French knot

Hand embroidery stitches / Stitch Dictionary

French Knot Tips and Tricks

A french knot is a difficult stitch for some people, but I have a tip or two in this tutorial. I am putting them upfront so you notice them before you embark upon learning the stitch.

Stitcher’s problem #1: Your knot pops through the fabric to the back!

If your knot pops through the fabric, you are not leaving a large enough gap between where the thread emerges from the fabric and where it goes back into the fabric.

When you follow the directions, take a look at the third photo and ensure that you take the needle back into the fabric a couple of threads away from where it emerged. Put simply, don’t put your needle back into the same hole.

Stitcher’s problem #2: Your wraps get stuck on the needle

The second tip is to use milliner’s needles. They are the secret weapon in creating not only French knots, but also Bullion knots, and many other knotted stitches.

You will find it easier to work all of the knotted stitches with milliner’s needles or straw needles, because of their design. Most embroidery needles have an eye that is wider than the shaft of the needle. Milliner’s or straw needles have an eye and shaft that are the same width, which makes it easier to slide the wrapped bullion or French knot along the needle.

Stitcher’s problem #3: Your work just gets puckered and messy

If your work is puckering, the problem is tension. Stretch the fabric in a needlework hoop or frame, so you have both hands free to work the knot. I explained how to bind and use an embroidery hoop here.

I hope these tips lead to pleasant stitching experiences when you learn how to work French knots!

If you are left handed this video will help you.

How to work French Knots

step by step instructions on how work French knots 1

Bring the needle out through the fabric. And holding the thread taut with your left hand, twist the needle around the thread two or three times.

step by step instructions on how work French knots 2

Still holding the thread firmly, take the needle back into the fabric one or two threads away from where the working thread emerges. Insert the needle.

step by step instructions on how work French knots 3

Brush the knot down the shaft of the needle with the nail of your left thumb, so that it is sitting firmly on the fabric as illustrated. Pull the thread through to the back of the fabric. As you pull, keep the working thread tensioned firmly but not too tight.

step by step instructions on how work French knots 4

Using your left index finger, hold the thread against the fabric as you pull the thread through the knot. This helps prevent tangles.

step by step instructions on how work French knots 5

Some samples

The thickness of the thread and the number of wraps on the needle will determine the size of the finished knot. You can use all sorts of threads to create interesting effects. I used hand-dyed cotton perle # 5 and #8 in the sample below, and I created the white French knots using Metallic Madeira braid 9808.

In this sample, I have used an acrylic knitting yarn blended with a metallic thread to create the ‘grapes’.

I created the next sample using a similar design with hand-dyed 4mm silk ribbon.

ideas for French Knots sample 2 wisteria

You can also use them in contemporary hand embroidery. Here, I used them in combination with small straight stitches and bullion knots.

This is another example of French knots used in Contemporary embroidery. I combined them with beading and eyelets. I used a mix of thread, including cotton perle #5 and #8, silk, stranded cotton floss, cotton broder, chainette thread and rayon ribbon floss.

The last sample shows French knots worked in cotton perle #5. It is a small detail on a crazy quilt block.

You will find that French knots have several names, including French dot, knotted stitch, twisted knot stitch and wound stitch.

Thread Twisties!

Experimenting with different threads can be expensive. You would normally have to buy a whole skein of each type of thread. My thread twisties 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 embroiderers’ 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. 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.