It’s been a little while since I updated the Stitch Library with a new stitch tutorial! While stitching my latest pattern, I decided to branch out a little from the usual stitches I love and try the fern stitch. It’s a lovely leafy stitch that is super simple to work and is the perfect addition to a bouquet or to create a gorgeous border.
Ready to try it? Let’s go!
For this tutorial, I’m using 3 strands of Anchor #365.
1. First, I suggest drawing 3 parallel vertical lines, making sure that they are at an even distance from each other.
2. Then, once you’ve secured your thread (see this post if you need), bring your needle up from the back at point A, right at the top of the middle line.
3. Go down at point B, the length of a stitch, and come back up at point C along the left line, just a little below point A.
4. Go back down at point B again (in the same hole), which will form the second stitch, and come back up on the right line at the same level as point B. This is point D.
5. Pull through to close the left stitch from C to B.
6. Then, go back down through B again and come up at point E along the middle line, the length of a stitch.
7. Pull through to close the right stitch from D to B.
8. Go down in point B one last time, to close the stitch from E to B along the middle line. To close this stitch, I prefer to pull through while my needle is on the wrong side, but you could come up at point F on the left line to start the new stitch in the same motion, as we did previously. I just find it easier not to for this middle stitch.
9. If you haven’t done so in the previous step, come up at point F along the left line, below point C.
10. Go back down through E and up again at G, on the right line below point D. Pull through to close the stitch.
11. Go down through E and back up at point H, along the middle line. Go down through E one last time, closing the next stitch.
12. Keep going in the same fashion to get one continuous line. Here I’m going in a straight line, but you can decide to curve it as you like. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you won’t need to draw the 3 guide lines, you’ll only need to trace the middle one (or none at all if you like to totally free-hand things!).
And that’s it! I find it such a satisfying stitch and should definitely use it more often.
Bonus:
You can easily add little beads as you stitch and it creates the loveliest effect!
I hope you’ll try this stitch too and enjoy it as much as I did!
Fondly,
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