The Herringbone Stitch

by April Sproule

Many of you who have taken my workshops know that I use the Herringbone Stitch in finishing my art pieces. But the Herringbone can also be used in many different adaptations as a decorative element in your work.

I created a little tutorial on how to do the first two versions featured here: the Basic Herringbone and the Threaded Herringbone. The last one, the Double Herringbone will be featured next month.

Instructions on how to stitch the Herringbone Stitch

You can use this stitch for all sorts of things besides small little stitched squares. Items like bags, table runners, clothing, and lots of other items are suitable to use this stitch on. Here's an example of a bag I made several years ago where I enhanced the other decorative features with the Threaded Herringbone Stitch. I am still using this bag 10 year later on a regular basis, so don't treat these items like they are really fragile.

Handmade One -of-a Kind linen bag, hand painted and hand embroidered

And this is a small bag to hold necessities when traveling, etc. You can see the Threaded Herringbone stitch just above the bee. So get creative, and see how you can combine your stitching with all sorts of other things.

Natural linen bag with a stenciled bee and hand stitching with the Herringbone stitch