Draw rows inside your pattern, one element at a time. These are just general guide lines. Some stitches will go over the drawn line, some will come up short.

• Most of the time it helps to outline your design line first in a split stitch, but not so much if you’re doing fur, or fluffy feather. Split stitch ONE element at a time, then work your long and short stitch, covering the split stitch line. Fill in just that one element. Then move onto the next.
• Remember that anything in the background gets stitched first. So if an element is covered by another, it would get stitched first. Work from the back to the front; So the background to the foreground. If an element is covered by another, work the one in the back first. Then move to the next. Work your split stitch over that element, over the existing long short stitches. Then work your long short stitch going over that split stitch line. This will help give it a 3D effect but also hide any fabric that may show through where elements overlap. For example if you’re working a flower. Start with the petal that’s covered by the others, furthest back. Start with your split stitch, but don’t split stitch any part of the design line that’s part of another petal. Only work a split stitch on the petal line that’s exposed. Then work your long short stitch, bringing them over the split stitch line, covering it. Then move to the next petal; split stitch over the previous existing stitches and the design line. Then work your long and short stitch. Continue working in that way, one at a time.

For your first row or section of long short, come up through the fabric, then down over the design line or split stitch line. For the following rows/sections, come up through the first row of stitches, piercing the actual thread it’s coming though, then down into your fabric. Splitting the thread will lock the previous stitch in place and help it to lay flat against the fabric. Remember that you want the floss to lay as flat as humanly possible to the fabric. It’s kind of like doing split stitch, but in rows or areas. Then continue working down the element. Coming up through the stitches and down into the fabric.

Bring your stitches deep into the previous row for some of your stitches, almost covering the existing stitch at times. Then lower down the previous stitch for the following. Stagger the length of the stitches. Think of the technique more like long and longer stitches vs. long short. You don’t want uniform stitches. It’s not satin stitch. But in general, don’t make them too long or too short. They should be around 3/8 of an inch long; But they’d all be different lengths. By varying the length of stitches, it will help blend the colors better and creates a smoother more even surface.

• Make sure your stitches are going it the correct direction. Draw guide lines on your fabric, inside your design to help place them in the correct position. To make stitches look smooth and shiny, keep the direction of your stitches correct. Don’t change your angles too drastically. If you need to get around a curve, shorten your stitches a bit. Add a wedge stitch in when going around a curve to gradually change the direction of your stitches. This is done by adding a long stitch, then a much shorter stitch at the slightly changed angle, then a long stitch again, at that new angle. The long stitches will hide the small stitches directional change. Making it appear like a seamless transition. The guide lines depend on what’s being stitched. Think about the composition of your design, wether it’s a flowers petal or a birds wing. How would they seem to appear in nature? Flower petals for example, slightly taper in towards the center of the base of the petal, at the sides.

Don’t let your floss twist up on you. If it happens, untwist it in the opposite direction; If using a hoop, just let it hang from it.

You want the stitches to lay perfectly flat right next to each other. A laying tool is sometimes used to help achieve perfectly smooth flat stitches. An Aficot can also be used to polish the stitches when you’re done. It can also be used as a laying tool. Don’t let your stitches cross over each other. They should lay next to each other so no fabric is showing, but not on top of each other. You want one flat, even layer of stitches.

It really is best to use a single strand while stitching. It gives you more control, allows the stitch to lay flatter against the fabric, and it’s easier to keep it from twisting up.

Use your brand of floss’s color chart to pick out your colors. They list them in families and it makes it easy to pick out the colors you need. The more colors you use to get from your light to dark, or from one color to another, the better the results will be. Another trick is to use an app called “Pixel Picker”. It isolates the different colors in a photo or artwork so you can see them better. I’ll use this to match my colors of floss to the reference photo. It helps give you a better idea of what color is needed in each area.

I personally use a pin stitch to secure my thread. But I always add 2 tiny anchoring (stab) stitches after for extra security.

• Start by making a large knot at the end of your thread, of your threaded needle. Bring it down into the fabric from the FRONT side of the embroidery, somewhere inside the design or on a design line. This is very important. Place it close to where you’ll begin stitching. Then take 3 very small stab stitches (anchoring stitches). Because they’re placed inside the design or design line, they’ll be covered up by other stitches as you work. Once you’ve made all three stab stitches, pull up on your knot from its tail, lifting it up from the fabric, and cut it off as close to the fabric as possible. The stab stitches will hold the thread very securely. And once stitched over. They’re completely invisible.
• You can even start your thread for each individual knots, like french knots, in this way. Just place the stab stitches where the knot would be placed. Work the stab stitches in a small triangle pattern. Then work your french knot in the middle of this triangle. The stab stitches will get completely covered by the knot stitch.
• To end your thread do the same. Take 3 tiny stab stitches where they’ll be covered up by other stitches.
• If you’re working stitches like long and short stitch or satin stitch and you’ve run out of room to place these anchoring stitches, you can actually put them between the previous stitches. Just carefully part the stitches and place your tiny stab stitches between them.
• If you’re working like a line stitch or a stitch that can’t be parted, you can try to sneak the stab stitches under the line stitch.
• If you absolutely can’t end your thread this way because you’ve run out of design space and absolutely can’t place the stab stitches anywhere, weave the thread behind previous stitches on the backside of your embroidery, then make one small knot securing your threads.

By using this method, you can work individually knot stitches, like a single french knot, so you don’t have to travel/carry your thread across the back of your fabric from knot to knot. In the case of single french knots, weave the thread behind the 3 stab stitches you started the thread with, form a loop, then pass the thread through it, making a small knot.

Besides being the technique taught at the Royal School of Needlework, casting on the thread with stab stitches is so secure, you can machine wash an embroidery as long as the rest of the stitches are secure, unlike pieces that use regular knots.