Blanket Stitch Family

About the Blanket Stitch Family

Blanket Stitch began as a way to secure the edges of unsewn blankets. The stitch is simple to do and gives a decorated look. With time, this stitch was experimented with in hand embroidery, and it gave rise to different variations and styles of this stitch. Blanket Stitch was also confused easily with the Buttonhole Stitch, and the names were used interchangeably. These two stitches came to be confused with each other due to the way they look and the purpose they traditionally serve, that is, securing the edges. While the Blanket Stitch secures the sides of fabrics, the Buttonhole Stitch was usually used by tailors to secure the edges of buttonholes with hands. And hence, the name. A buttonhole stitch adds a little ‘knot’ at the elbow, giving it more endurance from the buttons’ friction. The Blanket Stitch later came to be used to secure the edges and make a good place in embroidery. Many variations were developed, and each stitch in this family became more interesting to do.

The Blanket Stitch is an old stitch with the most past samples from the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs.


Blanket Stitch Family in Embroidery

Technically, if observed, it shares similarities with the Feather Stitch Family, yet can be classified in a different section altogether. One difference is that the Feather Stitch Family follows a vertical pattern, while the Blanket Stitch follows a horizontal path.

A right-handed stitcher would find it easy to stitch from left to right. Left-handed people often find it much easier to work the Blanket Stitch Family stitches from right to left.


Blanket Stitch Family

Raised Blanket Stitch

Knotted Blanket

Learn 306 stitches categorized in 20 Stitch Families from our 600-page eBook. 

8 Responses

  1. C
    Cate says:

    Hi again, the links on this family of stitches are also broken. I absolutely love the honeycombe in particular, and would love to see your tutorial for it. As a complete novice, I’ve found your tutorials so easy to understand and I’d love to give these a try too xx

  2. M
    Manali says:

    Woooow really Nice and thank you

  3. v
    vijiyalakshmi says:

    sarah I love this website you are very good teacher .thankyou sarah.

  4. Patricia says:

    Thank you so much for pointing out the difference between the two stitches! I grind my teeth when stitchers (some of whom should know better LOL) refer to a blanket stitch as a buttonhole stitch.

    I am enjoying your stitch dictionary!

  1. February 17, 2013

    […] stitch), el punto de ostra (oyster stitch) y variedades de diente de chucho (punto de festón o blanket stitch). Su relleno es de polifibra más una bolsita plástica llena de arena en la […]

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