How to Tie a French Knot

A French knot is an embroidery stitch that sticks up on top of the fabric and can be as fat or skinny as you need depending on the thickness of your thread. Usually French knots are used to create the centers of flowers in both embroidered work and crewell work (which is embroidery done with wool instead of floss.) French knots are also occasionally used to fill large areas in a piece of needlework that is like a stitched painting. Some antique Chinese silk needlework scenes were entirely worked in this stitch.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Embroidery needle
• Embroidery floss
• Embroidery hoop
• Background fabric

1. Tighten the embroidery hoop to give a tense fabric surface on which to work in the French knots. Usually you can do this by turning a wing nut that encloses the top hoop over the bottom hoop holding the fabric between them. If, when you tap the fabric, it bounces back then you know that it is tight enough.

2. Thread a length of embroidery floss through the eye of the needle. Most embroidery floss skeins are twisted lots of either cotton or silk thread made up of six strands that you have to pull apart for the thickness you need. Cut the floss to the length you want first. Then pull the strands apart. Save the unused strands for when you run out of thread on the needle. How many strands should you use to make a French knot? If you are following a pattern use as many strands as the directions indicate. Otherwise, use either two or three strands unless you want a very delicate French knot in which case you will only need one strand.

3. Push the threaded needle straight up and pull the thread all the way through the fabric from the bottom of the hoop at the wrong side of your needlework to the top side. Wind the thread two or three times around the shaft of the needle near the point to create two or three loops of thread with the needle in the middle. Gently hold the wound thread onto the needle between your thumb and finger while you push the needle straight back down through the fabric just one needle's width away from where you started. Push the needle straight in. Grab it on the bottom of the hoop with your other hand and pull the thread tight. The needle will leave the loops of thread you wound sticking up on the top of the fabric. They will be in a neat little pile. This is how to tie a French knot.

4. Tie another French knot as close to the first as you want. The space between your French knots will be determined by where you bring the needle up next.

Tips & Warnings

• Often prepared embroidery projects indicate where to tie French knots by printing dots or circles on the fabric or pattern.