Stitch Your Dogby Make It Yours

Stitch guide · Texture and details

How to do a turkey work stitch

Turkey work, also called turkey rug stitch, makes rows of loops on the front of the fabric, each held down by a tiny anchoring stitch. You then cut the loops and trim them into a soft pile, like a little carpet. Use it for fluffy fur, tufts, thistles and anything you want raised and touchable.

  • Level Easy
  • Also called Turkey rug stitch, Ghiordes knot

Use it in a pet portrait for…

  • A fluffy chest or ruff on a doodle, a Pomeranian or a Samoyed.
  • Tufts at the tips of the ears, or a pom-pom tail.
  • A fuzzy tennis ball beside your dog's paws.

The Stitch Your Dog course keeps portraits to flat line art, so you don't need turkey work for your first dog. It's a fun extra for a fluffy breed, in one small patch.

How to do it, step by step

Turkey work: where the needle goesStart with no knot: go down at the start of the row and leave a short tail on the front. Come up at 1, just left of the tail, and go down at 2, just right of it, so the tiny stitch holds the tail. Come up at 3, beside the tail. Go down at 4, leaving a loop, then lock it the same way: 5, 6 and up at 7. The dashed loop is next.3124·756

Start with no knot: go down at the start of the row and leave a short tail on the front. Come up at 1, just left of the tail, and go down at 2, just right of it, so the tiny stitch holds the tail. Come up at 3, beside the tail. Go down at 4, leaving a loop, then lock it the same way: 5, 6 and up at 7. The dashed loop is next.

Odd numbers: come up from the back Even numbers: go down Dashed: the next stitch

  1. Use 3 or more strands in a needle with a large eye, and no knot. Take the needle down from the front at the left end of the bottom row, leaving a short tail on top.
  2. Come up a little to the left of the tail, then go down a little to the right of it. That tiny stitch is what holds the tail.
  3. Come up again right beside the tail, inside that little stitch, and pull it snug. The tail is now locked in place.
  4. Go down a little further along the row, but leave a loop on the front. Hold the loop below the row so it stays the size you want.
  5. Lock the loop the same way: up a little to its left, down a little to its right, then up beside it. Carry on, loop then lock, to the end of the row.
  6. Work each new row just above the last, up to the top of the shape. Then cut all the loops, trim them to an even height and fluff the pile with a soft brush.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Loops pull out after you cut them.
Lock every loop with its own tiny stitch, and pull each lock snug before you make the next loop.
A thin, patchy pile.
Work the rows close together and the loops close together. The closer they are, the thicker the pile.
Loops get caught in the next row.
Start at the bottom of the shape and work up, holding each finished row's loops down, out of the way.
An uneven, shaggy patch.
Leave the loops a little longer than you need, cut them all, then trim to shape. You can always cut shorter, never longer.

How many strands?

Three or more strands, so the pile looks full. Needle 'n Thread suggests stranded cotton with as many strands as you can manage, because it separates into a soft, thick pile when you fluff it. Use a needle with a large eye, like a chenille needle.

Embroidery floss comes as six thin strands twisted together. Cut a length from your fingertips to your elbow, pull out the strands you need one at a time, and lay them back together (DMC’s guide to stranded floss).

Questions people ask

What is turkey work in embroidery?

A stitch that makes rows of anchored loops on the front of the fabric. Cut and trimmed, the loops become a soft pile, like a rug. Its names come from rug and carpet making.

Can you use turkey work for fluffy dog fur?

Yes, in small patches: a ruff, an ear tuft or a pom-pom tail. Trim it short where the fur is short and leave it longer where the coat is shaggy. A large area takes a lot of thread.

How do you trim turkey work?

Finish every row first. Then cut all the loops with small sharp scissors, trim a little at a time to an even height, fluff it with a soft brush, and trim again. On a stick and stitch sheet, cut and trim after the rinse, once the piece is dry.

Which way do you work the rows?

From the bottom of the shape to the top, so each finished row's loops hang down, out of the way of the next one.

Sources: Royal School of Needlework Stitch Bank: Turkey rug stitch · Needle 'n Thread: Turkey work embroidery stitch