How to work embroidery knot stitches, step by step

Knot stitches give flat embroidery its texture: raised dots for flower centers and fills, stalked stamens, coiled petals and leaves. They are also the stitches beginners most often pick out and redo, usually after a knot sinks through the fabric or slackens into a floppy loop on top. Learning them in order of difficulty, from the French knot to the bullion knot, means each new stitch adds to a motion your hands already know instead of starting from scratch. The same hold on the working thread carries through all four, from a two-wrap dot to a coil of many wraps, and a practice row of each on scrap cotton shows quickly which knot suits the pattern in front of you.

A French knot takes two wraps of thread around the needle and goes back down one or two fabric threads from where it came up, never in the same hole. The colonial knot, the pistil stitch and the bullion knot are variations on that move: each changes the shape of the wrap, the re-entry point or the number of wraps.

Needles, floss and a drum-tight hoop

Knot stitches need a hoop that holds fabric drum-tight, a needle with a narrow eye and six-strand embroidery floss. A milliner needle, also sold as a straw needle, has an eye no wider than its shaft, so the wraps slide off it cleanly. That detail matters most for bullion knots, which carry the most wraps.

A regular embroidery (crewel) needle works for French and colonial knots, though its wider eye catches on three or more wraps. Tighten the hoop until the fabric sounds like a drum when you tap it, and cut floss no longer than 18 inches (45 cm); longer lengths twist and tangle before they run out.

Separate the strands before threading: pull them out of your cut length one at a time, then lay the number you need back together so they wrap evenly. Anchor the thread on the back with a small knot or two tiny stitches. Mark each knot position with a dot of water-soluble pen.

Hold the needle in your right hand and the working thread (the length running from the fabric to the needle) in your left. If you stitch left-handed, swap hands and mirror every direction given for the knots that follow.

How to work a French knot step by step

A French knot is a raised dot made by wrapping floss around the needle, then sinking the needle back into the fabric right beside its exit point. Two wraps with two or three strands give a standard knot, and the whole stitch takes only a few seconds once the hold on the thread feels natural.

1. Come up at the dot and pull the thread all the way through.
2. Hold the working thread in your left hand about 2 inches (5 cm) above the fabric.
3. Wrap twice. Lay the needle across the thread and wind the thread around it two times, close to the fabric.
4. Re-enter beside the exit point. Keeping the thread taut, insert the needle tip one or two fabric threads away from where it came up, never into the same hole.
5. Snug the wraps. Push the needle partway in, then pull the working thread so the wraps slide down and sit firmly on the surface.
6. Pull through slowly while your left hand keeps tension, letting the thread slip between your fingers until the last loop disappears into the wraps.

Of all the hand embroidery stitches, this is the one patterns lean on for eyes and flower centers, so it pays to know its two usual failures. A knot that vanishes to the back went down in its own exit hole, so widen the gap at step 4. A loose loop on top means the thread went slack before the needle was through; hold tension to the end.

Mary Corbet advises on Needle 'n Thread's comparison of French and colonial knots that extra wraps make a French knot less stable; for a larger knot, use thicker thread or more strands. Tighter tension gives a smaller, finer knot.

How to work a colonial knot

The colonial knot, also called the candlewicking knot or figure-eight knot, makes a dot similar to a French knot but taller and firmer. Instead of winding the thread in one direction, you loop it around the needle in a figure eight, so the knot locks against itself and holds its shape under tension.

1. Come up at the dot and lay the working thread to the right.
2. Slide the needle tip under the working thread from right to left.
3. Form the figure eight. With your left hand, take the thread up and over the needle, then back under the needle tip, so it crosses itself around the shaft.
4. Tighten the working thread so the figure eight closes snugly on the needle.
5. Re-enter close to the exit point, one or two fabric threads away, and pull through with tension.

If a colonial knot comes out with a dip in its center, the working thread was too loose during the pull; snug the figure eight firmly before the needle goes down. DMC's stitch diagrams cover both knots, which helps if the figure eight is hard to picture. The colonial knot is the traditional stitch of candlewicking, worked in heavy cotton thread on unbleached muslin.

