Buttonhole Stitch

Each line on this chart represents a fabric thread.

The Travel Case uses the Buttonhole stitch

The buttonhole stitch is sewn by taking the threaded needle up at 1, taking it down at 3 and leaving a small loop, then taking the needle up at 4 and drawing the loop tight. I have found that if I draw the tightening stitch straight down from the fabric (that is as straight down as much as it is possible) I do not distort the ground fabric as much as I tighten the loop.  Repeat these steps one fabric thread to the right for the next stitch.

To prevent a gap between the first and last stitches in the design I place a Straight stitch at 1 and 2 before I begin the first Buttonhole stitch and end the final Buttonhole stitch of the design by taking the threaded needle down into step 1 of the first stitch. You can change threads smoothly by ending the old thread at step 3 and taking the tail of the old thread under the backside of the stitches on the back of the fabric. I like to pull this tail up to the top of the embroidery again. Then start a new thread also on the back of the embroidery and bring it up in the loop at step 4. Then pull the old tail to draw the loop tight and continue stitching. I like to tunnel the old thread through the back of the Buttonhole stitches just made and to start the new thread in the design line where the new stitches will be made.

Read more about perles by clicking the link in the word.

In the photo above, you can see the loop I left, next to that loop you can see the knot where I started a new thread, you can see the thread I pulled to the top of my embroidery so I could close the loop (next to the word copyright), and you can see I have marked the perles with the word 'perles'. The knot is from the last thread change, I generally like to cover a couple of inches of a new thread with the whatever stitches I am using in the embroidery.

You can shove the perles up away from the bottom of the row of Buttonhole stitches to make it easier to see the fabric threads you want to cut. You can also look on the back of the embroidery.

Cut along the first fabric thread under the Buttohole stitches.©1999, Linda Fontenot, www.American FolkArts.com