Open Filling Stitches For Light and Airy Fills in Modern Hand Embroidery

Hand embroidery is an old and complex craft with hundreds, or even thousands, of embroidery stitches developed throughout the centuries. Some stitches are meant for outlines, others for borders, lettering, or decoration. One of the essential groups of stitches is filling stitches, which range from solid fills to textural ones and open filling stitches.

Open fillings are a great option for large areas you don’t want to fully cover with dense stitches. They save time, thread, and weight. They also add contrast against solid Satin or Long & Short Stitch sections.

In this article, I shortlisted open filling stitches that partially fill in parts of a design, leaving some of the ground fabric showing between the stitches. These stitches will work great for both small and relatively large areas.

Light and open filling stitches

Choose the open filling stitch that best suits your project or try them all!

Cloud Filling Stitch

Cloud Filling Stitch is a semi-covering open filling stitch from the couching stitch family.

This hand embroidery technique embellishes large areas with decorative motifs. The stitch works up fast and does not require a lot of practice or precision.

The technique of lacing the main thread under the small couching stitches permits vast options of color combinations. You can change up the colors of the anchoring stitches and of the lacing thread. The threads can vary across the design, creating colorful patterns or gradual color changes.

Seed Stitch

Seed Stitch, also known as Rice or Seeding stitch, is the basic open filler stitch.

Depending on how dense your stitches will be, you can achieve a very light filling or a very heavy, textural one. Also, you can play with colors – mix colors and make a confetti filling, or use the same color as a fabric and get a simple but textural look.

French Knots

The French Knot Stitch is a textural decorative hand embroidery technique. It has many uses – from filling areas and accent stitches to being a part of complex composite stitches as a lattice stitch.

Often, French knots are used for dense, textural filling. But you can also distance the stitches to make a light, open filling with texture and dimension.

Besides French Knots, you can use Colonial Knots and Bullion Knots to make similar textural filling.

Japanese Darning Stitch

Japanese Darning Stitch is a variation of the Running Stitch for filling.

Traditionally, it is used for darning in Sashiko and Boro embroidery styles. In modern hand embroidery, this stitch can fill extensive areas and create a beautiful geometrical pattern.

Turkish Triangular Stitch

Triangular Turkish Stitch creates the same triangular pattern on both sides of the fabric, making it particularly useful when the back side of the fabric is visible.

When the Triangular Turkish Stitch is worked as a filling stitch, rows of triangles, positioned one after another, create the textural geometric filling. For a precise and uniform look, you can make all the triangles the same size. On the other hand, you can vary the sizes of the triangles and make them slightly irregular to create a more playful pattern.

Chevron Stitch Filling

Chevron Stitch Filling is a versatile filling technique used in counted and non-counted thread embroidery. It works great as a geometrical background filling. You can use this filling technique to create abstract designs, depict landscapes, or portray household objects with a textural surface.

Chevron Stitch Filling looks great when stitched in a single color or in colorful designs, where each row of the filling is made with a different thread color.

Blanket Stitch Filling

Blanket Stitch is a universal embroidery technique you can use for edges, outlines, and filling.

Lines of Blanket Stitch positioned one after another can create a dense or light filling. Another way to use this technique is to make a Blanket Stitch filling in circles.

Use this decorative filling technique for mending and surface designs. You will fill extensive areas quickly.

Buttonhole Shading Stitch

Filling with Buttonhole Shading Stitch is similar to the Blanket Stitch filling, but this time, you add a color change to the design.

The rows of dense Blanket stitches are applied one above the other to create a smooth filling of rows of vertical stitches.

Honeycomb Filling Stitch

Honeycomb Filling Stitch is yet another way to use the Blanket stitch for filling.

You can fill various decorative shapes with it, from the background to the petals of the flowers. It is very functional and decorative. Besides that, it’s relatively fast to embroider.

Fan Stitch

Fan Stitch is a decorative surface stitch from the Straight Stitch family.

Traditionally, this embroidery stitch is a counted thread stitch. But you can adapt it to modern embroidery and embroider it on non-counted fabrics, such as linen, cotton, or silk.

Fan Stitch is a versatile surface embroidery technique that can be adapted to various styles. Originating from Canvas work, it was traditionally used for filling or shading.

Crossed Fly Stitch filling

Crossed Fly Stitch filling embroidery technique is one way to use Fly Stitches for filling. The rows of short-tailed Fly Stitches are positioned one above the other to form a net-like pattern that resembles Trellis Stitch in a single color.

This surface embroidery stitch is an excellent option for filling vast areas. It is simple and relatively fast to make. The decorative surface that resembles diamonds is a gorgeous option for background patterns.

You can also combine this filler stitch with other decorative stitches to form more elaborate patterns—place a French knot or a Lazy Daisy flower in the center of each diamond to create a rich decorative surface design.

Jacobean Couching

Jacobean Couching, also called Trellis, is a filling stitch from Jacobean crewelwork used to fill large areas of designs.

To make Jacobean Couching, you can use one, two, or even three colors to create a decorative Trellis. This hand embroidery technique is very ornamental, adding beauty to large areas of the embroidery work—backgrounds, shapes like floral petals, household objects, or abstract shapes.

Honeycomb Trellis Filling

Honeycomb Trellis Filling is another filling technique from the Couching Stitch family.

Three groups of parallel stitches are woven together to form a surface net with a honeycomb-like shape. All the weaving is done on the fabric’s surface without piercing it.

This decorative surface embroidery technique is used for the decorative filling of large areas. It is often combined with other laid threads and couching techniques, such as Jacobean Couching or Battlement Couching.

