Opifex Stitch

Nerdy embroidery side blog.

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no sampler post today I’m feeling a bit under the weather and I’m resting a bit. I promise I’ll post more soon.

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Ok! As promised here’s the pattern for this.

I’ve included a Jpeg version of the pattern below but here’s a link to a print friendly PDF as well 

There are how tos for all the stitches listed on my blog: check the how to tag. If you have any questions feel free to message me. This is my first try at making an embroidery pattern for anyone but myself.

Materials:

6” hoop

Grey cotton fabric

4 purple seed beads

12 gold seed beads

DMC BLANC - White

DMC 310 - Black

DMC 712 - Off white

DMC 453 - Light tan

DMC 451 - Dark tan

DMC 4205 - Variegated red/purple

DMC 817- Red (you need so little of this that you can get away with just cutting a red chunk out of the variegated if you don’t have plain red on hand already)

DMC 824 - Blue

DMC 987 - Green

black thread to stitch down the beads

Felt for backing (optional)

Here’s a picture of the beads so you can see what colors they are. I don’t have a brand name or anything as they were sitting in my supplies for god knows how long

Notes:

Please forgive the irregularity of the line widths. This was drawn by hand and touched up with a computer, but I don’t have the skill or patience to vectorize the whole thing.

The stars are made with straight stitches woven over and under each other so that each leg of the star passes over the first other leg it crosses and under the second. 

I back stitched the lines inside the iris of the eye after satin stitching the whole iris. Likewise the lines on the top of the tape recorder. 

I made the woven roses with a small gap in the center of the straight stitches that form the base of the rose. After the rose was stitches I added the purple bead to the divot that created in the center. 

The thorns on the stem of the roses are made with chain stitches that face in to the stem. I brought my needle up and down at the tip of the thorn and then stitches the loop down over the stem.

[mxopifex]

Some process shots of me working on the original

[opifexstitch]

Ok! As promised here’s the pattern for this.

I’ve included a Jpeg version of the pattern below but here’s a link to a print friendly PDF as well 

There are how tos for all the stitches listed on my blog: check the how to tag. If you have any questions feel free to message me. This is my first try at making an embroidery pattern for anyone but myself.

Materials:

6” hoop

Grey cotton fabric

4 purple seed beads

12 gold seed beads

DMC BLANC - White

DMC 310 - Black

DMC 712 - Off white

DMC 453 - Light tan

DMC 451 - Dark tan

DMC 4205 - Variegated red/purple

DMC 817- Red (you need so little of this that you can get away with just cutting a red chunk out of the variegated if you don’t have plain red on hand already)

DMC 824 - Blue

DMC 987 - Green

black thread to stitch down the beads

Felt for backing (optional)

Here’s a picture of the beads so you can see what colors they are. I don’t have a brand name or anything as they were sitting in my supplies for god knows how long

Notes:

Please forgive the irregularity of the line widths. This was drawn by hand and touched up with a computer, but I don’t have the skill or patience to vectorize the whole thing.

The stars are made with straight stitches woven over and under each other so that each leg of the star passes over the first other leg it crosses and under the second. 

I back stitched the lines inside the iris of the eye after satin stitching the whole iris. Likewise the lines on the top of the tape recorder. 

I made the woven roses with a small gap in the center of the straight stitches that form the base of the rose. After the rose was stitches I added the purple bead to the divot that created in the center. 

The thorns on the stem of the roses are made with chain stitches that face in to the stem. I brought my needle up and down at the tip of the thorn and then stitches the loop down over the stem.

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Pinwheels

The last of today’s stitches in it’s own post

The pinwheels are made by making a bunch of blanket stitches with the points coming to the same point. Start at the outside of the wheel

Come down through the center then back up through the edge a stitch length over with the needle going through the loop.

Keep working around in the same way. Down through the center then up through the edge catching the loop.

To finish bring your needle down where you came up the first time.

Ta-da! Flowers!

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Flowers!!

In continuing my efforts to make sure that I cover all the stitches for the pattern I want to post tomorrow today we’re gonna cover some flowers!

The nice thing about the flowers is that they are almost all variants of stitches we’ve already done, just worked in such a way as to make flower shapes.

The pistil stitch is also sometimes called the tailed French knot. You make them by making a French knot (or a colonial knot) but instead of going right down where you came up you go down a ways away leaving a tail behind your knot.

Laisy Daisies are made by making a bunch of chain stitches that all come up from the same center point. I’ve marked out five petals here but you can make these with however many petals you want.

Just keep working the chain stitches wherever you want a petal. Start at the center and tack the stitch down on the outside.

The woven wheel or woven rose is a good stitch for making very simple small roses. Start with making five straight stitches of equal length that meet in the center. You can make more stitches if you want a bigger rose but it must be an odd number of stitches.

