Hurray, it’s time for Part 2 of the Crochet Embroidered Sampler Series! You should have your crocheted sampler blocked and ready to go, because today we’ll be adding our first embroidery stitches to the moss stitch/lemon peel stitch section of the sampler.

Crochet Embroidered Sampler: Backstitch & Chain Stitch Vines & Leaves With French Knot Buds

In the same way that you could use a variety of yarn sizes to make the crocheted base, you can also experiment with the type of thread or yarn you use to make the embroidery. For the sampler version here I just used DMC embroidery thread, but you could easily use scrap yarn or crochet thread as well. The size of yarn or thread used will effect the thickness of your embroidery stitches.

We will be working into the moss stitch/lemon peel stitch section of the crocheted sampler (the bottom section).

A note on embroidery hoops:

For the most part, I don’t use them. When using an embroidery hoop for traditional embroidery on regular fabric, a hoop helps pull the fabric taught to make working embroidery stitches into it easier. When embroidering on crocheted fabric, we don’t want to pull the fabric taught as it can make the embroidery stitches wonky when released from the hoop. I typically do my crochet embroidery at a table/flat surface so that I can keep the crocheted fabric generally flat while lifting only the section I’m working on using my hands. If I do use a hoop, I don’t stretch the crocheted fabric with it, but simply use it to keep a wide surface area of the fabric flat.

Supplies Needed:

embroidery thread (or yarn as mentioned above)
large embroidery needle or darning needle if using thicker yarn
small embroidery snips or scissors

Beginning Embroidery: Backstitch & Chain Stitch Vines & Leaves

Before we begin, we need to secure our thread on the back of the sampler. Make sure when securing thread that you only work into the back of the crocheted fabric, and not through to the front.

To make our vines, we need to curve the backstitch up and down, as shown above. Leaves should be worked every inch – inch and a half or so while backstitching, Alternate sides of the vine when making leaves for a more natural look.

I like to fill in chain stitches when making leave by working two or three stitches in the center area of the loop (see picture below).

Backstitch Tensioning Tips:

When embroidering on crochet, it’s important to try and match your embroidery tension to the stretch level of the crochet fabric. Backstitch works well for this as it “wraps” around the crochet stitches. Don’t pull thread as taught as you might when embroidering into regular fabric, but just enough so that it “lays” gently against the crocheted fabric. Notice in the picture above how the backstitch vine stretches easily with the crochet when the fabric is pulled. You can see the separation between the backstitches. But when the fabric is resting, the backstitches meet together (see picture below).

Fasten off thread on back of fabric, following the “securing thread” directions backwards.

Adding French Knot Buds:

Now its time to add our French knot buds along the embroidered vine. Feel free to use as many colors as you like here. You can work buds single along the vine, or pair them up. I like to do a mix of this using a couple colors. spacing can be played around with, but I typically keep 1 – 2 inches between buds, just placing them where it feels/looks right.

Begin by securing yarn on back of sampler at one end of the vine.

When making French knots into crocheted fabric, it’s important to pay attention to where you are placing your french knots. You want to work them over/into a more dense part of the crochet fabric as opposed to a lacier, more open part. Notice how the French knots in the picture below are worked into parts of the crochet fabric where there are lots of loops close together instead of parts where there are only one or two bits of yarn. This will help hold your French knots in place and give them something to sit against so they don’t get pulled through the crocheted fabric to the back (a bit, disappointing oops), and also make it easier to bring the needle back down just next to where you brought it up, as in step two above.

A note on helping keep French knots from getting pulled to the back of the fabric: When I get to the point where I have just barely brought the point of the needle back down in the center of the French knot to where it’s just poking out on the backside of the fabric, I use the pointer and middle finger of my hand that’s not pulling the needle through to give extra support to the crocheted fabric by placing one on each side of the needle on the back, against the crocheted fabric. I do this even if I’m using an embroidery hoop to hold the fabric (see note at beginning of post.)

Also, pay attention to your French knot as you pull thread through to the back, going slowly, so you don’t accidentally pull it too far into the crocheted fabric. You want it to sit on top of the fabric, not be pulled into it.

Here is a picture of the back of the sampler to show you how I keep things tidy while working French knots along the backstitch vine. I like to use a long piece of embroidery thread so I’m not joining and fastening off between each knot. Between knots I just weave the thread around the back  stitches of the vine.

And that’s it! You’re first embroidered sampler section is finished! In Part 3 we’ll make Wagon Wheel/Spider Web Roses in the double crochet section of our sampler! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments or shoot me an email to minwaters23@yahoo.com. Links to all posts in the series will be added here as they are uploaded.

Part 1: Crocheting The Sampler Base
Part 2: Backstitch & Chain Stitch Vine & Leaves
Part 3: Wagon Wheel Roses
Part 4: Fly Stitch Skeleton Leaves
Part 5: Lazy Daisies
Part 6: Finishing Touches

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