|

Detached Buttonhole Stitch – No Buttons, Just Embroidery

ByAmanda

The detached buttonhole stitch is a fun filling stitch that is a variation of the buttonhole stitch. Usually, the buttonhole stitch is used for things like hemlines and borders, but the detached variation of this stitch creates a stitch that looks interlaced and almost like a net. It’s a really fun one to make, and once you get the hang of it, it’s really easy and relatively quick to fill in an area with.

P.S. I’ve heard others call this stitch by a different name, one that I have also personally referred to them as: the “detached blanket stitch” or “blanket stitch” . I’ve seen them used interchangeably over the years, so I looked it up to see what the difference was. You can read about the history behind the name of these stitches in this very informative and interesting article over at Needle and Thread.

How To Do the Detached Buttonhole Stitch

step by step photos of how to do the detached buttonhole stitch

For this demonstration, I used 6 strands of DMC cotton floss, but any kind of thread will work just fine.

First, make a row of blanket/buttonhole stitches.

  • Come up along the marked lined at A with needle and thread. Place your needle through the fabric at B and C.
  • Pull the needle and thread through. Skip a stitch length ahead and place your needle through the fabric at D and E. Work working these stitches along the line.
  • The next row will be the start of the detached stitches. Come up below the first row at F and bring your needle under the stitch at G and over the working thread. (You are doing exactly what you would do for a normal blanket stitch without going through the fabric.)
  • Continue to the next stitch and repeat.
  • Continue chaining together the stitches in rows until you’ve filled in the desired amount.

Tips

  • Be sure to not pull the stitches too tight once you started making the second row of stitches. You can easily disturb the pattern it makes if you pull them too tight.
  • If you are filling in a shape that is not rectangular or square, you’ll want to stagger the stitches and potentially skip some of the stitches on the sides in order to follow the outline of the shape.
  • Make the stitches closer together for a denser fill or farther apart for more of an open fill.

An Additional Way To Outline and Anchor The Stitches

While it’s totally fine to keep the stitches open along the sides, you may want to define the edge of the shape you are filling in. This technique is one I learned from the book A to Z of Stumpwork.

detached buttonhole fill with back stitch outline
  • First, back stitch evenly around the outline of the shape.
  • Start at the top left corner and begin making buttonhole stitches through each of the back stitches.
  • Work your way down the entire line of stitches.
  • When you reach the other edge of the shape, place your needle under the first stitch along the side of the shape at A
  • Then place your needle under the second stitch down at B.
  • Now that your thread is anchored to the row below, begin working from right to left, making detached buttonhole stitches.
  • When you reach the very bottom of the shape, work the last row by placing your needle through the back stitches along the bottom edge to anchor them in place.

Stitch Example – Embroider A Market Bag

The example below is a perfect example of how you can embroider a more irregular shape.

  • First, I marked out the rows on the fabric. Then I made back stitches along the outline of the shape, matching the height of each of the rows I marked out.
  • Begin at the top and make buttonhole stitches.
  • Work along each row, making sure to anchor the stitches along the edges similar to how the rectangle was stitched in the previous example.
  • The key to stitching a shape that gets wider at the base is to gradually add stitches to each row. To do this, make a stitch along the left “leg” of the stitch above when you start the next row. This will add an additional stitch to the row you are working which will fill in the area better. You don’t have to do this for every row, but you should be able to get a feel for how much space is between each stitch and adjust accordingly.

More Ideas For Using This Stitch

I love to think about how to creatively utilize a particular embroidery stitch, especially one as fun as the detached buttonhole stitch. The options are relatively endless if you get creative! Here are a few more ideas:

  • fill in the center of a flower
  • a fishnet
  • a purse
  • a basket
  • chain-link fence
  • add texture to an abstract shape

Embroidery Patterns That Use This Stitch

I hope you enjoyed this fun tutorial. I think you’d love this post with even more interesting fill stitches for large areas.

<< Back To All Embroidery Stitches

Similar Posts