How to get smooth satin stitch (no bumps, gaps or slant)

What goes wrong, and why

Smooth satin is a set of straight stitches, parallel and touching, with no linen between them, edges that follow the line, and a surface that catches the light evenly. When it isn't, the cause is almost always one of these.

A smooth fill, step by step

1. Hoop it drum-tight. Satin pulls on the fabric in one direction. Loose linen gives under it, and the fill ripples.
2. Thread a fresh, short length. About 12 inches is plenty for a small fill, and it stays smooth to the end. Separate the strands one at a time and lay them side by side.
3. Set the angle in the middle. Make the first stitch across the widest part of the shape, usually across its narrow way, so every stitch stays short. Every other stitch copies this one.
4. Work out to one edge. Come up on the same side every time, right beside the last stitch, and go down on the opposite side. Touching, never on top.
5. Lay each stitch, don't pull it. As the thread goes down, stroke the strands flat with the side of the needle, and stop pulling the moment they lie on the surface.
6. Return to the middle on the back. Slide the needle under the backs of the stitches to get back to the center, then fill the other half the same way.
7. Check it under a lamp. Tilt the hoop so the light skims across the fill. Ridges and gaps show at once. Fill a gap with one more stitch in it, not a second layer over the top.

Free · 3D Stitch Simulator

Try satin stitch on a 3D hoop

Watch the first stitches, then tap where your needle goes. Turn the hoop, zoom in, and flip it over to check the back.

Watch the first stitches go in from the middle, then fill the rest yourself. Flip the hoop to see the back: it should look almost like the front.

Start the simulatorOpen the full simulator

It's mostly in the strands

Two strands side by side cover like a ribbon. The same two strands twisted together become a narrow rope, so the fill looks gappy and ridged even when your stitches are perfectly placed. Most bumpy satin is twisted satin.

• Let the needle dangle every few stitches so the twist spins out. More in why thread tangles.
• Lay the strands as each stitch goes down: run the needle under them on the surface, or use a laying tool, so they sit parallel.
• 1 strand or 2? Two strands fill a small eye or nose quickly and match the 2-strand outline; it's what our patterns use. One strand gives the smoothest, flattest finish and is Needle 'n Thread's preference for satin, but it takes many more stitches.

Keeping stitches straight, not diagonal

Drift happens when each stitch lands a hair off the last one. Over twenty stitches, a hair becomes a slant. Starting in the middle halves the distance any drift can travel.

• Guide stitches. Before you fill, place two or three stitches spread across the shape at the angle you want, then fill between them. They keep you honest.
• Fan on curves. Around a curved edge, open the angle very slightly from stitch to stitch so the fill follows the shape.
• Match the eyes. Run the stitches in both pupils the same way. A different angle in each eye catches the light differently and looks like a squint.

How big can satin stitch be?

Smaller than most beginners think. Needle 'n Thread suggests keeping plain, unpadded satin to about 3/8 to 1/2 inch across. Longer stitches loosen, catch on things, and ridge once the fabric comes out of the hoop.

In our three sample dog patterns, the largest fill is about half an inch at its longest, and stitched across its narrow way every stitch stays under that. For a bigger shape, split it with a line down the middle and fill each half, or switch to long and short stitch.

Padded satin stitch puts a layer of stitches under the satin, running the other way, which lifts and steadies a bigger fill. It's optional, and a good next step once small fills feel easy. Our patterns use plain satin for the eyes and nose, and that works well. If you try padding, save it for the nose: plain, flat satin makes the little bare highlight in an eye much easier to leave.

Crisp edges

The edge looks wobbly.

Come up and go down just inside the outline, at the same distance every time. Your eye reads the edge, not the middle.

I want a sharper edge still.

Outline the shape with tiny split stitches first, then take each satin stitch just over that edge. It's optional, and lovely on bigger shapes.

Round pupils come out square.

Shorten the stitches as you near each end of the circle, and stop them a hair inside the line.

A point or corner looks blunt.

Make the stitches shorter as they reach the point, and bring the last one right into the tip.

Questions people ask

Keep going

• Stitch guideHow to do a satin stitchStraight stitches laid side by side to fill small shapes, like eyes and noses.
• Stitch guideHow to do a split stitchA fine, smooth line that looks like a tiny chain, and a crisp edge under satin.
• Stitch guideHow to do a long and short stitchStaggered rows of stitches that blend colors, for realistic fur.
• How-to guideHow to embroider eyes for a pet portraitSatin-stitched pupils with a bare highlight: the step that gives a stitched pet its expression.
• How-to guideHow to embroider a dog's nose in satin stitchA satin-stitched nose with the shine left bare, stitched the narrow way across the shape.
• How-to guideWhy does embroidery thread tangle, knot and fray?Tangles, knots, twist, fuzz and broken floss: what causes each, how to stop it, and how to rescue a knot mid-thread.
• Free toolThe free 3D Stitch SimulatorPractice back stitch and satin stitch on a 3D hoop you can turn, zoom and flip.