Embroidery stitches

Backstitch

Bring the needle from underneath and go back down 1/8" away.

Come back up 1/8" from the point you went down.

Push your needle back down into the hole of your first stitch and bring the needle back up 1/8" beyond the last spot the needle came up.

Repeat.

Blanket Stitch

Coming from underneath letter A, push the needle in 1/8"diagonally from the starting point letter B. Come back up so your needle is perpendicular and make sure that your thread is under the needle letter C.

Pull the thread gently....

... until the thread lies flush to the fabric. Be sure not to pull too tightly.

Repeat.

Try to keep your stitches even.

Chain Stitch

Bring the needle up from underneath. Stick the needle back in the same hole and come back up 1/8" further along the line you are stitching. Make sure the thread is underneath the needle as you make your stitch.

By keeping the thread underneath the needle, you have caught the loop, creating the first link in the chain.

Insert the needle through the last link and come back up 1/4" further along, forming the second link in your chain.

Repeat.

French Knot

Bring the thread up from underneath.

Wrap the thread one to three times around the needle. Hold the thread taut with your thumb.

Insert the needle next to, but not into, the same hole.

Still holding the thread taut, keep pushing the needle through to the back until the knot is formed.

This can take a few times to master. Keeping tension on the thread through all the steps is key to success. Once you get the hang of it, it's really quite simple.

Lazy Daisy

Bring the needle up from underneath. Reinsert the needle in the same hole and come back up at the length you want your petal to be. Make sure the thread is underneath the needle as you make your stitch.

Gently pull the thread. The tighter you pull your thread the narrower the loop will become, while a looser thread creates a rounded petal.

Finish the stitch by taking the needle over the loop and inserting back through the fabric.

Make as many as desired.

Outline Stitch

Bring the needle through from underneath. Push the needle back through the fabric 1/8" further along the line you are stitching. Re-emerge close to the point where you began the stitch. Keep the thread consistently on one side of the needle.

Pull the thread.

This picture shows that the thread will always be held to the left as each stitch is taken.

Continue these steps.

This creates a bold line.

Running Stitch

Truly the simplest stitch of all. You're bringing the needle up and down aiming for even spacing.

Simple and sweet.

Satin Stitch

The satin stitch is used for embellishing and filling in spaces large and small.

Starting at the top of the shape you are filling in, bring the needle from underneath straight across and back down the other side. Keep the thread smooth and level. You will always be coming up on one side of the shape and going down on the other.

Having completed your first stitch, come up a close as you can to the previous stitch. Go across again and back down.

Continue keeping the stitches close together, making them wider and narrow according to the shape. Fill in the space.

Finished eye.