How to outline stitch embroidery

Outlining shapes is something you often need to do in embroidery. Read on for examples and how-tos for five stitches you can use for this work:

Learn 5 of the best embroidery stitches for outlining. Stitch along with a free stitch sampler to learn how to use them today!

Stem stitch is so versatile, I often think of it as my 'if in doubt' stitch. Follow this tutorial and tips for perfect stitching every time.

Also known as: Crewel Stitch, Stalk Stitch, Point de Cable As the name suggests, this stitch is used to mark outlines in an embroidery pattern. It is a flexible stitch that can follow easy curves. In looks and procedure, it is only subtly, but...

Watch my step-by-step video tutorial and learn how to embroider the Stem Stitch.

This is the last of the outline stitches we'll be doing for a little while - and it's definitely the fanciest so far. Chain stitch is one of my favorite hand embroidery outline stitches, but it's not the first one I teach. I generally start with running stitch because that's the easiest stitch there is.

Backstitch is a versatile outline stitch. Nice and secure for practical sewing or embellish it with whipping in your embroidery.

Learn the difference between two hand embroidery stitches that are frequently confused with each other, the outline stitch and the stem stitch.

What is the backstitch and how do I use it? The backstitch is a simple outline stitch in hand embroidery. It joins straight stitches together to...