Embroidery 101: Satin Stitch

 

The satin stitch is great for adding a lot of color to embroidery.  It is used to fill in sections of the design with a smooth finish.  This is the stitch that is generally used by most embroidery machines to fill space in a design.  It is what many people associate embroidery with.

The stitch size can vary greatly depending on the area being filled in.  This is also a versatile stitch that can be used on many shapes including filling in larger circles.  To begin, start at a narrow end of the design, generally, if the design is rectangular the stitches will run perpendicular to the long sides.

Bring the needle up from the back of the fabric on one edge of the line and then insert it directly across on the opposite line.

Before pulling your needle through, bring it up next to the first stitch.

Keep the stitches close together, with only a few threads of fabric between each stitch, the closeness depends on the thickness of the thread {or number of strands used}, but the stitches should sit right next to each other.

 

Repeat as shown carefully following the line, therefore, some stitches may be longer than others {as in this example}.

Note that the back of the satin stitch will look almost identical to the front.

Be careful not to pull the threads too tight as this will cause the fabric to pucker.

Continue as pictured until the area designated is completely filled in.  Hopefully these directions are helpful, the satin stitch is one of my favorites.