How to
Barb stitch
The barb stitch is an easy stitch that has many decorative applications. It is great for adding texture or adding an organic feel to a design. It can be worked on a curve and even used as a filler.
It is made up by two lines of blanket stitches that are placed back to back. The middle ‘ridge’ is then whipped. It can be whipped with a different color thread or even with beads to add interest. The ‘legs’ of the blanket stitch can be made to have different lengths to give an impression of movement.
Have a look at my video demonstration below to learn how to make the barb stitch.
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Step by step
Follow along and you will very soon be able to do the barb stitch.
1. Start by creating a line of basic blanket stitches. If you feel unsure about it, quickly pop over to the blanket stitch page to refresh your memory or to learn to make it.
2. Make a second row of blanket stitches that are upside down (mirrored) so that the ‘ridges’ parts sits back to back to each other. You can either turn the fabric around to make it easier for you or be brave and make the stitch upside down.
The 3rd stage of the barb stitch is to whip the middle ‘ridge.’ Start by bringing the needle from the back at the beginning of the middle line.
Weave the thread by pushing the needle under the first stitches of the ‘ridge.’
Pull gently and push the needle under the next stitch of the ridge.
Continue weaving until the last stitches are reached. Do not pull too tightly as you weave.
To end the stitch, insert the needle into the fabric at the end of the ‘ridge’ and tie it off at the back.
To add interest you can make the ‘legs’ of the blanket stitches shorter or longer. You can also string beads onto your weaving thread.
Blanket stitch
Variations
There are more than 20 different variations of the basic blanket stitch. The picture links below lead to pages with demonstrations of some of them.
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