Crochet guide
Embroidery on crochet
You can embroider on crochet with a yarn needle and a length of smooth yarn or embroidery floss. Work on a plain, firm fabric, weave the end in at the back to start with no knot, and keep the stitches loose so that the fabric does not pucker.
On this page 7 parts
What crochet is like to embroider
Crochet fabric is not smooth cloth. Its surface is bumpy, with a hole between each stitch and the next. Embroidery sits well on it when the ground is chosen for it.
- Plain and even. Embroidery is worked on a flat, even fabric in a smooth yarn. Avoid a fuzzy or novelty yarn for the ground.
- Firm. A dense fabric gives the embroidery something to hold on to.
- A grid, for counted work. Rows of single crochet (UK double crochet) make a grid of small squares, and so does the simple stitch of Tunisian crochet, which is also called afghan stitch. One cross stitch fits over one stitch.
Stitch names on this page are United States terms, with the United Kingdom name in brackets where it differs.
Embroidery makes the fabric under it firmer and less stretchy. That is why stitches pulled tight pucker it.
What you need
- A yarn needle. Its eye has to take the yarn. A blunt point is the one to use when each embroidery stitch covers a whole stitch of the crochet.
- Yarn or floss. Yarn can take the place of thread in any embroidery design. Embroidery floss is used too. A smooth yarn shows the shape of each stitch more clearly.
How to start and finish with no knot
- Thread the needle. Do not knot the end.
- Run the needle through the backs of a few stitches on the wrong side, up to the place where the embroidery starts. Leave a short tail.
- Bring the needle up to the right side and work the design from that side.
- Keep the stitches even and a little loose. Pulled tight, they pucker the fabric.
- At the end, take the needle to the wrong side and weave the end into the backs of the stitches. Weave in the starting tail as well.
Weaving in ends shows the weaving.
The stitches, and what each is for
| Stitch | What it is | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Backstitch | A solid line of stitches that double back on themselves | Outlines, lines and lettering |
| Chain stitch | A line of loops that looks like a crochet chain | Lines, such as the lines of a plaid |
| French knot | A small raised dot | Dots, eyes, and texture when many sit close together |
| Satin stitch | Straight stitches laid closely side by side | Filling a small shape with color |
| Cross stitch | Two short diagonal stitches that cross, over one crochet stitch | Charted motifs, patterns and letters |
- Chain stitch has a crocheted twin. Surface crochet makes the same line with a hook: slip stitches worked on the face of the fabric, with the yarn held behind it.
- Cross stitch has a page of its own. Cross stitch on crochet shows where the needle goes.
- A small round shape, such as an eye, can be filled by repeating a straight stitch in the same place until it is full.
Duplicate stitch
Duplicate stitch is a knitter's embroidery. Each stitch is sewn over one knitted stitch of stockinette, in a new color, following a chart. The how-tos teach it on knitting. On crochet, a charted design is worked in cross stitch over single crochet or Tunisian simple stitch instead.
Where embroidery is used on crochet
Embroidery adds a small detail to a collar, a cuff or a pocket, or makes a whole picture on the front of a sweater, a pillow or a bag. Faces for toys are covered in faces for amigurumi.
Where to go next
- Cross stitch on crochet for charted designs.
- Surface crochet for lines made with the hook.
- Sewing crochet to fabric, and things onto crochet for appliques and buttons.