This Embroidery Stitch Picture Dictionary will help you to identify the stitches even if you don’t know the names! Dig through our embroidery stitch library of 300 stitches below—click over a picture and go directly to the stitch tutorial page.
When I started researching and documenting hand embroidery stitches way back in 2007, many stitches looked similar in their basic technique. To make identifying easier, I started categorizing them into different groups. I call each group a Stitch Family. This categorization should help you in easy reference, and for identifying and selecting the stitches. The Stitch Families are placed in alphabetical order. 🙂 Hover over the images for the alternate names in different popular languages.
We have a dedicated Hand Embroidery Book with the picture dictionary and step-by-step guides to each of these 306 stitches. Buy now and start stitching!
Back Stitch Family
Blanket Stitch Family
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Raised Blanket Stitch
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Knotted Blanket
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Chain Stitch Family
Chevron Stitch Family
Couching Stitch Family
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Honeycomb Filling
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Cretan Stitch Family
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Plaited Insertion
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Cross Stitch Family
Fishbone Stitch Family
Feather Stitch Family
Fly Stitch Family
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Reversed Fly
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Whipped Reversed
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Threaded Reversed
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Anklet Stitch
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Herringbone Stitch Family
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Laced Herringbone
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Indian H’bone
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Closed H’bone
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Otomi
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Shadow Stitch
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Maltese Cross
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Double Maltese
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Interlaced Maltese
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Int’ced d’ble Maltese
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Persian Star
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Vertical H’bone
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Vandyke
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H’bone Ladder
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Half Herringbone
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Raised Herringbone
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Knot Stitch Family
Palestrina Stitch Family
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Mountmellick
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Eastern Stitch
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Running Stitch Family
Satin Stitch Family
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Surface Satin
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Back Stitched Satin
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Trailing Stitch
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Double Satin
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Stem Stitch Family
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Double Lock Stitch
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Straight Stitch Family
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Weave Stitch Family
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Stripped Woven Band
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Broad Woven Picot
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Portuguese Border
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Knit Stitch Family
Learn all these stitches and plenty more from our 600-page eBook.
Sarah has been researching and sharing hand embroidery lessons for over 17 years, making it accessible to everyone around the globe.
Just Awesome !! Thanks a ton for this wonderful page ! 🙂
Me complace mucho haber encontrado este sitio el llena mis espectativas. Muchas felicidades y gracias.
Hello Sarah,
How are you? I Like to call you my sis, b’coz I dont have sis thats y
I am very happy to see this website, i am very eager to know about stiches family when i knew this i am very happy, there is no words to say.I am a beginner of this stitches but i am very much comfortable with this method.
And your way of teaching is simply good. I just love it. Thank you Sarah
And I feel, that you continue this link forever. thank uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu so much
my dear sis………. with lots of luv & caring.
This is an awesome site! Thanks for hosting it.
I have a handicraft blogsite on which I post articles about artwork I do. For embroidery-related articles, I plan to provide a link to your site instead of explaining the stitches myself. I hope that’s fine with you.
Thanks again!
This is an awesome site! Thanks for hosting it.
I have a handicraft blogsite on which I post articles about artwork I do. For embroidery-related articles, I plan to provide a link to your site instead of explaining the stitches myself. I hope that’s fine with you.
Thanks again!
Dear Asha,
Of course, you can use a link to our website. 🙂
You have nice websites and must say thanks for putting up some great ideas.
hello,could you inform what is this in my attached file?
Hi Sarah,
Its really awesome with your site…
Trying some of the stitches as a beginner,I really felt comfortable with your tutorial.
Thank you 🙂
love it loads .. helping me improve and style up -)
Hi Sarah,
Lovely tutorial.. I learnt so many stitches very quickly through ur website..
Just thought of asking if u will do the same for ribbon embroidery also.
