Featherstitch Explained

Featherstitch or feather stitch and Cretan stitch or faggoting stitch are embroidery techniques made of open, looped stitches worked alternately to the right and left of a central rib.^[1] Fly stitch is categorized with the featherstitches.

Applications

Feather stitch is a decorative stitch which is usually accompanied with embellishments.^[2] Cretan stitch is characteristic of embroidery of Crete and the surrounding regions.^[3]

Open Cretan stitch or faggoting is used in making open decorative seams and to attach insertions.

Feather stitch embroidery arose in England in the 19th century for decorating smock-frocks. It is also used to decorate the joins in crazy quilting. It is related to (and probably derives from) the older buttonhole stitch and chain stitch.

Variants

Common variants of featherstitch include:^[4]

• Basic featherstitch
• Long-armed featherstitch
• Double featherstitch
• Closed featherstitch
• Chained feather stitch
• Cloud stitch

Stitch gallery

Looped stitches

Other looped stitches include:

• Cretan stitch^[5] or Open Cretan stitch or faggoting stitch
• Closed Cretan stitch
• Fishbone stitch
• Fly stitch,^[6] a filling stitch made of single, detached tacked loops.
• Loop stitch
• Scroll stitch

Gallery

See also

• Cross-stitch
• Embroidery stitch

Notes

1. Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (March 1992)., p. 39-41
2. Web site: Feather Stitch. Sarah. 2011-01-26. Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials. en-US. 2019-04-17.
3. Christie, Grace: Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving, London, John Hogg, 1912
4. Enthoven, Jacqueline: The Creative Stitches of Embroidery, Van Norstrand Rheinhold, 1964,
5. Web site: Willem. Cretan Stitch. 2021-07-10. trc-leiden.nl. en-gb.
6. Web site: Willem. Fly Stitch. 2021-07-10. trc-leiden.nl. en-gb.

References

• Caulfield, S.F.A., and B.C. Saward, The Dictionary of Needlework, 1885.
• Christie, Mrs. Archibald (Grace Christie), Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving, London, John Hogg, 1912, online at Project Gutenberg
• Enthoven, Jacqueline: The Creative Stitches of Embroidery, Van Norstrand Rheinhold, 1964,
• Reader's Digest, Complete Guide to Needlework. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (March 1992).