How to Work the Fern Stitch in Hand Embroidery

How to Work the Fern Stitch

Fern stitch is a surface embroidery stitch used to create an open, lacy stitch along a straight or curved line. It worked beautifully on any project such as tree trunks, leaves, ferns or marine work. Fern stitching is often seen in Crazy Birds, and can probably be seen in patterns with natural motifs.

Each section of the fern stitch is worked as a group of three straight stitches, all working in the same end hole. The parties are stitched repeatedly in a row.

Sew a diagonal from top left (point 1) to bottom right (point 2) to work the fern stitch along the horizontal line.

In the same hole as the former, the second hole has to come up at point 3 and the bottom 2 points on the left side of the hole. Invert the third stitch from the bottom left (point 4) to the same closing hole (again point 2).

Continue creating this 3-stitch group along the marked lines of your fabric until you reach the end of the row.

Tips and Ideas for Working Fern Stitch

Tips for Fern Stitch
If you find that you are having a hard time getting enough space for the three stitches, then doing the center stitch may be easier for both parties.

If your goal is to have precise, symmetrical fern stitches, you can mark each line as well as one line along the line. As you get more comfortable with this stitch, you are less likely to put extra lines on.

That said, this stitch is not even necessary to look at. If there is a slight difference in the length and angles of the angled side stitches, then your fern stitch will have more speed and reality. While it's working on a curved line, you almost always have to adjust the angle a bit and that's OK!

Changing the length, spacing, and angle of the fern stitching can give your work some realism, making it even more tasty. Don't be afraid to get a little crazy with some sticky stitches!

Using Fern Stitch
These stitches are good for creating a wide variety of leaves, such as branch-branches, evergreen springs, and flower embroidery.

You can use it to create veins or feathers with the center of a leaf.

Adding more stitches to the edges of the fern stitch can also transform it. French knots make good berries for evergreen branches. Straight stitching becomes extra "needles". Even detached chain stitches will work along with a section of fern stitching as small flower buds.

If you are displaying an embroidered flower with ga satin-stitched flowers or embroidered flowers, try adding fern stitches for standard green changes.

To add some layers and dimensions to your fern stitch, you can wrap or knit the center line as you did the back stitch. You can overlap several lines of fern stitch, or stitch its rows as an open fill stitch.

Discover more ways this stitch can work on your embroidery!