Learn 20 Basic Stitches to Make Beautiful Handmade Cards | Step-by-Step

Today I have something very special to share with you. If you've always wanted to learn hand embroidery but didn't know where to start, this video is for you. We are going back to the very basics with a fun project. 20 essential embroidery stitches, all practiced on a card. I have prepared a printable A4 guide so you can follow along with me. This is a perfect project for absolute beginners, schoolers and even kids. You can use a tapestry needle with a blunt point or standard embroidery needles of different sizes. To make things easier to handle, I'm going to cut my printed card into three separate strips. This makes it much more comfortable to hold while we work on our stitches. To prepare our card, I'm using a small sponge and a needle to punch guide holes into the dots. This makes the stitching smooth and effortless. Once you have your printed card and your colourful threads ready, we can start our very first stitch. Simply thread your embroidery needle with your favourite colour and get ready to stitch. We're starting with the running stitch, using all six strands of this vibrant green floss. This is the simplest stitch in embroidery, a basic over and under motion. Start by bringing your needle up through the first hole from the back. Remember to leave a small tail of thread on the back side and secure it with a piece of tape. Now simply go down through the next hole and then up through the one after that. Just follow the line of holes, keeping your tension gentle so the card doesn't bend. It creates a beautiful dashed line that is perfect for borders or simple outlines. Leave a one centimetre tail at the back and secure it with tape. This keeps the back of our card neat. The running stitch is a simple over and under line. Next is the back stitch and I've switched to a lovely pink floss. This stitch is a favourite for making solid, continuous lines. Next, come up through the third hole and go back down into the second hole. You are always moving one step forward from the back and one step backward on the front. This fills in all the gaps, creating a strong, bold line that looks wonderful for writing names or stems. Then we have the straight stitch in brown, the simplest of all, but so useful for creating textures and detail. These stitches are perfect for decorating handmade greeting cards, creating memories that last forever. The stem stitch is one of the most useful stitches you'll ever learn. Using this orange floss, bring your needle up through the first hole. Now go down through the third hole but don't pull the thread tight yet. Leave a small loop on the surface. Bring your needle up through the second hole, keeping the thread always to the same side of the needle. When you pull it through, you get a beautiful twisted rope effect. This is my favourite stitch for flower stems and delicate curves. This one is vital for most designs, especially flower stems. Then we have the whipped back stitch. I first stitch a green back stitch and then weave peach thread through it without going through the card. Then using a second colour, we whip or wrap the thread around the stitches without going back through the card. It creates a raised two-tone cord effect. Double cross stitch. Start by making a standard X shape. Then simply add a vertical and a horizontal stitch directly over the centre. It's like a tiny layered star that adds great dimension. Next is the star stitch, stitched in this vibrant pink. This is sometimes called an eyelet stitch. Just keep repeating that middle to outside motion all the way around and you'll see a beautiful pink star bloom on your card. With the star stitch finished, we've successfully covered the seven foundation stitches of hand embroidery. It's amazing to see how much you can create with just a few holes and some colourful thread. Now take a quick breath, grab your second strip of card and let's dive into the next set of stitches. We're starting with the blanket stitch. And I'm using this lovely green floss for a bold look. This stitch is famous for creating beautiful strong borders. To start, bring your needle up through the top hole, then go down through the next hole over, but wait. Before you pull the thread all the way through, make sure your needle passes over the loop of the thread. When you pull gently, the thread locks into a neat L shape. We just repeat this motion, following the holes to create a tidy, notched edge. This is the perfect stitch for finishing the edges of blankets or felt toys and it looks so professional on our card. Once you're finished, just secure the end with a bit of tape on the back. Next we have the chain stitch, which I'm stitching with this vibrant purple floss. To start, bring your needle up through the first hole. Now go back down into that exact same hole, but don't pull the thread all the way through. Leave a small loop on the front of the card. Now bring your needle up through the next hole and make sure it passes inside that loop. As you pull the thread, the loop catches and forms a link. Repeat this step by going back into the hole you just came out of. This is one of the most popular stitches in embroidery because it looks like a delicate linked chain. It's like magic! Each link holds the one before it. It's a wonderful stitch for making thick textured