Coral Stitch

Coral Stitch is a hand embroidery technique from the Knot Stitch family. Visually, It is a line with evenly spaced knots. The size of the knots will depend on the thread used for embroidery. In my sample, the darker line is made with a single thread of pearl cotton, the middle one with two strands of embroidery floss, and the last row of the stitches with six strands of embroidery floss.

This embroidery stitch forms small, evenly spaced straight stitches on the back of the fabric.

Other names of the stitch

Coral Knot, Knotted Stitch, Snail Trail, Running Knot, Beaded Stitch, German Knot Stitch, and Short Knot Stitch are all alternative names for the Coral Stitch.

Coral Stitch embroidery. Brown pearl cotton and orange embroidery floss

Coral Stitch rear side — Rear side of Coral Stitch embroidery

Applications of the Coral Knot

This antique knotted stitch is a decorative option for outlines, borders, and filling. This hand embroidery stitch takes curves and angles very well, so you can use it to embroider letters or to outline complex shapes. Coral Stitch is also often used in botanical embroidery to depict stems and branches.

More stitches from Stitch family

Learn how to embroider Coral Stitch

Follow the step-by-step tutorial with detailed photos below, and you will learn the Coral Stitch in no time. If you are a visual learner, watch a video lesson in the tutorial or on the Practical Embroidery YouTube channel to learn this hand embroidery stitch faster.

Coral Stitch embroidery

Step-by-step hand embroidery tutorial

Instructions

1. Mark the line for your stitch. Take the needle up to the surface at the beginning of the line.

2. Hold the working thread in tension and make a stitch down to the fabric on one side of the laid working thread.

3. Take the needle up at the other side of the thread. Do not release the working thread.

4. Draw the loose part of the working thread to create a loop and put the loop over the needle.

5. Pull the thread from the back side of the fabric. At the same time, hold the needle steady with another hand.

6. When all the thread is on the back side, pull the needle through the formed knot. Pull all the thread and repeat the steps to make the next stitch.

Video tutorial

Tools and materials I used for this sampler

Disclaimer. To cover the cost of creating free embroidery patterns and video tutorials for this blog, I do sometimes link to products. Please assume these links are affiliate links. If you choose to buy through my links then THANK YOU – it will make it possible for me to keep doing this.

Embroidery fabric cotton linen neutral colors Etsy — Embroidery fabric

What’s next?

If you’re in the mood to explore more hand embroidery stitches, check out the Stitches and Techniques page for the list of other fantastic stitches available on my blog. From timeless classics to modern twists, a whole world of stitches is waiting for you to explore and master. So, grab your hoop and needle, and let’s stitch our way to creative bliss!