Bring your needle up near the center and then weave your needle over and under each stitch in the circle. Pull the stitches really tight at the center and less tight as you get to the edge.

As you work it arounda rose petal like design will appear. The richter stitches at the center will puff up and the looser ones at the side will lay flatter.

Next is the bullion knot rose. As the name implies it’s a rose made of bullion knots. It’s another great small rose. The petals are more distinct, but as bullion knots are kinda tricky, this is a bit harder than the woven rose.

Start with a French knot in the center.

Next make a bullion knot that starts on one side of the French knot and ends on the other make more wraps than you would for a straight knot to allow it to curve.

Make the next bullion knot staring just before the end of the first and going around halfway around the French knot. The goal is to make a sort of pinwheel pattern of knot/petals that fit bigger as you go outward.

Like so. There’s no fixed place each petal should go. Just keep working until you have a rose shape you like.

And since I’ve hit the picture limit imma put the last flower in it’s own post.

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Filler Stitches

Skipping ahead to the green wedge today cause I wanna post a pattern on Thursday and I wanna get the stitches that are used in the pattern done before then. These are stitches used to make big blocks of color

The satin stitch is probably the most common fill stitch. I’m working with three strands of kelley green.

Start with a straight stitch going across the whole area you want to cover.

Make another straight stitch right next to the first. Start each stitch on the same side. Trying to come up right next to where you came down won’t let you put the stitches close enough together. Going all the way around and coming back up next to where you started let’s you make stitches very close to one another to make a solid block of stitches.

When I have to go into a tiny point I like to start somewhere wider and work into the corner then go back to the main body.

If you need to cover a wide space without getting snags or you want to use multiple colors in the fill then a long and short stitch is a good choice. Start with a series of satin stitches that are uneven on one side. (Also don’t be like me and start following the grain of the fabric rather than your line thus causing your stitches to slant. Make your own more interesting mistakes)

I switched to a lighter green to make the second set easier to see. Bring the needle up through the end of the other stitch like you would for a split stitch.

Gow down through the end then come back up through the end of the next stitch like a mix of satin stitch and split stitch. Your stitches will vary in length to match the ones on the other side.

The final stitch is Roumanian couching. It’s another good stitch for where a satin stitch would be too long and risk snags. I’ve drawn two lines to segment my stitch section into three segments.

Start with a big long straight stitch.

Come up on one side of the thread at the closest of the two inside lines. Then bring it down on the other side of the thread at the second mark. It makes a little seatbelt for the stitch.

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Knots! Part 2

Ok continuing on from part 1.

The fourth knot we’re gonna do is the Danish knot. It makes a sort of triangle. Start by making a straight stitch.

Bring your needle back up below the the stitch and about half way from either side. Then bring the needle around and tuck it through the top of the stitch. Pull tight.

Then bring it back up and under the stitch again and the over the tail from the first wrap. Pull it tight.

Finish the stitch by going back down where you came up.

Last but not least the four legged knot. Start by making a pair of straight stitches in a cross pattern, but before you bring down the needle on the second stitch wrap it around the center of the cross and pull the tip up through the loop formed. Pull the thread tight as you tighten the knot so that it ends up in the center of the cross.

Once the knot is tight bring the needle to the back to complete the cross.

And there we are! Five different knots to fill in this wedge.

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Knots! Part 1

Splitting today’s stitches into two posts cause there’s a ten image per post limit and I’m doing 5! 5 different knots for this wedge of the sampler.

First up is the colonial knot. A lot of people find it easier than the French knot and the end results look really similar. Because we want our knots to be nice and puffy I’m working with all six strands of this pink floss.

To start the knot bring your needle up from the back and make a backward c with the thread then tuck the tip of the needle into the top of the c.

Next bring the thread over the top of the needle and around under so it makes a figure 8.

Pull the knot tight but not so tight you can’t pull the needle through and bring the needle down next to where you came up. Keep tension on the knot as you pull the thread through.

Next is the French knot. Bring your needle up and wrap the tail around it twice.

Pull tight and keep tension on it as you bring the needle back down next to where you came up and pull the thread through.

You can see here that the end results are not very different from one another, so you have my permission to use whichever is easier for you regardless of what a pattern calls for.

Next is the bullion knot which is kind of a hard stitch, so don’t feel bad if you don’t get it right away. It takes practice and I still struggle with it a bit. It makes a long line of a knot.

Start by making a straight stitch but don’t pull it through.

Poke the needle back up through the same hole you came up through the first time but don’t bring it all the way through. Then wrap the tail of your loop from the straight stitch. Wrap it enough times to make the length of your stitch. Wrap them tight but not so tight you can’t get your needle through.

Pinch the wraps with your off hand to hold the loops tight and pull the needle the rest of the way through.

Pull until the body of the knot lays flat against your fabric then bring the needle back down through the same spot you went down the first time to finish the knot.

