Stitch Fun is a series of articles featuring step-by-step photo tutorials that explore different hand embroidery stitches and the different and fun things you can do with them.
To make all the articles in the Stitch Play series easily accessible, I’ll be listing them in this index, which you will find under “Tips & Techniques” in the main menu here on Needle ‘n Thread.
Stitch Fun Articles
Here are the articles in the series so far:
Lattice Sampler – Finished (close-ups)
Oyster Stitch Buds
Buttonhole Chain Stitch Waves
Lattice Sampler – Almost Finished!
Lattice Sampler Update – Lots of Color, More Stitches
Scalloped Buttonholed Chain Stitch
Whipped Chain Stitch Rows
Palestrina Stitch as a Decorative Edging
How to Lace Lattice Stitches
Wee Shamrocks – Lattice Stitches for Whitework Fillings
Random Sampler Fillings
Battlement Couching Tutorial
Stitch Fun Lattice Sampler Update
Playing with Braids & Chains
Jacobean Jumble: A Stitch Fun Sampler Pattern
More Lattice Fillings!
Lacing & Whipping Embroidery Stitches
Doodling with Lattice Filling Stitches
Griffin Stitch- a Lattice Filling
Embroider Christmas Greenery, Free-Style (part 1)
Embroider Christmas Greenery: Evergreen Sprigs! (part 2)
Christmas Greenery – Stitching Round Plump Berries! (part 3)
How to Embroider Perfect Stars (or Snowflakes)
More Stars and Variations
Guilloche Stitch
Interlaced Chain Stitch Band
Cast-On Stitch Rose
Simple Cast-On Stitch Layered Flower
Petals & Spokes & How to Space Them
Shisha, No Mirrors
Mirror Your Stitches
Diagonally Striped Raised Band
Daisy Stitch in Two Colors – Method One
Daisy Stitch in Two Colors – Method Two
The Bullion Knot Flower Petal
Whipping Two Rows of Chain Stitch
Chain Stitch Spider Daisy
Combining Chain and Buttonhole Stitch
Beaded Palestrina Stitch
Raised Spider Daisy
Raised Stem Stitch
Casalguidi Stitch
Inside-Out Buttonhole Wheel Flowers
Couching Varieties
Stitch Printables
In addition to these Stitch Fun articles, you can also find Stitch Printables available in the Needle ‘n Thread Shop. The printables cover more intricate aspects of certain stitches and stitch types. Topics that are not normally found in stitch dictionaries – like taking corners neatly, or working curves, varying tension and stitch size with different types of threads – are covered in the Printables. Each Stitch Play Printable is packed with step-by-step photos and diagrams, and hints and tips that will help make these more intricate stitches easy to master. The Printables are delivered in PDF format via a download link in your e-mail, so you can get started with them the same day you purchase them.
Right now, you can find the following Printables available in the online shop:
Interlaced Herringbone
Cast-On Stitch and Double Cast-On Stitch Flowers
Plaited Braid Stitch
The center of the leaves...
Mary, in the couple of years that I’ve been following your blog I have so very much appreciated your demonstrations and explanations of the embroidery stitches and techniques.
There isn’t a book anywhere that can outdo you!
Marlon
Dear Mary
I hope you are well? thanks so much for putting all the stitch play blogs in one place it makes it so much easier to browse through them. I can’t wait for more surprises from you in the stitch play series.
Regards Anita Simmance
This index is going to come just at the right time for me! I am just starting to look for some interesting stitches to use with a bunch of perle cottons I just bought. Excellent!
What fun! I really enjoy playing around with stitches It’s nice to have them indexed.
Wow! Thanks for everything you do to keep us informed. I have recommended your website to a couple of “newbies” and they adore you. You are a treasure!
Laura
Mary, I agree with another comment..there is no one who beats you when it comes to stitch tutorials! I would absolutely LOVE a DVD with all of your stitch tutorials so I wouldn’t have to run to my computer (no laptop) to see the stitches when I am in the middle of stitching. Is that going to be a possibility?
Also, your Marian Medallion project is stunning. I am sure Our Lady is so pleased during her month of May!
Congratulations. All these stitches are wonderful. I’m looking forward to embroider my two daughters T-shirts. all of them….
I love them!!!!!!!!
Giovanna
Your web site is great. Even though I don’t do a lot of hand work now, I’ve learned a lot and want to apply the lessons in the future.
My only suggestion would be for others like me, would be to also put the type of fabric you are stitching on to give a little more perspective. I’m always wondering what fabric you are stitching on.
Also, some suggestions on what to do with some of this beautiful stitchery would be nice for those of us that aren’t as creative as other.
Thank you for your fabulous site!
I really love the Guilloche Stitch you showed today and I have a couple of questions.1-How would you take a corner with this stitch as if to frame a sampler and 2-would 18 count aeida (sp) cloth work for making a sampler of all the stitches in this series on stitch play?
Thanks Mary, I just love your site.
I wish these had thumbnails so I could browse instead of having to click each one. I’ve opened all of them and none of them are what I was after, but I’m not familiar with names of stitches so I can’t just search for what I want by name. Think about a thumbnail view for your stitch guides please!!
You can see a thumbnail view of the stitches on Needle ‘n Thread on the Videos page, in case that helps! -MC
Hi Mary,
Thank You so much for another very good stitch play. The visuals are wonderful, which is how I learn best. The stars and snowflakes are beautiful. Can’t wait to try them out.
Gracias:es un trabajo maravilloso y facil de ejecutar.
Please do post your “Jacobean Jumble” drawing.
I love your stitch fun and keep them in a special folder, I also like jacobean designs.
would like to receive your newsletter
Hi, Cornelia – Thanks for your interest! I’ve sent you a confirmation e-mail. ~MC
I’m interested in doing some of the stitch fun— Just don’t know what to begin with.
Any suggestions.
Pat
Hi, Pat – If you’d like, you can work through the series and just work a random sampler. For example, if you look at this post: http://www.needlenthread.com/2012/07/on-random-stitch-samplers.html you can see the development of a random stitch sampler, where I was just playing with various embroidery stitches and techniques (for the stitch videos, actually!). Part of the fun is working out different techniques or stitches without an actual plan. This serves a couple useful purposes, even though it seems like totally useless stitching. For one thing, it familiarizes the embroiderer with many stitches, and breaks through the limited-stitch-repertoire. It shows you how stitches can be manipulated, and gives you an idea of how they can be worked into regular surface embroidery projects that might only call for a limited number of stitches, but – with an expanded repertoire – you can make substitutions or add special stitches that are often overlooked in standard embroidery projects. For another thing, it helps the beginner in surface embroidery get comfortable with the whole notion of the stitch, including how to follow stitch directions, how to troubleshoot any difficulties with a particular stitch, and so forth – and this tends to build confidence in stitchery in general (at least, this is what I noticed with my own students). So, I’d just start with fabric and thread and go from there. If you want to work a specific pattern, you can always use the jumble pattern, but a pattern isn’t really essential. Hope that helps! ~MC
Love the red thread on top of the random sampler. I doodle a lot in pencil,and this, oddly enough, is the exact type of style to my doodling. Now I can add color and thread!
Thanx for the inspiration. I luv your site.