Learn the Pekinese Stitch

Hello again readers! Some of you may have noticed I took last month off to handle some work issues, but now I'm back with a fun new stitch for us to learn, and I have to say, I really love this one!

Today we're going to look at the Pekinese Stitch, which I promise you is much easier than it looks.

Like almost every month I'm using two strands of cotton floss and cotton fabric stretched tight in a hoop. What can I say, I'm a creature of habit. Maybe next month I'll branch out! This stitch would actually be lovely with mixed fibers, and I'll definitely try that next.

Traditionally, the Pekinese stitch was used as a filler, but today we're going to learn it as an outline stitch.

Start with a back stitch along the line you want your Pekinese stitch. I found turning corners with this stitch to be a little difficult, but it follows curves beautifully. Once your back stitch is in place, you'll use another two strands of floss to add the flourish.

Come up with your needle at the beginning or far left of your back stitch. Skipping one stitch, loop your thread under the stitch from the bottom. Pull your thread through but leave loose. Then go under the first stitch from the top, going over the thread that you left across the bottom. Now you should have a little loop around your back stitches. Pictures help here.

Now that your first loop is in place, you will continue this pattern across your design until you reach the end.

I had some sharp turns in my design, so rather than try to turn the corner, I just stopped on one side and began again at the other. Perhaps an unorthodox method, but it made everything much neater.

And that's the Pekinese stitch! I love how it looks and while it can take a little practice to get all your little loops even, it's fairly simple to execute once you get the hang of it. To finish out my design I used seed stitch to fill in the wings, and satin stitch and french knots for the owl's face.

I hope you enjoyed learning a new stitch with me today. How would you use the Pekinese stitch in your embroidery designs? I'd love to hear and see! Comment below or share your projects in the Feeling Stitchy flickr pool!

Happy Stitching!