And that’s our first three. Stay tune for part two where we do two more knot.

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Single Chain Stitch and Seed Stitch

Single chain stitches are worked like the chain stitch in a line, except that you only work one at a time. They make great flower petals or thin leaves. I’ve even use them to make thorns. I’m working with three strands of a sort of salmon colored thread.

Bring your needle up then down in the same spot and leave a loop. Then bring your needle up however far along you want your stitch to be. Then pull the thread tight.

Then bring your needle down just to the far side of the loop to tack it down.

You can change out the length of the stitch to get different looks.

The seed stitch is quite possibly the easiest stitch in all of embroidery. It’s just a bunch of straight stitches worked in a random scatter pattern like a handful of seeds thrown on the ground.

And there’s our first wedge all filled in.

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Blanket Stitch worked flat

Gonna work around the edge of the hexagon with the blanket stitch. It’s a nice decorative stitch and it’s particularly good for the edges of appliqué patches. I’m working with three strands of black.

Bring the needle up from the back along the line you want to stitch. Then go down a stitch length over and up and bring the needle down. Don’t pull the thread tight.

Come back up along the line directly below where you went down, and with the loop from the first stitch on the outside the stitch, then pull it tight. The thread will make a L shape along the surface of the fabric. Continue stitching by bringing the needle down over and up a stitch length. Then up along the line with the loop of the thread on the outside of your stitch.

To end bring the needle down along the line next to the stitch you just madero tack down the last L shape.

I went all the way around the edge. I stitched with them pointing outward, but for appliqués stitch with them pointed in toward the appliqué.

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Whipped Back Stitch and Threaded Back Stitch

Today we’re gonna finish up the spokes on the sampler with two variants of the back stitch. Both involve making a base row of back stitches so if you need a refresher click here

First up is the whipped back stitch which I’ve also seen called the wrapped back stitch. It can be a great way add a second color to your line, or to make a expensive sparkly thread go farther by only using it to accent something stitched in regular thread. To start make a line of back stitches with three strands of a dark blue.

Now switching to three strands of a lighter blue bring your needle up at the beginning of your line. Then tuck it under your first stitch without going through the fabric.

Pull tight then bring your needle around to tuck it under the next stitch always going in the same direction so that the light blue thread wraps around your back stitches.

When you get to the end bring your needle to the back at the same bony as the end of your back stitches and fasten off.

The threaded back stitch is another fun way to add a second color to your line. Again you start with a line of back stitches. This time with three strands of purple.

Switching to three strands of light purple come up from the end of the line and tuck the needle under the stitches just like you did for the whipped back stitch.

This time however instead of wrapping around the stitch turn the needle around and go through the stitch in the opposite direction.

Continue like that going back and forth under the line of back stitches until you reach the end. Now we could stop here and have a perfectly good example of the threaded back stitch, but I wanna do a DOUBLE threaded back stitch. So I’m gonna take my needle to the back ever so slightly to one side of my stitches and then bring it back up real close on the other side.

Then start working back down the line of stitches the same way but going through the oposite side that you did the first time so that your thread zig zags under both sides of the stitches like so.

And when you reach the end bring your needle to the back at the end of your stitch line and fasten off.

And that’s all the spokes done! Next we’ll go around the edge of the octagon then we can start doing the filler stitches!

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Stem Stitch and Scroll Stitch

Two more stitches for today:

The stem stitch gets its name because it’s frequently used for flower stems. It’s another good stitch for outlines where you don’t want the individual stitches super visible. I’m working with three strands of green.

To start make a fairly large straight stitch but don’t pull the thread tight. Then bring your needle back and come up in the middle of the previous stitch’s space. Hold the thread loop off to one side. It doesn’t matter which side, but make sure it’s the same side every stitch. I’m holding it to the left because I’m right handed. Then pull the thread tight

For the rest of the stitches, brings your needle to the back and again a regular stitch length away, then come up next to the previous stitch like you might for a back stitch. (The back of your work is going to look like back stitches)

Make your final stitch a little short and just go to the back of the work without coming back up again.

Scroll stitch is a pretty decorative line that feels a little strange to work at first but isn’t hard once you get the hang of it. It looks like a little curly cue. I’m working with three strands of blue-green floss.

Bring your needle to the front then insert your needle perpendicular to the line of your stitching and bring the point back up a short way away without pulling the needle all the way through. If you’re working along a marked line try to go in just to one side and come out just on the other.

Then tuck your thread under the back of the needle and wrap it around the stitch clockwise and tuck it under the front of the needle. Then pull the thread tight.

Each subsequent stitch is formed the same way. Make a tiny perpendicular stitch then wrap the thread around starting with the back of the needle and then around under the front.

To end just bring your needle to the back next to your last stitch.

And that’s two more stitches down on our sampler!

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Split Stitch and Chain Stitch

Two more fairly easy stitches today!

