Long And Short Stitch, How to do Thread Painting (Step By Step & Video)

Long and short stitch is also known as thread painting or needle painting. It is a beautiful stitch that is used to fill flowers or designs. Just like the satin stitch, this is a time-consuming stitch. 

It is a very beautiful stitch that is very rewarding when you finish the design. The outcome of this stitch is really awesome. If you have some patience, you will end up with a very satisfying design.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED?

• Any fabric.
• Embroidery hoop, 15cm (6″) (Bigger if you are working on a larger design) ( You can purchase a set of 6 hoops from Amazon for your basic needs.)
• Tapestry needle
• Embroidery thread (You can buy this pack of 36 shades of the DMC embroidery floss.)

How many strands of floss do you need for making the long and short stitch?

If you take general embroidery floss for the pattern, then you can start with 2 strands of floss and increase the number of strands according to your design. The lesser the strands, the finer the design will be.

Step by Step Pictorial Process of making the long and short Stitch

1. Start by diving the design in half. It is always a good idea to divide the pattern into half and start working from the middle. Make straight stitch as guidelines to the pattern.

2. Work the stitches by alternating with a long stitch and a short stitch.

3. This is how we do the long and short stitch.

4. Finish the first half of the pattern.

5. Once you have completed half of the pattern, work on the second half similarly.

6. Once the first row is completed, you can work in a similar fashion for the next work.

7. Finally completing with the last row.

Tips for working the long and short stitch

• You can start by outlining your design with back or stem stitch and then working on the long and short stitch.
• Various colors can be used to achieve a great effect on the design like the one shown above.

WHAT IS THIS STITCH USED FOR?

• This stitch is a great way to fill any design.
• You can make beautiful flowers, leaves and almost anything with this long and short stitch.

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More stitches tutorials:

• Stem Stitch
• Chain Stitch
• Running Stitch
• French Knot
• Lazy Daisy
• Back Stitch
• Cable Chain Stitch
• Fly Stitch
• Bullion Knot
• Woven Trellis Stitch

Check out the video tutorial below

So until next time,

Keep Stitching,

Fareeha

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