Spanish Knotted Feather Stitch Leaf – NeedlenThread.com

Let’s have somewhat little bit of enjoyable with an embroidery sew right now, we could?

It’s been some time since I’ve achieved a Stitch Fun! tutorial right here on Needle ‘n Thread, but we’ve obtained some thrilling plans for sew tutorials for 2026, so I assumed I’d begin enjoying with stitches a bit to organize for that.

For those that don’t know, Stitch Fun! is a sequence of embroidery sew tutorials right here on Needle ‘n Thread, whereby we discover varied approaches to stitches, composite stitches, and sew mixtures, only for the enjoyable of it!

Included within the 2026 plan is the addition of a set of “Stitch Printables” out there for members of the Needle ‘n Thread Community on Patreon. I’ll be sharing the step-by-step tutorials as helpful downloadable and printable PDFs for members. If you’re a member, you’ll discover an expanded model of right now’s tutorial out there as a downloadable PDF.

This explicit sew request got here from a reader who despatched in a display screen shot of the tip results of a video, asking me if I do know what sew was used on the leaf within the picture. Ironically, it was the third request for the exact same sew!

The video they noticed apparently moved alongside at a fast clip, leaving them somewhat misplaced within the progress steps.

So they requested the identical factor: are you aware what sew that is? And are you able to inform me how one can do it?

Well, you’re in luck – I occurred to acknowledge this explicit sew.

I broke out a bit of scrap linen and a few thread. Linen is just about my go-to cloth, as a result of it’s forgiving, it’s beautiful to sew on, and I’ve a variety of scraps!

For this tutorial, I drew a leaf free-hand onto the linen, utilizing a mechanical pencil. The leaf is about 1 7/8″ lengthy (from tip to the tip of the stem), and about 7/8″ large on the widest half.

I’m utilizing DMC stranded cotton – all six strands, which I’ve stripped and put again collectively (you possibly can examine that right here) – and a #5 needle.

I’ll be filling the realm between the within double traces of the leaf with Spanish Knotted Feather Stitch, labored very shut collectively.

If you aren’t acquainted with Spanish Knotted Feather Stitch, you can find a video tutorial for it right here. In the video, the sew is labored “open” – that’s, it’s unfold out. The video will allow you to perceive the final motion of the sew.

Begin on the middle base of the leaf, bringing your needle and thread to the entrance of the material.

There’s a slight modification within the begin of the stitching, resulting from the truth that we’re filling a leaf form. The begin can be barely completely different from the “open” model of the sew.

So I’m starting with a barely twisted chain sew.

Take your needle down into the material simply to the very proper of the place you emerged with the working thread to start the sew, and scoop up a stitch-length of material (on this case, about 1/4″, perhaps barely much less). The sew ought to prolong up the skin design line of the realm we’re filling, as proven within the picture above.

Pass the working thread over and below the needle, within the configuration within the picture.

This is the way you obtain a twisted chain sew, though often a twisted chain sew is a bit more pronounced as a result of these ends should not as shut collectively as they’re right here.

Pull your needle via to tighten up the chain sew, as proven above.

Now, you’ll create the identical configuration together with your needle on the other facet of the bottom of the leaf, and then you definately’ll deliver the working thread throughout the needle and wrap the working thread below the needle, as proven above, to make a twisted chain sew.

This may also create a type of horizontal sew throughout the width of the leaf form, if you pull via to make the following twisted chain.

So pull via to tighten the sew, simply as you probably did with the primary twisted chain.

Now it’s only a matter of working your method up the leaf form, alternating back and forth simply as you probably did with the primary two stitches.

You’ll take your needle down into the material on the middle line of the leaf, beneath the horizontal sew that shaped within the final motion, and within the little “V” or elbow that the 2 chain stitches shaped.

Keep studying – you’ll see this clarified once more beneath!

Scoop up sufficient cloth to make the following sew, popping out on the outer design line simply above the earlier sew on the left facet, as proven above.

Then move the working thread to the left, over the needle after which below it, as proven above.

Pull via to tighten the sew.

Take the needle down into the middle, the place you simply began that final sew on the left, and this time, work the identical kind of sew out to the fitting, passing the working thread over from proper to left, passing over the needle after which again below it, to kind the twisted chain.

In the picture above, you possibly can see the place the needle goes down into the material for the third pair of stitches.

The entry level is on the middle line of the leaf, beneath the horizontal a part of the final twisted chain sew, and type of nestled in direction of the bottom of the “V” shaped by the earlier two stitches.

From right here, scoop up your cloth to start the following sew on the left.

Continue up the leaf on this method, working alternately from side-to-side, till the leaf is full.

When you get to the tip of the leaf – or near it – simply finish your final twisted chain by working a holding sew over the twisted chain proper on the tip of the leaf.

This is identical method you finish any chain sew, however you could must make the holding sew somewhat longer than regular, to fill as much as the tip of the leaf form.

In idea, this filling is comparatively simple, as you might be merely alternating back and forth, working twisted chain stitches up the middle of the leaf, starting every twisted chain on the middle line, contained in the triangle shaped by earlier stitches.

You’re considerably restricted to the width you may make the leaf that you simply wish to fill. The facet stitches can get quite floppy in case your leaf design is just too large. The chain stitches received’t maintain themselves in place nicely if there’s an excessive amount of distance between the edges of the leaf.

This is what the again of the sew appears like, for individuals who wish to know.

To fill out the leaf, I added an fringe of Palestrina sew. The texture performs nicely with the feel of the Spanish Knotted Feather Stitch.

The stem is just stem sew.

This method to filling a leaf form would look nice in any heavier thread on a bigger leaf. The finer the thread, the much less definition the stitches may have (and the smaller the leaf should be). I feel this method works nicely on massive, daring components, however wouldn’t work as nicely on smaller, delicate leaves.

For extra Stitch Fun tutorials, be at liberty to go to the Stitch Fun index, which you’ll discover listed below “Tips and Techniques” in the principle menu.

Happy Wednesday!