Get your Pride on and learn how to stitch up this fun little Pride Flag! In this tutorial you’ll learn how to use backstitch and satin stitch to create this project, and of course once you learn the basics you can run wild and stitch up Pride flags on all the things. This pattern is replicating the Traditional Gay Pride flag, there are many other variations out there. If you want to stitch a different flag, such as stitching the Pansexual Pride flag of hot pink, yellow, and light blue stripes, go for it, just divide your flag into the right number of stripes before starting stitching. You could do this again with a different shape like a heart shape, but this tutorial is using a rectangular flag shape so it’s easier to learn the basics of satin stitch.
First up, grab your pattern below:
Let’s jump in and get started!
Hand embroidery stitching tips:
Preparing your design
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You can either draw the design by hand on your fabric (and handwrite the hashtag), or trace it from the pattern. The easiest way is to trace it by printing off your pattern, and using a lightbox or a window to hold your fabric over the pattern, and carefully trace it with a fabric pen or Frixion pen. Of course you can make this bigger if you want. Make sure to draw the dividing lines of each stripe, and the outline of the flag to make doing the satin stitch easier.
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For more information and options for transferring the design to the fabric, go to this tutorial.
Satin stitch
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Start with this stitch, going either left to right or right to left, whatever is easiest for you. Make sure to keep going in the same direction, your floss will loop across the back. More thread strands = faster work, but the strands won’t lay as neatly and might look chunkier (which might be what you’re going for). In this tutorial I’m using three strands of DMC floss.
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For wider sections, it’s best to start in the centre of your area, then work out both sides, to prevent your stitches starting to slope as you fill up the area. It’s ok to draw guide lines onto your fabric if that will help you maintain the same direction of stitches
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You can go back and fill in gaps later (either between strands or at the edges if you missed your outer line), just try and get the needle as close to the previous row as possible.
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Tie off your floss on the back when you fill one section, and start on the next.
Backstitch
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Do the lettering in backstitch, use smaller stitches as needed for short areas or tight curves.
Finishing the back
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Check out this tutorial for how to finish off the back if needed. And here is the full lesson for the Hand Embroidery Fundamentals Skillshare project that’s shown in the tutorial.
Please do tag @peacockandfig if you share your projects online, I love to see them. Happy stitching, and Happy Pride! ❤️
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