Pistil Stitch And French Knot Tutorial

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  Step 1

  Starting with the French knot:
  Pull your needle and thread through the fabric, then wind the thread around the needle 2-3 times.

  Note: I am right handed so if you're left handed you may want/need to swap which hand does what.

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  Step 2

  Hold the thread firmly with one hand so it is tightly wound around the needle, then insert the needle into the fabric again and slide the needle through the ‘knot’. Hold the thread taut so the ‘knot’ doesn’t loosen – but don’t hold it so tight that you can’t move the needle through it.

  Not sure where to insert the needle? My rule of thumb is to insert it the width of the thread I am using. So a thin thread means the exit and entry points are quite close together, and with a thicker thread they are further apart.

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  Step 3

  Hold the thread taut (on the left) as you pull it through the knot (on the right).

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  Step 4

  Yay! French knots!

  Trouble shootin’:
  I just use a regular embroidery needle when I do French knots, but some find it easier to use milliner needles, so give that a go and see if it makes a difference.

  If I have trouble getting my French knots right, it’s usually because my tension is wrong. If that thread isn’t held taut, the knot starts to misbehave and things go messy.

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  Step 5

  Moving on to pistil stitch:
  Pull your needle and thread through the fabric, then wind the thread around the needle 2-3 times.

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  Step 6

  Instead of inserting the needle right next to the exit point, insert the needle at a distance to make a nice ‘tail’ on the stitch.
  Hold the thread taut (on the left) as you pull it through the knot (on the right).
  Tail length: Anything up to 1″ /2.5cm from the exit point should work. Anything longer than that and the tail will start to look kinda floppy.

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  Step 7

  Here’s a bunch of pistil stitches. Yay!

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