Hi Divya,
Right now, I am keeping to embroidery threads. But I know that our tutorials will not ‘end’ any time soon. So, yes, ribbon embroidery is in line, but may take time. 🙂
Hi Sarah
Your dedication is excellent.GOD will bless you
Thank you for sharing the embroidery stitch. Very helpful.
I WANT TOLEARN EMBROIDERY STICHES PLEASE TELL ME HOW ICAN LEARN THEM . I LIKE YOUR EMBROIDERY STICHES .
its is very useful and is very beaautiful .i loved it so much…………………………
It’s amazing. Thank you very much for giving us such wonderful tutorials. I am from Sri lanka. Here we cannot find such good tutorials. It is very easy ti understand.
Danke für dieses super Wörterbuch.Hier habe ich den ganzen Überblick über diese Stiche.
Noch einmal vielen Dank und viele liebe Grüße sendet dir Regina
Thank you so much for this dictionary AND your tutorials! I’m in the process of hand applique-ing a robot quilt for my son, but wanted to add embroidered embellishments, and this gave me SO many options that my trusty old embroidery book didn’t have. Thanks again!!
Hi Sarah,Stitching and Embroidery is my passion.Your website is a big feast for my eyes.you are doing a great job and continue this work.I like your picture dictionary a lot b’coz it creates a big interest to learn all the stitches on the same day.Great job! well done!!!.
Looking for patterns on line do you have any?
Hi Sarah, I was searching for embroidery classes online and came across your site. Found it very useful. Thankx. Do you also conduct classes??
I wont basic knowledge of stick plz help me out
Owais
Do you know of a stitch that is like a rug knot which forms loops on the surface? I want to embroider small waterlilies and I can’t remember where I got the directions from when I did this stitch years ago.
I love your site.
Jo
Dear Jo,
try this turkey rug knot
There is also another stitch with looping on top. The surface is like a cross stitch. I am yet to post it.
Dear Sarah, what is the kind of thread used in some pics. In some pics the thread looks very thick like a single strand and that makes the stitches look bright.Can we use any different thread for embroidery. I am only used to the embroidery threads(with so many strands) with which i embroidered in school. I m not very familiar with this. Your website is very helpful. So i am just trying to learn.
Dear Rohini.
I have predominantly used normal cotton floss (different number of strands for different stitches). For some, I used pearl cotton.
Embroidery is such an old art, one would think by now there would be many good resources online….but there aren’t. Your website is great Sara, I congratulate you on a clever and great effort, like someone said, you have freely helped people all over the world. Bless you.
Dear Sarah, thanks a lot for all the stitches. Though I aim learning the stitches, i was not knowing the family members of each stitch. Please teach some more stitches with some simple designs. hats off to you for your simplest way of teaching each one.god bless you
This website is helping me a lot. I’ve been letting my students learn do these stitches as their project here in the Philippines. Thumbs up. God bless you!
sarah
i am near to 40, and never tried stitches but now for my kid hardly 3 years i wend for shopping n i was shocked to see the rates on embriodery dress then i thought of doing it on my own that is how i saw yours i am really happy n cannot express urs is the best method and easy to even a stupid women like me. thank you thaaaaaaaaaaaank uuuuuuu.
I have join IIFT for fashion designing course for weekend class(Diplome) but they teach me less things. Please give me the address where you take the classes
Dear Shilpa,
I take my classes in Pune. If you stay in Pune and commuting to Pashan is easy, you may email me and I shall respond with details.
New follower here. Love your site, exactly what I was looking for. I want to start embroidering my salwar suits, please post some good designs for this. Thanks!
You are one awesome lady to create this website. Thank you so much!
Hi Sarah, I am so thrilled to discover your site. I have taught K-12 Art for 21 years and now I am also teaching Home Ec. Kids love to sew but are truely clueless. This is a big help . I will post pictures as soon as we have some. thaks so much for sharing.
Stephanie
É INCRIVEL A PERFEIÇÃO DO BLOG.
É EXCELENTE.
