The Stem Stitch | Embroidery Stitches
The stem stitch earned its name by being a well-suited stitch for embroidering flower stems. It can be an interesting embroidery stitch for lettering and outlining, too.
You’ll start with:
- blank piece of fabric (cotton is best)
- embroidery hoop, if you have one
- embroidery thread
- needle
- scissors
Thread one end of a length of thread through your needle. Knot the far end and trim any excess. It’s helpful when first beginning to draw on the fabric with a fabric pencil, and then trace those lines or fill in those shapes with your stitches.
To do the Stem Stitch
It begins with a single stitch, just like the others. When beginning your second stitch, start it halfway right up underneath your first stitch. End your second stitch next to the first, much like you would with any of the previous stitches.
Start your third stitch just underneath and in the middle of the second stitch, and so on.
That's the stem stitch, one of many styles of embroidery stitches.
More Basic Embroidery Stitches:
How to Back Stitch
How to Cross Stitch
Hand Sew The French Knot
Hand Sew The Running Stitch
How to Satin Stitch
How to Split Stitch
How to Stem Stitch
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