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Pulled Thread

Also known as Fil Tiré, Punch work

Pulled thread embroidery is a form of whitework, where threads are pulled tightly together to form designs.

The stitches are normally worked on a relatively open evenweave fabric so that the stitches can pull the fabric apart to create a pattern of holes.

Pulled thread work is also known as fil tiré (a literal translation from the French) and punch work, presumably because the overall effect is of holes punched into the fabric.

N.B. Some authors use the term ‘drawn thread’ for what we call pulled thread stitches - see the entry for drawn thread stitches.

 

Pulled Thread Stitches