Spanish Feather Stitch

Spanish Feather Stitch

Spanish Feather Stitch is also listed in stitch dictionaries as Spanish knotted feather stitch or twisted zigzag chain stitch. It’s an interesting stitch for some; a challenging stitch for others. It creates a wide, ornamental line that can look like a braid, particularly if you use a thicker thread or a yarn — such as chainette. It can feel awkward at first, but once you get in a rhythm, however, it is OK.

Before you try this stitch, do learn twisted chain as this stitch is a variety of twisted chain stitch.

How to work Spanish Feather Stitch

Work Spanish feather stitch downwards, along three imaginary parallel lines. If you want to keep the line straight, it is sometimes useful to mark them on the fabric with a pen that will dissolve with water.

Bring your thread through from the back of the fabric and angle the needle, so that the needle emerges diagonally to the left, as seen in the illustration. Wrap your thread over the top of the needle and then under the needle as illustrated.

Pull the needle through the fabric and you will see that the resulting stitch looks like a twisted chain stitch worked at an angle.
Place your needle just above the twist of the stitch, near where your thread first emerged from the fabric.
Have your needle’s point exit the fabric on the right side of the line but below where you started, as illustrated.

Wrap the thread over and under the needle to form the second twisted stitch. Pull your thread through and you will have a pair of twisted chain stitches worked in a zig-zag fashion.

Continue down the line back and forth until you have reached the bottom.

Each time you work a stitch make sure your needle enters the fabric just above the previous crossed thread.

As you can see the loops create a knotted look at the edges of the row.

This stitch is easier to work with a twisted thread, such as pearl cotton, but do experiment with other threads. Spanish feather stitch is extremely versatile and full of personality!
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