Cast On Stitch Embroidery Tutorial - Stitch Some Roses

In this tutorial, you’ll learn the basics of the cast on stitch. This is a fun embroidery stitch that is great to use for flowers, especially roses! It is commonly seen in Brazilian embroidery art and it looks similar to a knit stitch. Plus, you’ll learn how to incorporate this stitch into a floral motif.

If you enjoy this tutorial, check out this page to learn many other hand embroidery stitches.

How To Do The Cast On Stitch

Supplies You’ll Need

I recommend using an embroidery hoop and an embroidery stand when you are making this stitch because it’s easiest to do with two hands. Another helpful thing to have is a milliner’s needle or an embroidery needle.

Bring your needle and thread up through the fabric. Then, place your needle a short distance below where the thread is and insert the tip of the needle to the front of your work through the hole you initially came up. Keep the needle in the fabric.
Make a twisted loop with your working thread and place it over the tip of the needle. These stitches should be snug but not tight around the needle – it will be hard to pull the needle and thread through them if they are too tight!
Continue making these loops and placing them over the needle until you have a stack of stitches.
Pinch the stitches with your thumb and forefinger and pull your needle and thread all the way through.

You may have to adjust the stitches so there isn’t any loose thread and they lay on the fabric to your liking.
Place your needle and thread down through the base of the stitch to the back of the fabric to secure it.

Cast On Stitch Embroidery Rose And Floral Motif

Now let’s put it all together. Embroidering a rose shape with leaves and flowers is a great way to utilize this stitch. Cast on stitches add a lot of texture to your embroidery and look like 3-dimensional flower petals.

Stitching The Large Rose

Start in the center of a circular shape and make 2 cast on stitches beside one another.
Begin making stitches around the center 2 stitches. It’s easiest to work your way around in a circle, making stitches until you have filled in the entire circle.

Bet sure to slightly overlap the start and end of the stitches so they lay more like petals.

Stitching a Smaller Rose

You can use less thread and smaller circles to make even smaller roses. I used 3 strands of embroidery floss for the small yellow rose pictured above.