ImagesMagUK_May_2021

T echnically speaking, commercial embroidery machines create only one type of stitch, which results in a single, point-to- point line of thread on the face of your substrate. When we say ‘stitch types’, then, we are in fact referring to the way these ‘lines’ are combined and arranged – in other words, modern digitising software’s automated arrangements of these stitches to fill the shapes you define when digitising a design. There are many more stitch types than I can cover in a single article, so to help new digitisers move into the process of setting stitches, I’m going to define the four most essential stitch types that digitising software offers embroiderers and explain the common ways each can be best put to use. Manual stitch Manual stitches are the elemental building blocks of embroidery. They are defined by setting the beginning and end of each stitch manually, with length and angle as the only defining characteristics. Used frequently in artistic digitising, they are particularly useful in creating organic lines or textures – such as animal fur – or in designs that mimic handmade work. Manual stitches provide maximum control, making them a powerful tool, but they are incredibly labour-intensive. You can manually reproduce any machine- embroidered stitch you see, no matter which software you are using or which software the original digitiser used to create it. The catch is that automated stitch types are likely the only way to The right angle Erich Campbell runs through the different stitch types all embroiderers need to know, and the effects they produce make digitising commercially viable for most markets, meaning that manual stitching is best employed only as an accent rather than a primary mode of creating design elements. Straight stitch Straight stitches are a line of repeated single stitches that are most often used for lines or details under 0.8mm in thickness. Beyond being able to set the length, shape, direction, and sequence of each line, you can alter its texture by varying stitch length. Long stitches reflect more light, appearing brighter and smoother than the pebbly, tight look of shorter stitches. By increasing the number of ‘passes’ made over a line of stitching, you can also create thicker straight-stitch lines. Straight stitches are usually uniform in length, but software may shorten stitch length automatically to track tight curves. Straight stitches are often used for small details, shading, outlining, and single- colour designs like redwork (ie single- colour, engraving-style designs, also known as art needlework). When dark threads are used on a light background, these stitches create solid-looking fine This extra-large shield shows a standard tatami fill background bordered and decorated with leaf shapes and lines of dense satin stitching. Layering stitch types can make for interesting contrasts Credit: All photos courtesy of the author Despite its simple appearance, this little crane displays many stitch types: the beak, legs, feathers, head and neck are composed of classic satin stitches; the belly and body use a curved fill, straight-stitch outlining and detail work; and a small amount of manual stitch shading can be seen in the neck and chest KB TIPS & TECHNIQUES www.images-magazine.com 78 images MAY 2021