Stitches

When to use what embroidery stitches?

I just started doing embroidery. And i have fallen in love with it..... but there are so many different kinds of stitches...... How do I know when I should use them.

Public Comments

1. There is no rule. Embroidery is decorative so you can decorate things as you wish. Even for making a simple straight line there is more than 1 stitch you may use. You could use back stitch,stem stitch,do a row of french knots or use different threads with any of those stitches. All would give a different effect to create something unique.
2. There ARE many different kinds of embroidery stitches! The more embroidery you do, the more you will think "this work just calls out for" a specific stitch. That's part of what makes embroidery a creative art. The various genres of hand embroidery, of course, have stitches that are associated with them. For example, cross-stitch embroidery starts with cross stitches and also uses the back stitch, half- and quarter-cross stitches, and French knots. Crewel embroidery seldom uses cross stitches and nearly always includes satin stitch, back stitch, and French knots, with chain stitch, feather stitch, couching, and other stitches being frequently included. Embellishing embroidery, for example feather stitches used on the seams of a crazy quilt or duplicate stitches used on knitwear, will be selected for the specific background. If you're a machine emboiderer, there has never been a better time nor better materials available, and new patterns and ways of using them come forward every day. As a beginner, you are free to experiment, to mix stitches from genres, to specialize if you want, to create catalogs of stitch pattens if you so desire. There is so much to do and so much to learn, and you don't have to limit yourself to any "shoulds" other than the ones that work for you.