First is the split stitch. It makes a nice outline stitch because the individual stitches are hard to make out. I’m working with four strands of orange floss.

Like the rest you start with a straight stitch. This time however, instead of coming up a stitch length forward you come up right through the middle of the stitch you just made. Splitting the stitch if you will.

And you just keep repeating that. Go a stitch length forward then come back up through the middle of it.

Also, I know I talked last time about keeping my thread to the front of the work where I can. This stitch is easier to just pull through every time. I’ve seen people do it where they split the tail of their thread while stitching, but unless you are working with some thick thread that’s just more of a hassle than it’s worth.

When you get to the end of your line, instead of going a stitch length forward, just go down next to the end of the last stitch.

Now for the chain stitch. I really like this one for making a thick line. I’m working here with three strands of yellow floss.

Bring your needle up and then back down in the same place, but don’t pull the thread through. With your off hand hold the loop of thread in front of the direction you are stitching. Then bring the needle up a stitch length forward and through the loop. Then pull the thread tight.

Again go down right where you came up, without pulling the thread through. Then up a stitch length forward and through your loop. Pull the thread tight. Keep repeating until you get to the end of the line.

Once you reach the end, bring down your needle just outside the last loop you made to tack it down.

And with two more stitches down this sample is starting to really look samplery

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Running Stitch and Back Stitch

Two stitches for the sampler today cause they are both very easy.

First is running stitch worked with three strands of dark magenta floss.

Running stitch is done by making that basic cartoon up and down stitching motion. Come up through the fabric in one spot, move down the line a little and go back down through the fabric. Come up a lite bit past that, go down again a little further. It make a cute dashed line pattern.

Back stitch is a little more tricky but it’s used allll the time all over the place for outlines. I’m working it here with three strands of red floss. Make your first stitch the same way you made the running stitch.

This time you want to go back down through the same hole you went down with the first stitch. Then come up past where you came up before.

Continue along by continuing to bring your needle back down through where you came up previously then moving ahead. This creates a continuous line of stitches that works great for outlines.

Ta-da! First two lines of the sampler done.

Also you may have noticed that I’m not pulling my thread through to the back of the work, but instead am pulling my working my needle back to the front without pulling it all the way through. I do this for two reasons, one it’s faster once you get the hang of it, and two unattended embroidery thread on the back of the work likes to knot itself. That said there are no embroidery police who will arrest you if you want to pull the stitch all the way through. I know I did it plenty when I was learning and I still do if I need to make some big stitches for whatever reason.

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Spider Web Stitch

Ok to start us off right let’s work the center of the wheel with a spider web stitch. I’m working with three strands of black floss.

(For those totally new to embroidery, the floss comes in hanks. There are six total strands and then you cut the length you want and pull out the number of strands you need)

Start by making a series of straight stitches starting at the center of the wheel going out to the half inch marks on each spoke.

Should look like this when you finish.

Now starting at the center bring your needle up next to one of the spokes. Working right to left (or left to right if that’s more comfortable for you just stay consistent and keep going around the same way) tuck the needle under the next stitch.

Next bring it over the stitch and tuck it under again and also under the next stitch over and pull it tight. Keep working around the same way, tucking the needle under the stitch you just went under and then the next one over. Unless you work with like, the longest piece of thread ever you’ll probably run out a few times as you work this massive big spiderweb stitch. Just bring your needle to the back after wrapping it around a stitch and fastening it off. Then come up next to where you went to the back and continue on around.

This is what it will look like when you’re done. It’s not quite like the spider web it’s named after, but it is a nice wheel shape.

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Given the popularity of my embroidery projects I thought I’d start a side blog for them. And what better way to kick it off then by doing a proper sampler project. Which I have actually never done before.

And I figured I’d post instructions as I go. I want to post my patterns, and having a reference for how to do the stitches would be handy. Also if anyone wants to stitch along with me that would be super hecking neat. (Send me pictures if you do!)

So what do I have to start? A six inch embroidery hoop and the last of the fabric I used for my last two projects. You don’t need to leave as much scrap on the edges as I have, this is just a leftover piece. I’ve used masking tape to cover the edges of the fabric to keep them from fraying.

Using a water erasable marking pen I drew lines to separate my hoop into 8 equal sections. Then I marked a point at a half inch from the center on each line and a half inch from the edge of the hoop. I connected the marks near the edge of the hoop with straight lines.

The goal is to do each of the eight spokes and the border with a different line stitch and then to fill the wedges with different patterns. I’m also gonna do each wedge a different color for a pretty rainbow wheel. Im using standard DMC floss though I don’t know the exact numbers because I’m a gremlin who pulled the wrappers off without writing the numbers down and I’m making this entirely out of thread leftovers.

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More embroidery fan art. This is an increasingly soothing pastime.

Detail closeup: