Learn how to satin stitch with our embroidery tutorial

Satin stitch embroidery will make an excellent addition to your repertoire of embroidery stitches! It’s super simple to pick up, and once you’ve got the hang of it you’ll find that you can fill in the bigger parts of embroidery patterns in no time at all. 

When stitch the satin stitch, you might find that it’s easier to use linen or cotton fabric as opposed to evenweave. The grid-like nature of evenweave creates a stepped effect, making it difficult to achieve a smooth finish on the area you’ve filled. You can still use evenweave fabric to create the illusion of curves by using satin stitch with gradual increases and decreases in stitch length. 

Prepare to satin stitch

Satin stitch is used to cover an area completely. Whatever the shape, just adjust the length of each stitch to fill in the area you want. For beginners, practice the satin stitch with a small square - a simple shape to give this stitch a go! 

Getting started

Stretch the fabric in place in the embroidery hoop. Thread your needle and tie a knot in the end of the thread. We’ve used three strands of cotton in this example, but you could use six for a thicker satin stitch to fill in larger areas. Draw a few squares using an erasable pen to use as a guide for practising the satin stitch.