New Motif - Star

The satin stitch star is an easy way to embellish any stitchery. In Hardanger, it's often used as a focal point of a piece (like in Baroque, on the left). It can also be used as a border by only stitching half a star.

You stitch each point individually, making an angled diamond. When you have completed one point, go back to the center and work on the next point.

I begin with the top left point. Starting at the narrow bottom of my diamond, I come up on the right and go down on the left. Depending on the thread count of my fabric, I will skip one or 2 threads. Next I bring my needle up one hole above my starting point, count over one extra thread, and go down on the left (i.e., if I skipped 2 threads in the first row, I skip 3 in the second). Continue increasing each row until you reach the desired width for each diamond (usually about 6 threads wide). Remember, that you will stitch another diamond for this side, so your finished width will be double.

Now we decrease. This time, instead of matching up the "inside" holes in a straight line, we will match up the outside hole. This will give us the angled look. So come up on the right side, one row above your last stitch, and one hole to the left. Go down on the left in the hole immediately above your last stitch. Decrease by one hole on the right side each row until you reach your top point. Again, consider your fabric when deciding whether to make your point one or two threads wide. Some fabrics are not friendly to one thread satin stitches.

To achieve the drawn thread look, always bring your needle up in the shared holes in the vertical line between points (see picture). So when you stitch the other half of the top of the star, you will come up on the left, and go down on the right. To keep the back neat, slip your threaded needle under your completed satin stitches to go back to the bottoms of the points. Should you need to change thread while stitching stars, loop your thread around a couple of stitches and pull all the way through a completed diamond before cutting.

Sorry for the picture quality on some of these - I was photographing while I was stitching, so I had the fabric propped on my lap, and I was trying to stay out of my own light....As always, if something is hard to understand let me know.

Something else that's important to know - while these are satin stitches, they are not the same as Klosters! You cannot cut along the edges of stars - your fabric will fall apart (trust me!)