Surface embroidery stitches
Surface embroidery refers to any embroidery style in which the stitches are worked freely, rather than dictated by the weave of the cloth – there is no need to count threads or follow the grain of the material. It is sometimes referred to as free style or freehand embroidery. Crewelwork/Jacobean and creative surface embroidery are probably the most well known surface embroidery styles, along with Mountmellick.
You’ll find a lot of the stitches I use in my designs on this page, as well as all the alternative names I’ve been able to find for each of them. So you’ll know which stitch to use, even if you know it by a different name. I’ll be adding to this directory over time, so if the stitch you’re looking for isn't here yet, try my Stitches board on Pinterest.
“So many stitches are beautiful and interesting to work that the embroideress who is prepared to abandon the unimaginative use of stem, chain, satin and petit point will soon find how richly she is rewarded.” – Barbara Snook
Arrowhead stitch
Back stitch
Back stitch – double
Back stitch – laced (single laced, threaded)
Back stitch – interlaced (double laced, threaded)
Back stitch – whipped (oversewn)
Blanket stitch (buttonhole stitch)
Blanket stitch – filling
Blanket stitch – interlaced
Blanket stitch – long and short
Blanket stitch – pinwheel (wheel, open wheel)
Blanket stitch – slanted
Blanket stitch – spaced (grouped)
Blanket stitch – stepped
Blanket stitch – up and down
Braid stitch (cable plait stitch, figure of eight stitch)
Bullion knot (bullion stitch)
Cable stitch (alternating stem)
Cable plait stitch – see braid stitch
Chain stitch
Chain stitch - back stitched (chain-back stitch combo)
Chain stitch – detached (link stitch, seed stitch, powder stitch, lazy daisy)
Chain stitch – heavy (braid stitch)
Chain stitch – knotted cable
Chain stitch – raised chain band
Chain Stitch – twisted
Chain stitch – whipped (oversewn)
Chain stitch – zigzag
Chevron stitch (barred end herringbone stitch)
Chevron stitch – half
Coral stitch (snail trail, broken chain stitch)
Couching
Couching – trellis (Jacobean couching, trevis couching, trellis work)
Cretan stitch
Cretan stitch – open
Cross stitch
Crow’s foot stitch
Detached chain stitch - see chain stitch-detached
Ermine filling stitch
Feather stitch
Feather stitch – closed
Feather stitch – double
Feather stitch – long-armed (quill stitch)
Fern stitch
Fishbone stitch
Fly stitch (Y-stitch, open loop stitch)
Four-legged knot
French knot
Ghiordes knot (Turkey work, single knot tufting)
Herringbone stitch (plaited stitch, catch stitch)
Leaf stitch
Loop stitch
Palestrina (double knot stitch, German knot stitch, old English knot stitch, smyrna stitch, tied coral stitch, twilling)
Portuguese border stitch (see photographic, step-by-step tutorial)
Raised chain band – see Chain stitch–raised chain band
Running stitch
Running stitch – battlemented
Running stitch – whipped
Satin stitch (damask stitch)
Satin stitch – surface
Scroll stitch (single knotted line stitch)
Seed stitch – single (seeding, speckling stitch, isolated back stitch, matting)
Seed stitch – double (seeding, speckling stitch, matting, dot stitches)
Sheaf filling stitch (faggot filling stitch)
Spider web – whipped (back-stitched, ribbed)
Spider web – woven
Sprat’s head stitch
Star stitch
Note: Common nowadays to catch star down with one straight stitch
Stem stitch
Stem stitch – filling (shading)
Stem stitch – Portuguese (Portuguese knotted)
Stem stitch - raised
Stem stitch – whipped (oversewn)
Straight stitch (single satin stitch, isolated satin stitch, ray stitch, spoke stitch, stroke stitch)
Straight stitch – wheel
TĂȘte de Boeuf stitch (Bull’s head stitch)
Thorn stitch
Trellis work see couching
Wheatear stitch
Wheatear stitch – detached
These stitch diagrams have been collected from vintage, out-of-print needlework books:
- Pleasures of Crewel by Jo Springer
- Embroidery Stitches by Barbara Snook
- Step by Step Guide to Embroidery by Barbara Chandler
- Embroidery Stitches, Anchor Needlework Series, book no. 3
- Embroidery Stitches, Anchor Needlework Series, book no. 4
- Design and Embroidery by Valerie Cliffe and Edward Arnold
- Embroidery & Needlework by Gladys Windsor Fry
- The Complete Book of Creative Needlecrafts, Octopus
- Simple Embroidery by Marguerite Randell
- More Simple Embroidery by Marguerite Randell
- Golden Hands Encyclopedia of Embroidery, Collins
- 50 Free Style Embroidery Stitches, J&P Coats (Delos)