Plaid Filling

One more open filling stitch made with the couching technique is a Plaid Filling. Long laid threads are couched to the surface with crossed double stitches. This technique creates a geometrical layered surface that looks decorative and fills the surface quickly.

The Plaid Filling technique allows for experimentation with various colors and color combinations. You can make laid threads in one color and use a contrasting color for the couching. Besides that, you can use two colors for couching – one for vertical stitches and the second for horizontal couching stitches. Of course, single-color Plaid Filling is also an option if your design requires a calm, monochromatic background with textural filling.

Detached Chain Stitch

Detached Chain Stitch, also called Single Chain Stitch, is a decorative and versatile embroidery technique. To use this technique for filling, make Single Chain stitches, positioned at random angles, to create a lovely textural powdered filling.

Algerian Eyelet

Algerian Eyelet is a decorative yet straightforward hand embroidery technique from the Straight Stitch family. Eight straight stitches are positioned over the square shape with one central point to form a star.

To use this technique for filling, you will make multiple rows of eyelets to create textural filling.

Eyelet Star Stitch

Eyelet Star Stitch is a hand embroidery technique from the Straight Stitch family. To embroider this decorative stitch, position straight stitches around the central point to form a star shape.

This simple hand embroidery stitch can be used as a filling technique to create an irregular surface pattern that looks great as open filling stitches.

Bosnian Stitch

Bosnian Stitch is a simple hand embroidery technique for geometrical, airy filling. The repetitive motive of straight and slanted stitches creates a calm filling surface that can fill large shapes or add interest and texture to the surface.

Originating from counted thread embroidery, the Bosnian stitch is a fantastic filler stitch. It’s not only fast to make but also creates an interesting surface pattern.

Herringbone Square Stitch

The Herringbone Square Stitch is a detached variation of the Herringbone Stitch worked to form a square shape.

Single Herringbone Square Stitch works great as an isolated decorative stitch. Still, when arranged in rows, these decorative squares create patterns for original open filling.

Queen Stitch

Queen Stitch is a technique for light filling that comes from canvas work. Four straight stitches are couched in a particular manner to form a diamond-shaped figure.

Traditionally, in canvas work, Queen Stitch is a filling stitch. The surface filled with Rococo stitch will have a nice textural surface.

Sorbello Stitch

Sorbello Stitch is a counted thread hand embroidery technique from the Palestrina stitch family. This stitch combines a Straight stitch and two Blanket stitches knotted around the horizontal straight stitch. Due to this embroidery method, Sorbello Stitch resembles a Cross Stitch with a decorative knot in the middle, creating a repetitive open filling.

If you want to use Sorbello Stitch for filling, draw a grid and use it as guidelines for the stitches. You can create a semi-covering filling by positioning the stitches alternately. For a denser filling, embroider a stitch in each square.

Darning Stitch

The Darning stitch is one of the variations of the Running stitch used for filling. This stitch is created by alternating parallel rows of the running stitch to create a pattern with both negative and positive elements.

Use Darning Stitch for decorative, light, and airy fillings to add depth and texture to your embroidery project. You can also choose to use Kogin – a variation of the Darning stitch to create decorative pieces with traditional filling patterns.

How to choose the best open filling stitch for your project

There are numerous hand embroidery techniques for creating airy and open fills, but how do you choose the best one?

Choosing the best open filling stitch in embroidery depends on the effect you want, the type of fabric, and the overall style of your project. Here’s a list of considerations to make:

Consider the purpose

• Lightweight, airy look. Choose stitches that do not have a strict structure, like Eyelet Star Stitch, Honeycomb Filling Stitch, Blanket Stitch filling in circles, or Triangular Turkish Stitch. These techniques will give plenty of openness while covering space decoratively, but still look flexible and natural.
• Light shading or texture. Try filling with Seed Stitch, French Knots, or Detached Chain Stitch for a soft, textured fill.
• Formal, geometric look. Couching techniques and canvas work stitches are great for structured designs. Try using Sorbello Stitch, Queen Stitch, Algerian Eyelet from canvas work stitches, or opt for Plaid Filling, Honeycomb Trellis Filling, Jacobean Couching, or Cloud Filling Stitch from the couching stitch family.

Match the stitch to the fabric and thread

• Delicate fabrics like fine linen, voile, or organza go with delicate fills such as seed stitch or airy Bosnian Stitch, so the fabric isn’t weighed down.
• Medium to heavy fabrics like cotton, wool, or canvas have enough weight and structure to carry stronger open fills like Buttonhole shading or Plaid Filling without distorting the fabric.
• Thread thickness. Keep in mind that lighter threads will give a more airy effect, while heavier threads will make the fill look bolder.

Think about the design style

• Floral motifs. Go for Seed stitch, Detached Chain Stitch, Eyelet Star Stitch, or scattered French Knots. These techniques will give a natural, organic look.
• Geometric or modern motifs. Herringbone Square Stitch, Crossed Fly Stitch filling, Chevron Stitch Filling, or Cloud Filling Stitch will work best for crisp lines.
• Traditional / folk styles. Choose from Darning Stitch, Kogin Stitch, Japanese Darning Stitch, Turkish Triangular Stitch, or Bosnian Stitch for traditional looks.

Density and transparency

Ask yourself how much background fabric has to show through? According to the answer, choose the technique and how dense you want to make it. The same stitch can create a very airy and light filling as well as a thick and almost entirely covering one.

Over to you

Did you make a list of your favorite open filling stitches for the next project? If so, take one more step: create a stitch sampler on scrap fabric with different fillings inside the same shape. This way, you can compare how each stitch covers space, interacts with your chosen fabric and threads, and matches the overall style of your project and design.