The Diary of a Northern Belle

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Very Easy Tutorial: Leaf Stitch

     Anne      1 Comment

Hello and welcome to another stitch tutorial! This time, it’s another of my favourite ones: the leaf stitch. There are so many ways to stitch leaves, but the leaf stitch is definitely one of the easiest. Essentially made up only of straight stitches, it’s a quick and accurate way to embroider a leaf.

 

very easy leaf stitch tutorial

 

The leaf stitch is very similar to the fishbone stitch in appearance, and to the satin stitch in technique. I find it even easier than either of those though, particularly for embroidering very small leaves. It’s also a very easy stitch for beginners to learn.

 

Leaf Stitch Tutorial

1. You can draw a leaf outline on your fabric if you wish, or simply free-hand it. Not all stitches are easy to free-hand and keep straight and neat, but this one can work.

leaf outline traced in pencil on white fabric

 

2. Bring your threaded needle up from the back at point A, the very tip of the leaf. I’m using 2 strands of moss green floss. Go back down at point B in the middle of the leaf, forming a straight stitch. This first stitch is usually quite short, only a few millimeters.

first stitch going from A on top of the leaf, to B in the middle of the leaf, forming a straight stitch

 

3. Bring your needle up again at point C, just below point A along the leaf’s outline. Go back down again at point D, forming a second straight stitch that ends just below point B, along the middle (this will form the leaf’s midrib – the middle vein). This stitch should lie on a slight diagonal angle.

second stitch from C to D right beside first A-B stitch

 

4. Continue to repeat this step until one half of the leaf is complete. Your stitches will get longer and more angled around the middle of the leaf, then get gradually shorter again. Always end them right along the midrib. You can start a few stitches just outside the outline if you wish to create a jagged edge.

needle going down at an angle to form the next straight stitch to fill the leaf
one half of the leaf stitched in straight stitches at an angle going towards the middle

 

5. Then, do exactly the same thing to fill the other half. If your leaf is quite big, I recommend snipping off the thread and starting again at the top instead of dragging it across.

needle coming back up at the top of the leaf to fill the second half

Ta-da! A cute little leaf!

finished embroidered leaf in embroidery hoop with needle threaded through the fabric above the leaf

To add more depth, you can use a different thread colour and run straight stitches along the middle and towards the outer edges to create the veins. I like to do this with 1 strand of a darker shade.

 

And that’s it friends, as promised this one is a very simple stitch, but one that looks so good! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and here’s the pinnable image if you wish to save it:

how to do the leaf stitch
Pin to save for later!

 

You Might Also Like:

I have other stitch tutorials you might be interested in! They can all be found in the Stitch Library on the main page’s menu.

5 embroidery stitches to learn as a beginners
the french knot easy tutorial
embroidery tutorial satin stitch

I’ve also been posting short Reel tutorial videos over on Instagram, if you’d like to see the stitch done that way.

Until next time!

 

Fondly,

3 Easy Ways to Transfer a Pattern Onto Dark Fabric

     Anne      2 Comments

Transferring the embroidery pattern onto fabric is probably my least favourite part of the whole embroidery process…and when it has to be done on dark fabric, it’s even worse! Luckily, there are many tools out there to make this process easier. Embroidery on dark fabric can really look stunning, so don’t be discouraged by this part of the process! I’ll show 3 easy ways to successfully transfer your pattern on a dark fabric.

flatlay showing a piece of dark blue fabric, an owl embroidery paper pattern, transfer paper, and an embroidery hoop

 

How do you transfer a pattern on dark fabric?

There are a few different methods and marking tools that you can try for transferring an embroidery pattern onto dark fabric. The best method will depend on the fabric type and weight, and how detailed your pattern is.

In this post, I will show you 3 different ways to successfully transfer a pattern onto dark fabric, using different fabrics and patterns. I will touch on the following materials:

  • Carbon and Transfer Paper
  • Chalk
  • Light Source
  • Dressmaker’s pencil
  • White gel pen
  • Steel-Ball Stylus
  • Ballpoint pen

 

1. Transfer Your Pattern With Carbon or Transfer Paper

This is probably my favourite method for dark fabric. It’s also probably the easiest, if you can find good carbon paper, or transfer paper. Carbon paper has a waxy side and the transferred lines aren’t as easy to erase. Transfer paper, on the other hand, is cleaner and the lines are easy to remove. I’ve been using the wax-free DMC Transfer Paper made for embroidery, and really like it (you can find it on the DMC website). It comes in different colours, so you can choose a colour that will be visible on dark fabric, like this yellow. The marks easily rub off with a cloth, or even just with your finger. This is a bit of a downside since it means they don’t last very long, but there are solutions!

