This stitch has technical similarities to the fishbone stitch and the opened fishbone stitch. The difference is that this stitch cannot give sharp ends, and therefore, is not ideal for leaves with tapering ends. Instead, this is one of the best stitches to fill in flower petals.
I will be working on a petal shaped pattern to demonstrate. The pattern has been divided into four by two lines inside. The lines are called A,B,C and D.
 |
 |
|
| Fig 1: Bring the needle out from the line A and put it in through line C. Give it a slight slant, but not too much. | Fig 2: Bring the needle out through line D and put it in through the line B. Again, bring out the needle through A and continue the procedure. Remember to keep the stitches close to each other. | |
 |
 |
|
| Fig 3: The trick for a neat pattern is to keep the points on A and D parallel with each other. Similarly, keep the points on B and C parallel to each other. Half way through, our pattern will look like this. | Fig 4: The completed pattern will look like this. |
Tags: embroidery tutorial, filling stitch, fishbone stitch, fishbone stitch family, flat stitch, floral pattern, hand embroidery, petals, satin stitch
I tried with this stich. Thankyou for step by step tutorial. It was easy to follow even for a novice like me. How does the reverse side look usually?
I asked so since I saw one of my dresses done with hand embroidery. The stitch looked similar to flat stitch but the reverse side showed only stitches similar to the running stich.When I tried flat stitch the reverse side also had lot of thread showing. Was I wrong somewhere? Or is there any other stitch similar to this one?
By the way a very happy advanced b’day wish to cute lil one.
Many thanks in advance for your reply.
Dear Leema,
Happy to know that you were able to follow this stitch.
Don’t worry, you have not done the stitch wrong. The satin stitch family usually takes a lot of thread on either sides of the fabric.
The stitch you have on your dress could possibly be the ‘herringbone stitch’. I am yet to post the tutorial for it. Technically, it is done in a different way, but might give a similar visual effect. The reverse side will just be the outline of the pattern being filled- running or back stitch, which is what you probably might be seeing.
Thanks a lot for your wishes. We are travelling tomorrow and it is going to be a long adventure for Pratyahara.
the sitich is little cofusig
Dear Alifia,
Just let me know at what point or which illustration you are finding the confusion. I might be able to guide you.
Thank you so much Sarah! I am so looking forward to trying out all these beautifully explained stitches. Tried the Wheatear and lazy daisy together and the effect was mindblowing. Thanks to your detailed and easy to understand tutorials!! Keep up the good work for beginners like us, you are such a blessing