The Front and Back of your Hand Embroidery

We all love making the front of our stitches look fabulous, right? But have you ever stopped to think about what’s happening on the other side of your fabric? Yep, the back of your embroidery! Paying attention to the reverse can be surprisingly helpful—and even magical. Let me show you how!

Reversible Embroidery Possibilities

Have you ever thought about making your embroidery look flawless from both sides? It’s totally doable! Take the Running Stitch, for example. By keeping the stitch lengths and gaps equal, you can make it look identical on either side. Perfect for projects where the front and back both matter—like scarves or table runners. Pattern Darning is one such Hand Embroidery that thrives on having a perfect front and back!

A reversible embroidery: Pattern Darning – front and back

Your Reverse: A Detective’s Tool

The back of your fabric is like a little roadmap, telling you what’s working—and what’s not. If your stitch isn’t turning out as expected, flip it over and take a closer look!

Here’s a quick story: One of my students couldn’t get her Stem Stitch to look smooth and polished. She followed the technique but couldn’t figure out why her stitches weren’t as fine as she wanted. I asked her to check the back. Ideally, a perfect Stem Stitch should create a neat row of Back Stitches on the reverse. Hers had gaps everywhere! That’s when she realized she wasn’t quite nailing the technique. Once she fixed it, her stitches were perfect.

So, if something feels “off,” take a peek at the back. It might just reveal the secret to leveling up your embroidery game!

Know Your Basics (Front and Back!)

No, you don’t have to memorize the back of every single stitch. However, understanding how the reverse of basic stitches looks can go a long way. For example, once you know how the back of a Chain Stitch looks, you’ll notice that most Chain Stitch variations follow the same pattern.

To help you out, I’ve put together a fun video showing how to work 15 Basic Stitches and what their backs look like. Bookmark it—it’ll be your go-to guide whenever you need a quick reference. Let’s make the front and the back of your work something to be proud of!