Crossed Buttonhole Stitch

Crossed Buttonhole Stitch

Hand embroidery stitches / Stitch Dictionary

crossed buttonhole stitch sample

Crossed buttonhole stitch is an interesting variety of buttonhole. You can create patterns and interesting borders with this stitch.

How to embroider Crossed Buttonhole Stitch

You need to know basic buttonhole to work this stitch, as it consists of pairs of angled buttonhole stitches which are crossed.

step by step tutorial on crossed buttonhole 1

Work between two imaginary lines. Bring the thread out on the lower line and insert at an angle with the tip of the needle pointing left. Loop the working thread under the needle’s point.

step by step tutorial on crossed buttonhole 2Pull the needle through the fabric to form the first stitch.

step by step tutorial on crossed buttonhole 3Insert the needle to the left of the first stitch, at an angle, with the tip of the needle pointing right. Loop the working thread under the needle’s point and pull the needle through the fabric to cross the last stitch.

step by step tutorial on crossed buttonhole 4Repeat this process along the line.

step by step tutorial on crossed buttonhole5I have to admit that when you first look at this stitch, it looks a little mundane — but really, there are many creative ways you can work with it.

Crossed buttonhole stitch sample 1You can stack it, work the stitch in a square and overlay it. In the sample below, I have worked the units of crossed buttonhole in a square pattern and added beads to the middle. The thread is an overdyed cotton perle #5.

Crossed buttonhole stitch sample 3You can also create variations by changing the spacing of the stitch or lengthening the height of the arms on the stitch

Crossed buttonhole stitch sample 2It is also interesting to use this stitch to couch on textured threads. In the sample below I have used it to couch down eyelash thread. I also added beads to create an interesting edge. This decoration could also be used in crazy quilting.

Crossed buttonhole stitch sample 4There are also numerous possibilities if you work it diagonally or extend one of the arms too!

sample of stitch

Worked evenly and row upon row a patterns are easily achieved. It is a stitch that is worth playing about with as experimentation will lead to some fun and interesting results.

My book for creative stitchers

Creative Stitches for Contemporary Embroidery book coverIf you enjoy my site you will get real value from my book  Creative Stitches for Contemporary Embroidery: Visual Guide to 120 Essential Stitches for Stunning Designs

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned embroiderer, Creative Stitches for Contemporary Embroidery gives you techniques to encourage a fresh and creative embroidery style. Discover play points in your embroidery. Explore variations in height and width, stacking stitches, or using repetitions of the same stitch to create areas of texture and shape. All these techniques and more will give you creative variations. I have included numerous demonstrations of small tweaks that create big effects to send you down your own creative path.

62 Comments

    1. I just saw your work on Pintangle TAST and your Flickr photo stream – I think your work is amazing and so lovely…. I’m not normally a fan of muted colours but your colours are beautiful and harmonious. I look forward to seeing your new work. I am new to all this – only started TAST last week but I’m loving it already

      Sue
      Reply

  23. Hi Sharon, I have completed my crossed stitch sampler, the detaisl are here-http://jizee6687.wordpress.com/category/tast-2012/18-crossed-buttonhole-stitch2/
    flickr-http://www.flickr.com/photos/22818176@N07/6999135498/
    stitchchin fingers-http://stitchinfingers.ning.com/photo/18-crossed-buttonholest2-sampler1?context=user
    Thank you,
    Chitra

    chitra gangadharan
    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

%d bloggers like this: