How to Stitch Whipped Back Stitch

Back stitch is a special cross stitch that uses a single line of stitching (as opposed to x shapes) to highlight part of a cross stitch design. It can be used to outline part of a design, as a frame for a project, for details like animal whiskers, or even to add simple lettering or to sign a project.

If you want to make your back stitching a little fancier for a border, the stems of flowers or other embellishments, you can do a fun variation called whipped back stitch.

It starts with standard back stitching, so you can use this anywhere you already have back stitch in a project, or you can add back stitch (as for a border) if you like.

Using a second color, you weave the thread in and out of the back stitches you’ve already made to add more color and texture.

Check out this post at Fab Reilly for a full tutorial.

There are also variations on this technique that you could try, such as using the same color for both threads, using more or fewer threads for one of the passes, changing the direction of the wraps as you go around the border, adding a metallic thread, or even trying to use a thin ribbon or yarn for the weaving instead of embroidery floss.

Once you try this technique I think you’ll find lots of reasons to use it. It doesn’t take much more time or effort to embellish your project in this way, but it does automatically make it look fancier.

The tutorial includes a video that shows just how it’s done if you need more instruction. If you try this one out I’d love to hear how you used it, or if you’ve done it before and have tips to share, that would be great!

[Photo: Fab Reilly]

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35+ Sunflower Cross Stitch Patterns

Cross Stitch Foxy has a huge selection of cross stitch patterns perfect for gifts or using in your own home decor. As of this writing there are more than 900 patterns listed, so there’s no way I can cover them all, but let’s take a quick peek at some of the options.

As with many cross stitch designers, Cross Stitch Foxy has a lot of holiday themed patterns, including Christmas, Halloween and Easter and St. Patrick’s Day. There are patriotic American patterns, feminist patterns and so much more.

Since we’re heading into the Christmas season as I write this, I thought I’d highlight one of the more than 100 Christmas listings in the shop. These Christmas mugs would be cute to have hanging in your kitchen or anywhere else all winter long.

The full pattern is 86 by 101 stitches, which comes out to 6.1 by 7.2 inches, or 5.5 by 18 cm, when stitched on 14 count fabric. It calls for 19 colors. Of course you could also stitch a single mug if you’d rather, or put them into individual frames.

One thing that is fun about Cross Stitch Foxy’s projects is that the intention is that to some extent you can use what you have to make the projects. None of the projects include single stitches of a color, and colors can be replaced with the colors you have or use blends made up of colors you already have, making the projects more cost effective and environmentally friendly. Of course for holiday patterns you’ll want some holiday colors, but there’s wiggle room to use the threads you already own, which is nice.

In addition to the categories I already mentioned, there are many other patterns, including a wide selection of seasonal gnomes, patterns with cats and dogs, food and drink patterns and a nice collection of flowers and plants, just to name a few. There’s probably something for everyone in this store, so go check it out at Cross Stitch Foxy on Etsy.

[Photo: Cross Stitch Foxy]

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