12 Must-Know Hand Embroidery Stitches

Hey there!

Today, let me take you on a little embroidery time-travel. The first time I saw someone do hand embroidery was during a vacation at my aunt’s house. My cousin—who was basically a craft wizard—had embroidered a gorgeous design on her pillow. I was around eight, and my mind was blown. I watched, completely mesmerized, as she stitched the same pattern on a twin pillow. Now, little me had no clue she was using fancy stitches like French Knots, Stem Stitch, and Satin Stitch. Nope. I just assumed hand embroidery had three magical stitches, and that was it.

Fast forward a few years—I decided to try my hand (literally) at embroidery using just the Satin Stitch. It seemed simple enough. Spoiler alert: It wasn’t. I went ahead and stitched giant five-centimeter-long satin stitches to fill in some roses. Guess what? The threads kept getting caught on everything. My masterpiece was more of a mess-terpiece.

Then came the game-changer: a summer workshop where I spent a whole month learning embroidery. That’s when I discovered there were not three, not ten, but thirty stitches! But here’s the thing—learning stitches without knowing where to use them felt like studying for an exam without ever seeing a real-world question. Enter the internet! In the early 2000s, I dove deep into researching stitches and was shocked to find there were hundreds of them. It felt like searching for a single gold coin and accidentally stumbling into a hidden treasure vault! That’s when my obsession with categorizing stitches began. Today, we have over 300 recorded stitches—wild, considering I once thought embroidery had just three.

Stumpwork using French Knots, Stem Stitch and Satin Stitch

But here’s the real question: do you actually need to learn all 300+ stitches to create beautiful embroidery? Nope. Absolutely not. And that’s great news for beginners (or anyone who doesn’t have time to memorize a stitch encyclopedia). In fact, embroidery is one of the most beginner-friendly and affordable art forms—you can create stunning pieces with just a handful of stitches. The above sample is that of a 3D embroidery called the Stumpwork, which is worked using the same three simple stitches that my cousin had used!

So how many do you actually need? Let’s break it down like a fun little “School of Embroidery“:

1. Elementary Level (3 stitches) – Satin Stitch, Stem Stitch, French Knots
2. Primary Level (6 stitches) – Add Running Stitch, Blanket Stitch, Lazy Daisy
3. Middle School Level (9 stitches) – Add Chain Stitch, Cross Stitch, Back Stitch
4. High School Level (12 stitches) – Add Feather Stitch, Herringbone, Woven Spider’s Wheel

Once you master these 12, you’ll have the confidence to stitch up just about anything!

After getting so many questions from embroidery learners about where to start, I sat down and carefully picked these 12 essential stitches to help you graduate from the “high school of embroidery”! And to make learning super easy, I’ve put together a tutorial page with a video—so you can see these stitches in action. Oh, and don’t forget to grab the sampler pattern on the page to practice along!

In the video, I’ve grouped the stitches into Primary Stitches and Supplementary Stitches—don’t let that confuse you! Just follow the flow above, and you’ll be on your way to embroidery greatness.

And because I love a good challenge, here’s a bonus pattern for you to embroider on anything you love! Stitch it up, experiment with your favorite stitches, and share your masterpiece in the comments—I’d love to see how your creativity brings it to life!

Want to dive deeper into these 12 Stitches and master them? We’ve got more for you!

Mastering a stitch is one thing, but truly bringing it to life comes when you can flawlessly work it around curves and corners, creating a seamless flow in your designs. We’ve put together a comprehensive guide to help you master 12 essential stitches, with expert tips on how to handle them in tricky spots. Plus, you’ll get 12 exclusive printable patterns, each one designed around these stitches in various themes, so you can practice while creating beautiful projects. It’s the ultimate hands-on guide for stitching like a pro!

Master these 12 stitches through our eBook: Hand Embroidery for Beginners

Let’s get stitching. Let’s make something beautiful today!

Waiting to hear back.

Sarah