Stitch Your Dogby Make It Yours

How-to guide

How to end embroidery thread (and keep the back neat)

To end a thread, take the needle to the back, slide it under the backs of 4 or 5 stitches, make one tiny loop around the last one, and trim the tail to about 1/8 inch. Stop with 3 or 4 inches left so you have room to weave it in.

By Stitch Your Dog · Updated

How to tie off, step by step

  1. Finish on the back. Complete your last stitch so the needle ends up behind the fabric.
  2. Slide under 4 or 5 stitches. Turn the hoop over. Run the needle under the backs of 4 or 5 nearby stitches, going under the thread only, not through the linen.
  3. Make one tiny loop. Wrap once around the last stitch and pass the needle through the small loop you've made. Pull gently until it sits snug.
  4. Trim the tail. Cut the thread about 1/8 inch from the stitches. Longer tails get caught in the next thread and can show through light fabric.

On a line of back stitch, weave back along the line you've just made, so the tail hides under thread the front already covers. On satin stitch, slide under the backs of the fill.

How much thread to leave

Stop when about 3 or 4 inches of thread are left on the needle. Any shorter and it's fiddly to weave in, and the needle keeps slipping off the end. Thread also wears as it goes in and out of the fabric, so starting a fresh length gives smoother stitches anyway. Cut each new length from fingertip to elbow, about 18 inches.

Does the back of embroidery matter?

For a pet portrait on light linen, yes, for three reasons.

  • Shadows. Black thread carried across bare linen shows through the front as grey lines, especially once the hoop hangs on a light wall.
  • A flat finish. Lumps and long loops on the back push the front up when you press it, and stop the piece sitting flat in its hoop.
  • A gift. People turn a handmade hoop over. A tidy back says it was made with care, even before you add a felt backing.

It doesn't need to be perfect. It needs no knots, no long jumps across bare fabric and no loose tails.

How to keep the back neat

  • Never jump across bare linen. If the next line starts somewhere else, slide the needle under the backs of stitches you've already made to get there, or tie off and start again. On light fabric, there's no safe jump length.
  • Stitch in little groups. Finish one area, like an ear or the muzzle, before you move on, so the thread on the back stays short.
  • Start without a knot. A loop start or a waste knot keeps the first stitch as flat as the last.
  • Stab, don't scoop. Going straight down, then straight up, keeps each stitch on the back as tidy as the one on the front.
  • Turn the hoop over now and then. It takes a second and catches a loose loop while it's still easy to fix.

Want to see what a tidy back looks like before you stitch? Flip the hoop in the free 3D Stitch Simulator after a few stitches.

Common problems

The thread pulled out after I trimmed it.
It wasn't woven under enough stitches. Weave under 4 or 5, and add the tiny loop around the last one.
A grey line shows on the front where nothing is stitched.
That's thread carried across the back. Snip it on the back, weave both ends in, and travel under stitches next time.
Tails keep getting caught in new stitches.
Trim each tail to about 1/8 inch right after you tie off, before you start the next thread.
The back is a tangle of loops.
Loops come from twisted thread. Let the needle dangle every so often so the thread untwists, and pull each stitch snug, not tight.

Questions people ask

Do you need to knot the end?

No. Weaving under 4 or 5 stitches on the back and making one tiny loop holds the thread securely, with no lump to show through.

How much thread should you leave?

Stop with about 3 or 4 inches left on the needle. That's enough to weave in comfortably. After weaving, trim the tail to about 1/8 inch.

How do you end embroidery without a knot?

Take the needle to the back, slide it under the backs of several stitches, loop once around the last stitch, and trim.

Does the back of embroidery matter?

On light fabric it does. Threads carried across the back show through as shadows, and lumps stop the piece lying flat. It doesn't need to be perfect, just tidy.

Why does thread show through on the front?

Dark thread on the back is visible through light linen. Keep the thread under existing stitches instead of jumping across bare fabric.

Sources: Needle 'n Thread: 3 tips for keeping the back neat · Needle 'n Thread: Starting and traveling threads · DMC: How to use stranded thread