the buttonhole/blanket stitch

Needle Case inspired by Sue Spargo. Created with recycled wool, flannel and felt.

The buttonhole stitch is used everywhere in today's embroideries. The buttonhole stitch is a close variation of the blanket stitch. It give your project vintage charm, it covers and protects edges from fraying, it joins one fabric to another. Its called buttonhole because when the stitches are placed very near to each other, a buttonhole can be created. Most fiber artists use it as a decorative finish, placing a space in between each stitch. You can vary the length of the stitches alternately to create a different look. I like to add chain stitch leaves and sometimes french knots to the tips of each stitch to further embellish the edge. There are so many possibilities to take this stitch and any other to new and exciting places. What will you do with your stitches?

1. Bring the thread up from the back of your project. (The next stitch will begin to the right.)

2. Move to the right and bring the needle up from the back. The tip of the needle must cover the thread from where the first stitch emerged. Pull the thread through gently.

3. Continue as in step 2. Keep bringing the needle from back to front. Pull through and bring the next stitch over and from the back again.

If you are not finishing the edge, draw 2 parallel lines to mark where your stitch will go. One line will be where the needle will go into the fabric and emerge from the second line. Simple repeat that stitch to complete your design.

This pincushion uses the buttonhole/blanket stitch to join on piece of wool to the other. I added a variety of embellishments to the point of each buttonhole stitch. I love how it elevates a simple stitch into something charming and full of life.

Here is a link to an excellent website which features the embroidery work of Sarah Whittle. She stitches onto printed images of her photography. It is so beautiful. Well, I mention this because Sarah features how-to's on embroidery stitches A-Z. She does it well and you should take a look at all of the stitches she demonstrates. Her photos and directions are wonderful. Here is a link to her buttonhole stitch page-