✂️ How To Stitch: French Knots 🧶
These tend to catch people out and can be a little intimidating but French Knots are actually super simple. Watch the step-by-step video and read along so you can learn my granny's fool-proof tips for how to do perfect French Knots.
To begin: You will need both hands so set your hoop down on a table/your lap.
One. 🌈 Wrap the thread around the needle and keep hold of the thread. Begin with one wrap around the needle then as you gain confidence, try wrapping more times! I'd recommend three max. The more wraps the bigger the knot. (For these knots I wanted them extra chubby so I did two wraps and left them a little loose)
Two. 🌈 Poke the needle back through the fabric (near where you came up) BUT don’t pull it through the fabric just yet!
Three. 🌈 At this point you want to make sure the thread is neat around the bottom of the needle. Top tip: this is actually a little preview of exactly how your French Knot will look once completed
Four. 🌈 With your thread-holding hand (in my video, this is my left hand), keep hold of the tail of thread as you pull the needle through
Five. 🌈 KEEP HOLD OF THE THREAD until the last second and let it follow through your fabric to form the perfect French Knot
The last step is really my granny's top tip, as long as you don’t let go of the thread you’re golden. French Knots can be a little tricky to grasp at first but once you’ve got it, you’ve got it!
Common mistakes:
❌ You guessed it.. letting go of the thread too early! This means you end up with a big loop rather than a French Knot
❌ Pulling the needle through the fabric too soon before you've done Step Three
❌ Your French Knot pulls through the fabric. Your needle may be too big compared to your thread and is creating a hole in your fabric that the knot pops through. This happens if you are going back down through the fabric through the exact same hole that you came up. Go back down very nearby to avoid this, or use more strands of embroidery thread or a smaller needle.
Let me know if this tutorial was helpful, if you have any questions or what other How To Stitch videos you'd like to see next!👇