Pistil stitch: a French knot on a stalk

The pistil stitch is a French knot with a straight tail. You come up at the base of the stalk, wrap the thread as for a French knot, then reinsert the needle at the far end of the stalk instead of beside the exit point. One motion produces a flower stamen or a dandelion seed.

1. Come up at the base, the end of the line that will not carry a knot.
2. Wrap twice, exactly as for a French knot, holding the working thread taut.
3. Insert at the tip, usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch (6 to 13 mm) from the base, where the knot should sit.
4. Pull through under tension and check that the stalk lies straight.

A stalk that sags or bends means the thread relaxed during the pull. Mary Corbet's pistil stitch tutorial uses two wraps and shows where to hold the working thread as the needle goes down. Radiate five to eight pistil stitches from one center point for a stylized flower.

How to work a bullion knot

A bullion knot is a coil of thread wrapped around the needle and laid flat between two points; the stitch is built on a back stitch. The rule that makes it work: the length of the coil must match the distance between those two points. Too few wraps leave the thread bare; too many make the coil curl.

1. Mark points A and B. Start with short bullions, about 1/8 inch (3 mm) long.
2. Come up at A, then take the needle down at B.
3. Bring the needle tip back up at A without pulling it through, leaving a loop of thread on the surface.
4. Wrap the protruding needle tip with the working thread, snug but not tight, until the coil covers the distance from A to B.
5. Hold and pull. Pinch the wraps lightly between left thumb and finger and pull the needle and thread through the coil.
6. Lay the knot. Pull the working thread toward B so the coil folds down flat, then take the needle down at B.

A strongly twisted thread such as #8 perle cotton forms smoother bullions than stranded floss. If a knot looks lumpy, slide your needle between the coil and the fabric and run it gently along the stitch to even out the wraps. Lengthen the stitch only once the short coils come out smooth.

Filling a shape with even knots

An even field of knots depends on repeating the same wrap count, strand count and tension on every knot. Pick one combination, such as two wraps with two strands, and keep it until the shape is filled. Changing any variable midway shows up as knots of visibly different sizes.

Outline the shape with a row of knots first, then work inward, placing each knot so it just touches its neighbors. If small gaps remain at the end, fill them with knots made from one fewer strand. Puckering around the knots means the hoop has loosened; retighten it before you continue.

Frequently asked questions

Can you do French knots without a hoop?

You can on stiff fabric such as felt or heavy canvas, but a hoop makes knots far more consistent on cotton and linen. The fabric must stay taut while the wrapped needle goes down, or the knot pulls the weave out of shape. A small 4-inch (10 cm) hoop is enough for a few scattered knots.

What can you use instead of a French knot?

For a flat dot, work a seed stitch (one or two tiny straight stitches side by side) or a small satin-stitch circle. For a raised dot, sew on a seed bead with matching thread. Neither looks exactly like a knot, but both hold up well where knots tend to snag, such as on cuffs and bag straps.

Is a colonial knot easier than a French knot?

Stitchers are split. The figure eight takes a few tries to learn, but many people then find the colonial knot more predictable because it locks around the needle. The French knot is quicker to wrap and easier to size down. Work ten of each on scrap fabric and keep whichever comes out more even.

How do you make a French knot on Aida cloth?

Come up through one hole of the Aida square, wrap as usual, and go back down through a neighboring hole of the same square or pierce the fabric between holes. Going back into the same hole lets the knot slip through, because Aida's holes are larger than the gaps in plain-weave fabric.

Can you wash embroidery that has French knots?

Yes, if the thread ends are secured on the back. Hand wash in cool water with a mild detergent and avoid rubbing the knots. Press the piece face down on a thick towel so the knots keep their height instead of being flattened.

Once your French knots come out the same size ten times in a row, the other three follow quickly, because they reuse the same hold on the working thread. For a first project, combine all four on one hooped scrap. Draw a 1-inch (2.5 cm) circle and fill it with three-strand French knots for a flower center, then surround it with eight short bullion petals. Add a cluster of pistil stitches beside it as a dandelion, and edge the motif with a row of colonial knots. The finished sampler doubles as a reference card for future patterns.