Berwick stitch
Berwick stitch is one of the many variations of the Blanket stitch. The difference from the Blanket stitch is that a tight knot is made at the stitch’s lower edge to fix the stitch in place firmly. The name “Berwick stitch” was first used in Anne Butler (Anne Morrell), The Batford Encyclopaedia of Embroidery Stitches (1983). The author named the stitch after the street in Manchester, where she lived at the time.
Other names of the stitch
This hand embroidery stitch is also known as the Tailored blanket stitch.
Applications of this embroidery stitch
Like other variations of the Blanket stitch, Berwick stitch secures the edges of garments and household textiles. Besides that, this hand embroidery stitch will look great as a decorative stitch for outlines or even lettering.
How to embroider Berwick stitch
- Mark two parallel lines. Embroider from left to right.
- Start as if making a Blanket stitch. Come up with a needle on the top mark and make a stitch down to the right.
- Take the needle up on the top marking above the first stitch in the loop of the working thread.
- Instead of looping the thread around like the Blanket stitch, wrap it around the needle from right to left once.
- Tighten the knot and make one more stitch to the right.
- Repeat the wrapping.
More variations of the Blanket stitch
Video tutorial
If you are a visual learner, watch a video tutorial below or on the Practical Embroidery YouTube channel.
What's next?
Looking for some other stitch? Head to this blog’s Stitches and Techniques page and choose the stitch you want to learn!
N.B. Some links may take you to the Easy To Make Designs blog. This is my older hand embroidery blog. While I’m dedicating all of my energy to the Practical Embroidery blog, the previous version still has a lot of great content!