9 methods of leaf embroidery

tutorial

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After all the flowery tutorials last year, let’s add some green leaf embroidery to our projects, shall
we?

The full leaf sampler with in-depth step-by-step instructions are available as PDF in
my Etsy store.

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Fly stitch
The fly stitch branch is a very simple and easy to
stitch way of depicting your greens. If you like neat
stitching, the fly stitch makes your life very
uncomplicated. You can make it as long or short, wide
or narrow as you want. By stitching the loops closer to
each other your fly stitches will look more densely or
open.

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Fishbone stitch
A classic take on the embroidered leaf is done with
fishbone stitch. Be careful to set the threads side-by-
side to cover the fabric completely. I draw a middle line
into the shape to always get the stitches neat and
centered.

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Satin stitch
This leaf embroidery method is a little bit more
advanced than the previous ones. Use satin stitch for
the ground coverage. It works great to embroider in
two columns for this.
Then, add the stem and middle line in back stitch with
a contrasting color. For the additional lines, let the
segments of the back stitches guide you. Use simple
straight stitches to add the veins.

Chain stitch branch

Here is another way to embroider a colorful branch.
With back and chain stitches, you can whip up some
gorgeous broad branches to fill your flower wreath
embroidery projects. You can create a lovely gradient
or go with one color only.
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To make this branch, start at the bottom of the first
segment Use back stitch to embroider the branches
segment. Use back stitch to embroider the branches,
then add the leaves with single chain stitches.

If you want to make the gradient version, switch colors

after every segment.

Satin stitch leaf

The classic satin stitch leaf can be stitched with
different stitch directions. I found the slanting stitches
work great for leaves. Depending on the size of your
leaf shape, you can do horizontal or vertical stitches,
too.
The pink leaf below is made with slanting satin stitches,
too. I marked a line across the leaf and stitched each
half separately.

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 The leaf embroidery pattern
This is how all the leaves look like in one spot. I
hope you enjoy stitching up your own! The leaf
embroidery pattern comes with detailed step-
by-step instructions.

Buy the leaf embroidery stitch book

Chain stitch leaf

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Chain stitches work amazing for lines and filling areas

Chain stitches work amazing for lines and filling areas
with stitches. For this leaf, use the chain stitch to fill
the leaf one row at a time.
The leaf on the left is worked with only one color. For
the other, I used two shades of green and stitched one
half of the leaf shape first. Then, I used the color of the
opposite side and made a couple of straight stitches to
mimic the leaf adders.

Woven leaf
If you want to go for an unusual look, try out the weave
stitch leaf!
First, set up your threads and then weave up and down,
back and forth. Remember to always stitch into the
fabric at the end of each row. Other than that, your
needle will always stay above the fabric.
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Brick stitch leaf
Brick stitch is actually used as a counted stitch most
of the time. You set up long and short stitches for the
first row. After that, your stitches will be of equal
length until the last row. I used 3 shades of green here.
If you want a more blended in look, use hues that are
more close to another. Also, the thicker the threads
the more obvious the transition between colors.

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Blanket stitch leaf
Blanket stitch leaves are a classic. You can alter the
density of the thread by setting each stitch very close
to another or more openly.
For this version of an embroidered leaf, I used split
stitch in a lighter green to accentuate the middle line
and make the leaf more interesting.

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The leaf embroidery pattern
 This is how all the leaves look like in one spot. I
hope you enjoy stitching up your own! The leaf
embroidery pattern comes with detailed step-
by-step instructions.

Buy the leaf embroidery stitch book

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About The Author

Anne
Exploring the realms of hand embroidery brings me so much joy and on Pumora I love to share
my knowledge and insights with you. I'm Anne and I live in rural Germany with my family and
our 3 crazy cats.

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