I’m in love with fly stitch. I know. An embroidery stitch. And yet, I’m in love with it. I’ve previously been in love with other stitches (hello, stem stitch, don’t be jealous). My current obsession, however, is fly stitch.

And you may be asking yourself, what is so special about fly stitch that it merits such an obsession? Oh, I’m so glad you asked!

Fly stitch is one of those stitches that takes little effort to make and its results are wow. I feel that crafts in general, and embroidery is a good example, there are two vectors: on one side, you have the effort put into making a specific thing, say, a stitch; on the other side, you have its result. Sometimes the effort into achieving something is much larger and weighs much heavier than its final result; sometimes, both are equivalent and balanced. And then there are some stitches that are very simple to make and yet create a stunning and surprising result. I think fly stitch falls into the latter category.

But that’s not all. Fly stitch is a very versatile stitch: by varying one or more of its elements, or by changing alignment between stitches, the results are completely different. See what I mean in the examples shown here:

Done! Ready to be washed and photographed, this is February’s project for the #airembroideryclub Http://www.airdesignstudio.com/embroidery-club/ #embroidery #embroideredillustration #embroideryisforeveryone #embroideryart #dmcthreads #bordado #brodat #broderie #broderi #aphotoaday2018

A post shared by Ana Isabel Ramos (@air_billy) on Jan 22, 2018 at 8:16am PST

Above you can see February 2018’s project for the air Embroidery Club. Made exclusively with fly stitches, I carefully align stitches but use different stitch lengths. The result is completely different from the one below:

This month’s #airembroideryclub project was designed and embroidered in those little slices of time between the big slices of doing almost nothing and yet being fully occupied, i.e., nursing. Road trips, when both kids are strapped into their seats and completely safe (as in they can’t move from where they are), turned out to be perfect, almost uninterrupted craft time. Sure, there’s cookies to give away and songs to sing along to, but it’s more than the otherwise five minutes before someone needs me. This project landed in members’ inboxes yesterday but you’re not late if you want to join: http://www.airdesignstudio.com/embroidery-club/ #embroidery #aphotoaday2018 #broderie #broderi #brodat #bordado

A post shared by Ana Isabel Ramos (@air_billy) on Jan 2, 2018 at 3:12pm PST

And a close up:

Fly stitch (ponto mosca) is “the bomb”! What’s not to love about a stitch that is simple, has few steps, and yet produces spectacular results? Happy holidays to each and everyone of you. My posts may get even more erratic because Christmas is all for being with family, friends and baking. #aphotoaday2017 #airembroideryclub #embroidery #embroideryart #embroideredillustration #embroideryisforeveryone #brodat #broderi #broderie #bordado

A post shared by Ana Isabel Ramos (@air_billy) on Dec 22, 2017 at 1:21pm PST

In the snowflakes example above (January 2018’s air Embroidery Club project), I use a curve as a guide for my stitches, and the result is completely different from before, much more organic in its character. It’s no coincidence then that this stitch should be used to embroider plants:

After my friend @patbrissos told me about a beautiful #linen fabric from #ikea, I wasted no time. I’m loving every stitch! This will be next month’s #airembroideryclub project, coming to members’ inboxes on December 1st. Join today if you want to stitch with us, too. Http://www.airdesignstudio.com/embroidery-club/ #embroidery #aphotoaday2017

A post shared by Ana Isabel Ramos (@air_billy) on Nov 21, 2017 at 1:14am PST

But fly stitch’s versatility does not end here. Just take a look at the example below. Can you spot it there?

I’m writing a post on #flystitch (my current stitch obsession) and am selecting several examples from my past #embroidery projects. This was the August 2015 project for the #airembroideryclub. Can you spot fly stitch here? [I have step-by-step tutorials for several embroidery stitches, plus videos on my free #airembroideryecourse, over on my website: http://www.airdesignstudio.com/ ] #aphotoaday2018

A post shared by Ana Isabel Ramos (@air_billy) on Feb 1, 2018 at 1:50am PST

This is August 2015’s project for the air Embroidery Club. The yellow weeds on the lower part of the embroidery are made with fly stitch. I crammed several “vvv” together, varied the arms’ angle and, voilà, a completely different looking stitch.

Now you know why I love fly stitch. How about you? Any favorite stitches?

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Resources:

I have several step-by-step tutorials in the Vault, fly stitch included. Subscribe to my newsletter to gain access.

If you’re interested in dipping your toes in embroidery and learn five basic stitches, you can do so in my free embroidery e-course. (If you’re a more seasoned embroiderer, you may find value in several tips and tricks I share in the lessons.) Sign up today for the free embroidery e-course and start your lessons next Monday.

The air Embroidery Club is my paid online community. Members of the Club receive a fresh embroidery pattern every 1st of the month. We then gather over on our facebook group to exchange ideas and experiences. Members gain lifetime access to all the resources. You can read more here and sign up for six months or twelve months.

Happy stitching!