carbon paper shown on waxy yellow side

 

To transfer the pattern, start by placing the carbon/transfer paper colour side down against your fabric, and then tape your pattern over it.

owl embroidery pattern taped to carbon paper, face down on dark blue fabric, with a pencil and stylus laying beside

 

Using a ballpoint pen or a steel-ball stylus, go over all the pattern lines, applying a good amount of pressure to transfer them. I like the stylus a lot since it’s “cleaner” than the pen, but the latter works really well too.

close-up view of owl pattern lines gone over with steel-ball stylus

 

Peel back all the layers, and your pattern is transferred!

transferred owl pattern on dark blue fabric

You will notice that the transferred lines, although visible, are a bit pale…And as soon as I pick up the hoop to stitch, they become even harder to see. As I mentioned earlier, the marks also rub off very easily. So, I would definitely recommend having a dressmaker’s pencil or white gelly roll pen at hand to go over the lines. The branch details on this particular pattern definitely needed a little help!

 

Different Marking Tools

I really like the white gel pen, but be mindful that the marks are really hard to remove. The dressmaker’s chalk pen is a better option if you think you’ll want to erase any lines later. Also, the gel pen doesn’t roll easily depending on your fabric choice. I used a dark blue linen fabric that is a bit loosely weaved for this transfer, and had a bit of trouble getting the pen to glide. Since the pattern isn’t too detailed though, it works just fine for what I needed.

close-up of the embroidery project in the hoop, showing tree lines drawn in white gel pen and an embroidered moon

*The products I’ve linked are not affiliate links, just genuine recommendations of tools I enjoy using.

 

2. Transferring a Pattern With Chalk

A quick alternative to the carbon or transfer paper if you don’t have any is to use some chalk instead. Print or create a reverse version of your pattern, and go over it with chalk. I’m using a piece of white tailor’s chalk (used for marking fabric), and going over the pattern lines very generously. This doesn’t have to be precise, you just want to make sure to go over all the lines. I’m using a thicker, dark purple cotton for the fabric.

reverse bird pattern on paper against dark purple fabric, a piece of tailor's chalk and an embroidery hoop
Bird pattern is a free download by Diana Vingert

 

Place your pattern reverse side down against the fabric, and go over it again with a pencil or stylus. You don’t need to apply as much pressure as with the transfer paper since there’s one less layer.

transferred bird pattern on dark purple fabric, with stylus and white gel pen beside it

 

Pattern transferred! Again though, the lines are rather pale, so I suggest going over it with the gel pen.

bird pattern traced over with white gel pen, framed by the embroidery hoop over the fabric
The fabric is more closely woven than the previous one, making it really easy to trace with the gel pen.

 

3. Transfer your Pattern With a Light Source

I’ve covered how to transfer a pattern using a window or a lightbox before in this post, and you can do exactly the same thing if your dark fabric is lightweight and transparent enough. The green cotton I’m using here worked really well with a window, since it’s see-through enough. The sun was really strong that day and I could see my pattern lines clearly, although it doesn’t show in the picture.

 

All you need to do is tape your pattern to a window or light box, and then tape your fabric over it. Transfer the pattern with the gelly roll pen or dressmaker’s pencil (or any other marking tool you can see on dark fabric), and you’re done! The dressmaker’s pencil worked better with this fabric type here.

paper pattern and dark green fabric taped over a sunny window in winter
sunflower paper pattern next to transferred image in white chalk on green fabric

Embroidery on dark fabric is certainly a little trickier to prep and a little harder on the eyes to work with, but it’s definitely worth it. I hope you found this post helpful and that you will be inspired to stitch something on dark fabric now that you know how to easily transfer your pattern!

 

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Fondly,

3 ways to transfer a pattern on dark fabric
Pin to save for later!

Garden Bouquet Embroidery Part 3: Beautiful Berries

     Anne      Leave a Comment

Who’s ready for the next part of the Garden Bouquet project? I know I am!

 

garden bouquet part 3 beautiful berries

 

If you haven’t seen Part 1 or 2 of the Garden Bouquet project, here they are:

Garden Bouquet part 2: wild roses
garden bouquet project part 1

Today, we will be looking at the berries. There are two branches of berries in this design: raspberries and currants.

I embroidered my raspberries pretty much the same way as I did in this project, so I will go over it quickly. If you want more details, you can have a look at Ripening Raspberries, a project where I combined embroidery and pressed leaves.

