Kate Pankhurst teaches embroidery stitches

Learn satin, padded satin and long & short stitch here. The step-by-step photos and description are the slide deck on the left. The same stitch is taught as a video in the box on the right.

Split stitch around your finished shape. Draw a small circle inside this, and bring up your needle.

Keep the stitches very neat and parallel. This is the visible top layer, supported by all the others underneath. Work to one edge, then start again in the middle to complete the other side.

Make beautifully rounded, 3D stitched shapes like this! Follow the sequence next.

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Split stich around your shape, in this case, a leaf. It's helpful to draw on the leaf veins to keep your stitch direction consistent. Bring your yarn up an inch above the point of the leaf. Angle your needle 45 degrees underneath the point.

Finish off with a stem stitch spine.

Naturalistic shading can be achieved using long and short stitches which 'split' the previous row. Learn how in the following sequence

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Hand embroidery

by Kate Pankhurst

Padded satin 1/9

Padded satin 9/9

Padded satin stitch

Long & short 1/14

Long & short 14/14

Long & short stitch