How To Embroider A Star 3 Different Ways
When I first started embroidering, stars were one of those shapes that I felt rather intimidated by. They can be somewhat hard to draw evenly and I had no idea what sorts of stitches to use for them.
Stars may look and seem a bit complicated, but they don’t have to be!
This tutorial will show you how to embroider a star 3 different ways using a few basic stitches. Luckily, all three of these methods are relatively easy to learn.
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For this tutorial, I used DMC’s gold Diamant thread. This thread has a metallic shine to it, so it’s great for stars! It’s also way easier to work with than other metallic threads I have tried in the past, so I highly recommend it. If you don’t have this kind of thread or want to use regular 6 strand embroidery floss, that will work too!
You’ll also need some basic embroidery supplies including:
- An embroidery hoop
- Cotton or linen fabric
- Water soluble or heat erasable pen – I like Frixion or Leonis pens
- An embroidery needle
- A pair of embroidery scissors
For the first way to embroider stars you don’t really need to mark the fabric. However, for the last two methods, I find it helpful to mark the fabric. Stars can be hard to eyeball and stitch evenly, so you will set yourself up for better success if you have marks on the fabric.
30+ Embroidery Stitches
Learn over 30 hand embroidery stitches with step by step photos and instructions as well as some extra helpful tips sprinkled in so you can perfect them even more.
How To Embroider Small Stars
This first way is great for tiny stars and stars that look like they’re twinkling. I personally think they add a clean, delicate touch to any embroidery as background filler and they’re super simple to stitch.
Here’s is how to embroider small stars:
- Make one long vertical straight stitch
- Make shorter straight stitches crossing over one another to form an x.
- Add one last, short horizontal stitch across the middle
- Then add little French knots for tiny stars.
How To Embroider a 5 Point Star
To make a simple outline of a 5 point star:
- Mark 5 dots for the five points of the star on the fabric
- Make long straight stitches across each of the points noted in the diagram
How To Fill In a Star
Filling in a star is a bit more time consuming, but it’s not too hard to do and looks very interesting when embroidered this way.
The setup for this star is very important.
You’ll want to draw a 5 point star and place a dot in the very center.
Then, from the base of each point, draw diagonal lines that will all meet in the center. The star should look similar to a nautical star. (See photo below)
Star Stitch
This star stitch uses the fishbone stitch on each point of the star.
- Start by making a straight stitch from A to B.
- Then come up to the right of the straight stitch and make another straight stitch, this time diagonal/across the first stitch from C to D.
- Then do the same on the opposite side from E to F.
- Continue alternating down like this until you have filled in the entire point of the star and reached the center dot.
- Repeat for all 5 points of the star.
Take you time making these stitches, making sure they are even and there is not space between each stitch. This will help keep your star looking nice and neat.
Learn Even More Ways To Embroider Stars
Amanda is a hand embroidery teacher and artist. With over 15 years of experience in the craft industry and embroidery, she owns and runs Crewel Ghoul, sharing accessible tutorials and patterns to help inspire fellow crafters to get creative. In addition to running this website, she teaches on Skillshare and Youtube.
