Fishbone Stitch


Fishbone Stitch is also known as

Punto pasado abierto[ES], Point d’arête [FR], Grätenstich [DE], Ponto de folha [PT], fiskbenssöm [SV].


About the Fishbone Stitch

Fishbone Stitch is a kind of filling stitch which is ideal for making leaves or feathers. It requires us to divide the pattern into two and each side is filled alternately, giving it a plaited effect in the center, thus ideal to make leaves or feathers.


How to do the Fishbone Stitch

I will work on a leaf pattern, which I have divided into the center with a stitch line. To make the lesson easier, I have named the lines X, Y, and Z.

Fig 1: To begin with, bring the needle out through point A, which is the top tip of line Y. Put it in through B, to make a single straight stitch.Fig 2: Now, bring the needle out from a point very close to A on the the line X. Put it in through a point very close to B on line Y. Again pull out the needle through a point very close to A on line Z.
Fig 3: This procedure of putting in the needle through X and Z alternatively will follow. Each time we will be connecting X-Y and Y-Z.Fig 4: Make sure all the stitch points lie close to each other to avoid any visible spaces.
Fig 5: Halfway through, our leaf would look like this. You can see the rib being formed.Fig 6: Once finished, the filled leaf would look like this.

Learn to do Fishbone Stitch in 2 minutes!


Learn this stitch along with 305 other stitches from our 600-page eBook. 


Learn more stitches from the Fishbone Stitch Family

Sprat’s Head

Crow’s Foot

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