Hi sarah, had spoken to u last year as I was doing my course of fashion desgn in pune. Didnt know it wud b such a gr8 help. Hav taught my neice to do it who is only 12 and wish to start classes wen I go back after holidays to M”lore.
🙂
Do let me know how your classes are coming about.
I have been having so much fun learning all these stitches! I’ve been steadily going through them for the last two weeks and I have only the weaving, herringbone, and blanket stitches left to try. I’m truly addicted! I’ve even made myself a little travel case to carry supplies around with me so I can embroider wherever I go!
I do have one question… I see on this page a Chevron family and noticed there are no tutorials yet. Are they coming?
Thank you so much for all the effort you’ve put into your page! You are my new favorite person!!!
Dear Rhiannon,
Chevron stitch tutorials are only coming up. I only tried putting the pictures in the dictionary first. 🙂
pls,give aari embroidery
Dear Sarah,
Thank you for this picture dictionary. wonderful pictures….Amazing work.
Have you uploaded the lessons for chevron stitches?
thank u so much for this site, its very useful and easy to work with basic stitches, can u also upload
metal work
applique work
Thank you for this site. It’s the best, by far, for someone who is learning to embroider on their own. Your work is amazing, as well!
Dear Sarah
Indeed i am very thankful for all the efforts you have put in helping us. Can you please help me on with the border of the design? i can’t really tell which stitch was used. I tried using Cretan stitch, but that didn’t really work out. I will be looking forward for you reply.
Dear Qazi,
The picture you sent me is not very clear, so I cannot really tell for sure. It could be a combination of stitches. I guess it could be cretan stitch with something else. If you can send a clearer close up picture, I can try to help.
Sarah – you are truly amazing! Your website is phenomenal!
I haven’t embroidered since I was in grammar school (which was many years ago). I thought it would be like riding a bike, something that would come back to me naturally. But it wasn’t! I was all thumbs trying to make my french knots and finally figured them out thanks to your wonderful tutorials. The pictures are great and your insturctions are clear and concise which made me want to try different stitches
Thanks for all your hard work!
Diane
Thanks to your blog….. Basic stitches i hd learnt at school but your blog has taught me more…..lovely blog its until d best one i cud find on website……
it’s amazing, i’am beginner, i realy want to learn all this. thanks for sharing ^_*
I don’t do much embroidery but I do like to label my quilts with hand embroidery. What stitch should I use for lettering. I have been using stem stitch but after looking at your stitches, maybe I should use outline stitch or backstitch. I have trouble with the curves in the letters, sometimes it looks sloppy. And I never know if the thread should be above or below my needle.
Thank you!
Angela
Dear Angela,
You can try chain stitch as well for lettering. Back stitch is a good option, especially to avoid sloppiness. If you take the thread above the needle, it is outline stitch. When the thread is below the thread, it is called the stem stitch. For these stitches, you need to take shorter strides when working on curves, else, it might not take it very well. IF you are not, try using an embroidery hoop to help you.
Dear Sarah,
Lovely work.
I am a beginner & want to know on a cotton fabric ( for kurti) should I use cotton thread or silk thread? Also, do you run any classes as I am very keen in learning this from you.
Many Thanks,
Shefali
Can u pls showcase tutorials on the following.
1) sequins work.
2) metal work.
3) applique work.
4) Murri stitch.
5) point de paris stitch.
6) jaal work.
7) katha stitch.
i want to learn all these… please guide me from where i will take my start
Dear Madiha,
Take a needle, a piece of embroidery thread through it and a piece of cotton fabric. Start with the straight stitch family and then try other family of stitches.
This is a great site and so helpful. The instructions are so easy to folloe and the illustrations make me want to try them all! Congratulations and thank you.
just found your blog. Lovely. God bless you for sharing!
The is absolutely the BEST site I’ve ever seen for embroidering. Thank you so much for publishing this.
very nice!!!!!!!!!! looking for more veriation in spiderweawing
Great,for my inspiration,thankyou