If you’ve ever wanted to start learning embroidery but weren’t sure where to start, this tutorial hopefully will help! This embroidery tutorial includes the straight stitch, backstitch, and running stitch. These stitches are perfect to learn for embroidery beginners, and the tutorial has a free pattern available as well for Peacock Lounge members. If you’re not already a member, it’s free to sign up for your access to the free stitching pattern library.
Below the video you’ll see an illustration of how to do these three stitches. For beginners, it’s recommended to use more strands of floss to even out any “wobbles” which are perfectly normal when learning. In the video demonstration I used two strands, but I stitched up the pattern sample with four strands. And don’t worry about your stitches looking perfect, or your project looking like something you’d see on professional stitchers feeds on Instagram. The point of embroidery and stitching is to have fun while learning new stitches, and personally I think the wobbles are fun as they show more personality and uniqueness to the pattern. 🙂
And don’t forget to experiment! The lines on an embroidery pattern are just suggestions. If you want to add more texture (or less), that’s totally up to you. If you want to change the colours from the sample piece, please do it, have fun! As you can see in the tutorial, straight stitch can be done in a circle to create the spoke stitch, or scattered in short bursts for the seed stitch — there are no limits to what you can do with these building block stitches. Many stitchers are nervous about transitioning from counted stitch needlework (like cross stitch) to more free-form stitching like embroidery, but hopefully you’ll learn that the variety of stitches and textures is just as alluring as being able to precisely follow your pattern and get perfect stitches. 🙂
Straight stitch, backstitch, and running stitch tutorial
Finished straight stitch embroidery pattern
4 Responses
Gail
Hi Dana,
Just a quick note to tell you how much I appeciate your “style” & sharing of your knowledge. I have done cross stitch …. off & on as time permitted. … for years. Now that I am retired I am trying to “teach myself” to embroidery. Just because I want to! I feel like I have found a friend in you! Thanks so much, I honor your commitment & intent. Keep up the great work. It is so very much valued!
Dana Batho
Awwww thanks so much Gail, I appreciate your kind words! Glad the tutorials help! 🙂 <3
Roberta Driver
Dana, I am really looking forward to your series of videos on embroidery, as I am trying to learn “how to”. The embroidery that I am currently doing now is fairly simplified (Redwork) but I do hope to learn more intricate stitchs so I may be able to learn other styles of embroidery i.e. Brazilian embroidery. Thank you
Dana Batho
Hi Roberta, glad you’re enjoying the new tutorials! I’m not sure how complex I’ll get with the tutorials, I’ll have to wait and see how people go with the more simple stitches first. Brazilian embroidery looks really neat, I’d never heard of it until you mentioned it. 🙂