Being Knotty

backofembroidery

For a long time, I’ve been a knotty girl. As you can see, I tend to place a knot on the end of my pearl cotton threads before stitching. But no longer! I have mended my unsightly knotty ways. 

startingstoppingstitches

Now I neatly start and stop my stitching on the back of the fabric. Here are a few tips on being a neat stitcher:

  • Take a few back stitches concealed in the back of the fabric when beginning a new thread (don’t let the thread appear on the top of the piece). If you use a knot to anchor the thread, be aware that your needle may strike the knot when stitching and stretch previous stitches.
  • To end a thread, run the needle through a few adjacent stitches on the back of the work and snip the thread.
  • Snip ending threads close to the fabric. Long threads on the back may tangle with other threads while stitching.