Stitch School is once again back in session! Welcome everyone!!
This time we are studying satin stitch with a new sampler. Satin stitch is a basic embroidery stitch, and we’ve been over it in the past, but it’s always worth a revisit to old favorites.
As you know, satin stitch has a wide range of uses in embroidery, and it’s worth considering ways to vary this stitch to add interest to an embroidery. For this sampler, I’ve used the basic satin stitch in different arrangements for quite different effects. Let’s look now at these variations.
Variation 1 Arched satin stitch
Satin stitch over arch is a type of block filling. The stitches are worked over the arch, keeping a 90° alignment with the inner and outer line, so as you work your stitches, they will fan out over the arch. Depending on the shape of the arc, this might lead to small gaps on the outer edge of the stitching. To fix this wedge stitches can be made that don’t go all the way to the inner edge. This creates a fully filled out area of stitching.
Variation 2 Brick Stitch
Brick stitch is made up of lines of offset satin stitches. As you see it makes almost a woven texture. The stitch is worked in two rows at a time. So after the first stitch, another stitch is placed about half way down the first, then the next back up at the top, and so on.
If you like you can make a row of half stitch at the top of the stitch areas.
The next row is made in a similar way, starting at the end of the first stitch in the previous set of rows.
Variation 3 Padded satin stitch
Here are a series of blocks showing the layers of padding. The layers are usually made at right angles to one other.
Variation 4 Chevron Filling
This variation is made with sections of satin stitch that are made in a wave-like arrangement.
Variation 5 Block Shading
Here we have rows of satin stitch that can be used to fill an area. Very useful when you need a shaded effect over the area.
Variation 6 Checkerboard
This is a neat variation made up of blocks of satin stitch with alternating stitch direction.
Variation 7 Shaded Satin Stitch
This is a way to create subtle color shifts over a stitched areas. At each color change, three stitches are alternated between the two colors.
Variation 8 Slanting Satin Stitch
Another variation on block shading. The rows are made with diagonal stitches at different angles.
Variation 9 Laid work satin stitching
In this variation, the long satin stitches are held down with lines of small split stitches. You can also make this with shaded satin stitching too.
Satin Stitch Sampler
Satin stitch is full of possibility! This is only the beginning of the many variations. What else can you think of?