Scroll Stitch

Hand embroidery stitches / Stitch Dictionary

At first glance, Scroll Stitch does not look too exciting — but it is one of those stitches where you can use different threads creates to create all sorts of interesting effects from a braid-like stitch to a line of spaced knots.

You can work it on a tight curve and it looks good when you use it to define a disk. As you can see in the sample above, I worked a series of scallops along a seam on a crazy-quilt block.

You can work Scroll stitch back-to-back to produce a heavy line, or even lines stacked one against the other. This works particularly well if you use a variegated or hand-dyed thread because it can produce an interesting texture and appearance as the colour shifts.

Scroll stitch is also known as single-knotted line stitch.

How to hand embroider Scroll Stitch

Work the scroll stitch from left to right along the line.

Bring your needle out of the fabric on the left, move along the line slightly and insert your needle on the line in a diagonal position pointing left — taking a small bit of the fabric.

With the thread wrapped behind and under the needle, pull through the fabric. As you work along the line, do not pull the loop too tightly.

This sample was worked using perle # 5 cotton. However, experiment with different threads, as this stitch looks good worked in thicker threads or even a fine ribbon.

Novelty threads often work well with this stitch so do experiment a bit.

Thread Twisties!

Experimenting with different threads can be expensive, as you would normally have to buy a whole skein of each type of thread. So I have made up my thread twisties which are a combination of different threads to use in creative hand embroidery. These enable you to try out stitching with something other than stranded cotton. For the price of just a few skeins, you can experiment with a bundle of threads of luscious colours and many different textures.

These are creative embroiders threads. With them, I hope to encourage you to experiment. Each Twistie is a thread bundle containing silk, cotton, rayon and wool. Threads range from extra fine (the same thickness as 1 strand of embroidery floss) to chunky couchable textured yarns. All threads have a soft and manageable drape so that twisting them around a needle makes experimental hand embroidery an interesting journey rather than a battle. Many are hand dyed by me. All are threads I use. You may find a similar thread twist but no two are identical.

You will find my thread twisties in the Pintangle shop here.