You’re struggling with lumpy, bumpy embroidery stitches and don’t understand why sections that should be smooth just … aren’t. We've all been there before. Anyone who's started learning embroidery has asked this question at least once. Here’s what’s causing it, and how to fix it.
When I first started embroidery, I had no idea what I was doing. I’d watched a few time-lapse videos, but I didn’t take the time to watch a full tutorial before diving in to a brand new hobby. I treated embroidery patterns sort of like a colouring page - and while in some cases, this was the exact right approach, there was one technique that didn’t quite translate.
When I was stitching an awkward shape like a flower petal, the uneven curves threw me off.
(Of course I dove straight into the deep end instead of starting with beginner shapes.) I tried approaching it like I was using pencil crayons (coloured pencils, for you American readers). When using pencils or certain paints and markers, a little bit of light layering of same colours doesn’t affect the overall visual outcome. But boy, does it make a difference with thread.
As I filled in the shape of the petal, I simply started on one side and filled in until I got to the other end - overlapping and layering thread willy-nilly. This caused the inner portion of the petal to become bulky and messy-looking, while the outer edge stayed flat and relatively smooth.
It took about a year of practicing before I learned how to fill in the same shape more efficiently. I have made two key changes to how I tackle a large, uneven petal shape.
1. Separate Shape into Portions
- Don’t just fill your uneven shape from one side to the other. This causes the direction of your stitches to slowly shift as you move across the shape, which breaks up the smooth look of the petal.
- Start with one guide stitch down the middle.
- If needed, break it up into even smaller sections. Then, fill away from the guide line - first one side, and then the other.
2. Layer Smartly
- Layering does come into play, but instead of layering new stitches overtop of previous ones, I now tuck my stitches in underneath ones that have already been laid.
- Some of those tucked stitches won’t be the length of the full petal, and that’s fine - what matters is that the overlapping threads are no longer on the surface of your work, which in turn, leads to a smoother finished product.
3. Reduce Threads
- Sometimes overlapping can’t be avoided entirely. To reduce bulk, use fewer strands of thread.
- Typical embroidery thread is made of 6 individual strands. By separating the strands into groups of three, you visually reduce bulk, even if overlapping occurs.
- Using fewer threads creates a smoother final result, though it may take a little longer to complete.
TLDR: Embroidery can look messy when overlapping stitches cause bulking.
Fix it with one or more of the following steps:
-
Break large sections into smaller portions and fill from the centre out.
- Tuck stitches underneath instead of layering them on top. (See above for context)
- Reduce thread count—split 6 strands into 3 to visually reduce bulk.
If you’re looking for a project to practise this technique, my Fiddle Leaf Fig and Happy Camper patterns both include irregular shapes that are perfect for refining smooth satin stitches.
If you found this helpful, leave a comment to let me know. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them there too! For more tips like this, sign up for emails and I’ll send them directly to your inbox.
And as always,
HAPPY STITCHING!