Basic Embroidery Stitches: Scroll Stitch

Here’s another good basic embroidery outline stitch to add to your repertoire of basic stitches. This one is very similar to yesterday’s coral stitch.

Like coral stitch, scroll stitch can be used as an outline or as a filler. If you decide to use it as a filler, alternate the placement of the knots. Both the coral stitch and the scroll stitch are used in general surface embroidery, in crazy quilting, and to embellish clothing or accessories, and so forth.

The red arrow indicates the direction of the needle.

Scroll stitch is worked from left to right (left-handers: right to left!). Bring your needle and working thread to the front of the fabric. Determine the length of your stitch, and take the needle down and back up in a “sewing” fashion, picking up a small bit of the fabric. See the photo.

Notice that the working thread is looped behind the needle above where you’ve picked up the fabric, and below where you’ve picked up the fabric.

Pull your needle and thread through. You can put a little tension on the stitch area by applying your thumb gently to the top of the stitch – just to hold the length of the stitch in place, to keep it from being too loose.

Notice that the stitch forms a kind of upwards scallop or wave. This makes a really cute edging on a collar of a child’s dress, done in a bright colored perle cotton.

The stitch easily takes curves. The look of the stitch will change slightly, depending on how you angle your needle as you enter the fabric.

You can find a video tutorial for scroll stitch here.

Have fun with it!