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Fancy Stitches 3

Fancy stitches are decorative embroidery stitches used for special effects, for contrast, and emphasis. 

More fancy stitches for you to try -herringbone, chevron, satin and seed stitch; couching and fagoting.

Refer to the picture below to get a better understanding ofa vaiety of fancy stitches. As they say: ‘A picture speaks a thousand words’.

Herringbone stitch: Really the catch stitch, used for decoration. From left, take slanting stitch, upwards, and bring out needle a small distance to left of point of insertion. Cross the line made and again take a small stitch back. Repeat. 

Chevron stitch: Make a slanting stitch upwards and a small backstitch as above. Make a running stitch over and to right of the backstitch. Slant next stitch down, repeat A to B, under to C, over to D, under to B, E under to F, over to G, under to E, H. 

Satin stitch: Parallel close stitches to give raised effect. Good to pad design first with running stitches. Used for leaves, flowers, borders. Satin stitch can be made on the zigzag machine without padding. 

Seed stitch: Pair of backstitches. Make one backstitch, slant needle under for second. Used to fill in spaces and decorative narrow hems. 

 Couching: this is actually sewing on a thread or cord for decoration. Fasten a heavy thread on wrong side, leave loose on right side. With a second thread, usually finer, tack it in place at regular intervals with small stitches. Used often to outline an edge, as in appliqué. 

Brick couching: Use several rows of plain couching, alternating tacking stitches to give effect of bricks. 

Puffy couching: Weave a heavy thread in and out of a line of machine or hand stitching. 

 Fagoting: Cut fabric at desired place for fagoting. Turn edges under, and baste both sides to paper the proper distance apart. Bring needle out at left, slant to right under fabric and bring needle up; pass needle under thread and down to left. Continue. Used for openwork seams, collar and cuff edgings. 

 Bar fagoting: Make stitch straight across from left to right, pass needle over and under stitch several times, draw it through at original point to underside. Make a stitch down and bring needle up to right side again. Continue. (See picture above).  

Bermuda  fagoting gives effect of series of squares. Insert needle at A, out at B, in at A, out at B, in at B, out at C, in at D, out at C, in at D, out at B, in at C, out at E. Continue, binding points with two tightly drawn stitches. 

For hemstitching, smocking, applique and quilting instructions visit to our next page in our Fancy Stitches series.