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Double feather stitch icon
Double feather stitch

  • Double coral stitch
  • Point d'Epine
  • Point Anglaise
  • Briar stitch
Double feather stitch main image

Double feather stitch is a wider, slightly more elaborate stitch than feather stitch: it has three fly stitches in a row before it changes direction, rather than two.

If four fly stitches are stitched before the change of direction, the stitch is sometimes known as triple feather stitch.

The descriptive alternative name of briar stitch (a thorny plant) is also used to refer to feather stitch although it seems more apt for the more numerous thorns in his version.

Examples of the use of double feather stitch, exist from the 19th century: the Victoria and Albert Museum, London has a sampler from 1887 which clearly shows a line of double feather stitch.  It also features on a crazy quilt from the previous year held by the Art Institute of Chicago where is it used to join quilting blocks.

For more information see the entry for feather stitch.

Double feather stitch is generously sponsored by Rene Brooks and Debra Jackson

Method

Double feather stitch can be worked irregularly, but in the example below the stitch is worked regularly using five evenly-spaced parallel lines.

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1

Work from top to bottom. Bring the needle up on the middle line, and take the needle down on the far right line.

2

Bring the needle up again on the second line from the left, inside the loop.

3

Pull the thread gently to make a feather stitch, and then take the needle down on the second line from the left.

4

Come up on the middle line to make the second stitch, and then take the needle down on the far left line.

5

After making the third stitch to the left side, continue making two more feather stitches to the right.

6

Work downwards, making two stitches to the left and two stitches to the right. Make a small straight stitch to secure the last stitch.

Double feather stitch

Structure of stitch

References