Common Machine Embroidery Stitches That You Should Be Aware Of

Embroidery is a process that demands a lot of creativity and artistry. It is not just about decorating a fabric or other substance with a thread and needle. There is a lot more which is associated with the process. As an embroiderer, you must be aware of the basic or common embroidery stitches that will enable you to enhance the whole design.

Through the medium of this article, we are going to have a look at these common machine embroidery stitches. So, let’s get started.

Straight Stitch

A straight stitch is done formed by a single line of repetitive stitches that forms a single pattern. It includes stitches that are of the same length. However, with the help of the digitizing software, the stitch length can be varied for achieving the desired effects. A straight stitch type is used when you do small detail work, outlining, manual shading, and all other single color designs.

Tatami Stitch

Tatami stitch types are a combination of straight stitch lines, close together so they form an entire fileed object with stitches.. The alternating line to line stitch penetrations in a fill appear like woven material. Due to this, the type of stitch has been named ‘Tatami’ which means a traditional woven mat in Japanese.

Satin Stitch

Also, known as ‘Column Stitch’, this type of stitch is found on most of the machine embroidered text. Satin stitches alternate between an angled stitch and a straight stitch. These stitches rack back and forth over a narrow surface in the form of a zig-zag along with the other stitches being perpendicular to the area’s edges. The unbroken and long threads in the straight passes are the reason behind the shiny finish of a satin stitch. Satin stitches are mostly used in borders, strokes in the text and for narrow elements and embellishments in a design.

Underlay Stitch

Underlay stitching is one of the basic fundamentals of embroidery that play a pivotal role in getting a high quality finished design. Underlay stitches are sewn into the fabric before beginning with top stitching. This makes that part of the embroidery quite stable, so the fill stitches can be sewn over it, which ensures the design looks perfect.

Line Stitch

Line stitches are usually single, double or triple stitches which are used for outlining and giving detail to the work. There are many different types of line stitches which are used. These include running stitch, outline stitch, back stitch, stem stitch, beam stitch and many more. It doesn’t matter whether you are embroidering something really simple or complex; there is a very high chance that one of the basic line stitches will definitely be a part of the design.

Summing Up

Above is a brief description of the common machine embroidery stitches that appear on almost all modern day designs. Every stitch is quite unique in its own way. As an embroiderer, you need to decide the type of stitch that will make your design a visually appealing one.

So, which embroidery stitch are you going to choose for your next design? Do let me know about it in the comments section below.