Feather Stitch

a member of the buttonhole family

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illustration of feather stich used in crazy quilting

Feather stitch is also known as single coral stitch and briar stitch. Feather stitch is found extensively on traditional English smocks and on antique crazy quilts.

The feathery line created is useful as a smocking stitch and a needlework stitch as it is equally effective when worked in straight lines or following curves. There are many arrangements and combinations of this stitch. Today as a stitch it is still used by stitchers who are interested in the traditional and historical needlework crafts and by contemporary needle workers. This versatile stitch can be found worked today in smocking and is still one of the most popular stitches in crazy quilting.

a step by step illustration of how to work feather stitch

Feather stitch is actually a variety of buttonhole stitch.

When working this stitch it is useful to imagine 4 parallel lines. It is useful to mark the fabric with guide-lines using a water dissolvable marker or fade out fabric marker.

Bring the needle out at the top of the line to be worked and hold the thread down with the left thumb. Insert the needle a little to the right on the same level and make a small stitch in a downward motion so that the needle point appears on the centre line, keeping the thread under the needle point pull the thread through the fabric to make the stitch.

Next insert the needle a little to the left on the same level and make a small stitch in a downward motion so that the needle point comes out on the centre line and keeping the thread under the needle point, pull the thread through the fabric to make the stitch. Work these movements alternatively.

In the case of using this stitch worked as a seam embellishment on crazy quilting a more decorative line can be created with the use of beads, as in the illustration above or place arrangements of detached chain, or French knots at the top of each spine.

The length spacing and number of spines can create ornate patterns and effects. It is also very effective worked in hand dyed multicolored thread.

Buttonhole family:

There are many other stitches that are classified in this group. The stitches that I have listed here in the Buttonhole family are:

NOTE: Single feather stitch

illustration of how to work single feather stitch

The stitch that is referred to as Single Feather stitch is a variety of feather stitch and also part of the buttonhole family as it is simply buttonhole worked on a slant as the illustration right demonstrates.