 5 n again in grade 8 bt den cld nt cnt due lack of tym n studies..bt nw i hav strted again n dis video really helped me….m really grateful to u n ur tutorial videos…
I haven’t embroidered since I was very young and would just like to get back into it again as I am very close to retirement and would love to just embroider for my grandchildren…I do know I need some tutoring since it’s been so long…what would you recommend? I have watched one of your videos here and was just awed by the detail…Thank You Irene Rousseau/rousse33614@gmail.com
Hello Mary
Thank you very much for this new video. All your videos are so clear and helpful.