Of course, there are a lot of types of blanket stitching out there. I tried almost every type of it, from closed to mirror blanket stitch. And honestly, all of them are good. But then I thought, is there any blanket stitch alternative? 🤔 The good thing is, yes, there is!
Alternative
Feather stitch is the blanket stitch alternative. It is a fun way to create straight or wavy, feather-like lines. It’s a type of looped stitch and is considered a variation of the blanket stitch, but it switches sides as you go along.
I drew 3 parallel lines on my fabric. A centre line and two outside lines, one on each side. Or you can use a blanket stitch template if you are worried about the shape. Like I did while doing long & short blanket stitches.
Then, I cut 12 to 14-inch lengths of 6-strand embroidery floss and threaded the needle. I even use this thread length for filling stitches. Then, I gathered other blanket stitch tools.
I brought my needle up through the fabric on the centre line giving 1 inch gap.
Next, I took my needle down at the top of the right line and brought it back to the centre line. I ensured the needle was inside the loop of my working thread before pulling it through.
Then, I moved over to the left line, taking the needle down and coming back up on the centre line, again inside the loop, and pulled through.
Then again,
I push the needle through the left line & bring back the needle’s middle line. Pull the thread until it locks it.
I repeated this process, down on the right line, up in the centre, down on the left line, and back up in the centre. It’s just like an open chain stitch. But this alternating motion creates that distinct feathered look.
Once I got the hang of it, I realized I didn’t need to draw the three lines. I could simply follow the design line on my fabric and stitch intuitively. I can easily do the feather stitch on any blanket stitch template.
To finish the feather stitch, I ended it just like a chain stitch. I take my needle over the last stitch and secure it with a small anchor stitch.
That’s the blanket stitch alternative. This simple yet elegant stitch has many possibilities, and I can’t wait to try it on more projects.
If you are confused about anything, download this Blanket stitch alternative pdf and use it whenever you want.
Once you get the rhythm of alternating sides, it becomes second nature, and the results are always stunning. So grab your needle, let your creativity flow, and enjoy exploring the charm of the feather stitch in your embroidery projects! Happy stitching! 🪡
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