lines or even writing names. Now for the chevron stitch using our bright orange floss. This is a beautiful rhythmic zigzag stitch. Follow the holes to make a diagonal line moving up, then take a small horizontal stitch across the two top holes. Now move diagonally back down and take a small horizontal stitch across the bottom. It creates a lovely patterned border that looks a bit like mountain peaks. It's perfect for decorating the edges of a card or a dress hem. Next is the coral stitch in bold red. This creates a textured line that looks like it has tiny beads or knots along it. Lay your thread across the line of holes. Bring your needle up through a hole, wrap the thread under the needle tip and pull it through. This traps the main thread in a tiny knot against the card. It's a wonderful way to add a bit of bumpiness and character to a simple straight line. Let's try the woven stitch with this soft peach colour. This one is like a little bit of magic. First we use the holes to create five spokes that meet in the middle, looking like a star. Then we bring the needle up near the centre and simply weave over and under those spokes in a circle. Now I'll use my blunt tipped tapestry needle to weave. This is a great tip for beginners because the rounded end won't poke your fingers or snag your beautiful work. We aren't going through the card anymore, just weaving through the threads. Keep going until the spokes are hidden and you'll have a beautiful 3D rosebud. The seed stitch is so much fun and very relaxing. Using our light purple floss, we are going to make tiny separate straight stitches in different directions. If you want an area to look textured but light, just scatter these little stitches around. There's no wrong way to do it, just enjoy the random pattern you create. Finally for this strip, we have the detached buttonhole in pink. This is a bit like the blanket stitch, but instead of stitching into the card, we are looping the thread into the stitch above it. This creates a gorgeous lace-like net that sits slightly off the surface of the card. It looks very advanced and impressive, but once you get the looping rhythm down, you'll find it very satisfying to complete. And there is our beautiful pink lace stitch. We have now finished our second set of 7 stitches. You're doing amazing! Are you ready for the final challenge? Let's grab our third card strip and move into the most exciting part of the tutorial. We begin with the fly stitch in this soft peach colour. Think of this as a little V or a bird in flight. Bring your needle up on the left and go down on the right, leaving a loop. Then bring your needle up in the centre bottom hole to catch that loop and take a tiny stitch over it to pin it down. It's a simple, elegant stitch that adds a lovely airy feel to any design. Next is the feather stitch in blue. This is actually a series of connected fly stitches. Instead of finishing each V separately, we move back and forth from left to right, catching the loop each time. It creates a beautiful flowing branch-like effect. This is one of the most popular stitches for nature-inspired borders. If you have your straw needles ready, now is the perfect time to use them for those beautiful knots and coils. Let's add that final wow factor to our collection. Now for a fan favourite, the French knot in bold red. Using your straw needle, bring the thread up, wrap it twice around the needle and go back down right next to where you started. The secret is to hold the thread tail taut with your other hand until the knot sits snugly against the card. These look like tiny, perfect berries or flower centres. Let's try the bullion knot using green floss. This is where the straw needle really shines. You will wrap the thread around the needle many times. I am doing about 12 or 15 wraps here to create a long coil. Slide the needle through all those loops carefully and you get a raised 3D worm or petal shape. It's so textured and impressive. Our 19th stitch is the cast on stitch in purple. This is a very unique technique where we loop the thread onto the needle as if we were knitting. I first wrap the thread around my fingertip to create a loop and then I carefully slide that loop onto the needle tip. Remember, you can wrap the thread more or less depending on the look you want. This is a fantastic way to build up layered flower petals and add incredible depth to your handmade card designs. Once you pull the needle through, it creates a thick raised loop that stands off the card. It adds amazing volume and is perfect for creating high end couture style details. Finally, we finish our journey with the lazy daisy in beige. This is a detached chain stitch. You create one single loop and pin it down with a tiny stitch at the top. When you group these in a circle, they form a perfect delicate flower. It's the perfect way to conclude our 20 stitch library. Whether you're a student, a kid or just starting from zero, you now have the skills to create unforgettable memories. And there we have it, 20 beautiful hand embroidery stitches, all mastered on your practice card. This is just the beginning of our journey. Very soon I'll be back to show you how to use these stitches to create stunning handmade card designs. We'll take everything we learned today and turn it into something truly special that you can gift to your loved ones.