Satin stitch embroidery: a beginner's guide - Peacock & Fig

Satin stitch is a lovely embroidery stitch, but many people find it intimidating. We’re so used to seeing “perfect” satin stitch as done with machine embroidery on badges, labels, baseball hats, etc, so it’s easy to forget the beauty that comes with creating something by hand. The tutorial below will help you learn how to do this pretty and very versatile stitch, it’s useful for filling areas as well as for text. The tutorial also comes with a free pattern, if you’re not already a Peacock Lounge member you can sign up to get your free stitching patterns here.

Tips for satin stitch

How smooth your satin stitch will look depends on the number of strands of floss. Fewer strands = a smoother finish
Take your time, there’s no rush
Don’t be afraid to unpick a stitch if it’s not lying how you like
Keep practicing, satin stitch only gets better the more you practice
Use the smallest embroidery needle you can that still allows you to thread your floss through, a finer needle means you can get more accurate with your stitches
Start in the centre of your design and work your way out to one side to keep your stitches parallel
Don’t use really long satin stitches, they could bubble up or get caught on something
Experiment with a variety of strands of floss for different textural effects
If stitching on a drawn design line, try and stitch either directly on the line, or just on the outside of the line (if the line is permanent on your fabric)
Sometimes using split stitch or backstitch around the outer edge first helps you follow your design easier and get smoother edges
If you want to outline your project with backstitch or split stitch to get a more “pleasing” edge to your eye, go for it, there are no rules
Don’t forget to have fun! 🙂