 

Embroidering the Raspberries

 

thread key for raspberries: branch & leaves = DMC 3346, 3347, Berries = DMC 304, 347, 3331

 

I didn’t use beads this time, only French knots. I wasn’t planning on using beads anywhere else, so I thought it might look odd to have just one element with beads. So instead I filled the whole berries with French knots without leaving any gaps. I used three strands of DMC #304, #347, and #3831, and tried to distribute the colours evenly-ish. The sepals are made with lazy-daisy stitches, using two strands of DMC #3347.

 

embroidered raspberries with french knots

 

The branch is embroidered with a stem stitch with two strands of DMC #3346. The leaves are done in straight stitches, angled and placed to create a bit of a jagged edge. I used two strands of DMC #3347 and #3346. These were done rather quickly and without any clear method. I knew that I wanted to differentiate them from the rose leaves, so I used different shades of green, and tried to make the leaves smaller and thinner.

 

embroidered raspberry leaves with straight stitches

 

I absolutely love how it turned out! This was one of the easiest part of this garden bouquet and such a breeze after slaving over the wild roses 😉

 

embroidered wild roses and raspberries on garden bouquet project

 

Embroidering the Currants

 

thread key for currants: Branch & leaves = DMC 734, 937, 3345, 433, Berries = DMC 304, 321

 

Ah, the currants. I had a wonderful plan to cover beads with floss to create a beautiful stumpwork (3D) effect, but sadly all the beads I had were too big or too small. There was no time for an emergency trip to the crafts store, so I had to abort the plan and think of something else.

Not to be deterred in my stumpwork ambitions, I decided to try something else. I really didn’t want to make the berries flat, and French knots wouldn’t really have worked in this case. I remembered seeing “raised” satin stitch around before, and using stuffing or other materials to create a 3D effect. So I went with a cotton ball…the currant berries are so small that I only needed teeny tiny little pieces at a time.

First, I outlined each berry with a small backstitch, to have a good guideline for filling it.

 

currant berry outlined with backstitch

 

Then, I took what felt like a microscopic piece of cotton ball (I’m using just a regular old cotton ball from the drugstore) and shaped it as best as I could to form it into a little ball. I then place the tiny ball in the outlined shape.

 

cotton ball to create stumpwork effect

 

With one strand of DMC #304 or #321 (I alternated between two shades of red), I anchor the cotton ball by taking a few stitches over it.

 

currant embroidery - covering the cotton ball with satin stitch

 

With a satin stitch, I cover the entire ball, until none of the white shows through. And it makes a beautifully raised little red berry!

 

covered cotton ball with satin stitch to form a currant berry

 

So cute!

Once they were all done, I added a little “end” to really make them look like currants. This was done with one strand of DMC #433, and it’s just a very small straight stitch. I placed them in the direction where it made the most sense for each currant hanging from the branch.

 

embroidered currant berries with little "end" in brown floss

 

The branch was added afterwards, using two strands of DMC #433 and a split stitch.

 

And lastly, the leaves!

I had no idea what currant leaves looked like, so Pinterest was very useful here for some reference images. I remember stitching these very late at night, determined not to leave them for the next day, so they’re a bit less refined than the rose leaves. It’s hard to tell though, since they’re well hidden 😉

Again, same approach as before. Outline in split stitch first. Then I used two strands of DMC #937 and #3345, and very messy long & short stitches to cover the leaves. There really was no plan for this, just improvisation and deciding where to add a bit of shading on the spot. Currant leaves also have a ragged edge, so I tried to replicate that a bit all around my leaves by ending the stitches in different spots.

 

embroidered currant leaf in needle painting

 

I left some space along the center of the leaves for the stem and veins. Those were stitched with one strand of DMC #734 in straight stitches, again in a very impromptu manner.

 

finished embroidered currant berry branch on garden bouquet project

 

I really love how it turned out though (I say this a lot, I’m sorry! But it’s true!). The raised satin stitch with cotton ball stuffing worked wonderfully and I definitely want to try it again!! The currants look very solid and juicy.

 

embroidered currant branch next to embroidered wild rose in garden bouquet project

 

And that’s the berries over and done with!

The garden bouquet is starting to slowly resemble something at last. Woo! I hope you enjoyed this part, and I would love to know your thoughts in the comments. What do you think of the stumpwork idea? Have you ever tried something similar? How do you like to stitch your berries?

Stay tuned for Part 4 of this project, where we will tackle the lily. The majestic centerpiece of this piece, a flower amongst flower. I have an idea on how I want to make it, but will it work? It doesn’t involve a lot of thread… Can’t wait to see and share it with you all!

Thank you for following along on this journey, and be sure to connect with me on Instagram too for more progress pics & stitching reels!

 

Fondly,

embroidered berries garden bouquet part 3