BULLION STITCH
The Bullion Stitch is a difficult stitch to master, but it is extremely versatile, so it is worth your while to practice it.

Start as if you were stitch a Straight Stitch, emerging from the same place that you started (Step 1). Before pulling the needle through, wrap the thread around the needle (Step 2). The number of wraps dependes on the length of the stitch in Step 1. Gently pull the wraps so that they lay snug against each other and snug around the needle (Step 3). At this point, you can tell if you need more or fewer wraps. There should be enough wraps so that the length of the wrapped bundle is the same as the length of the stitch. Holding the warps down with your thumb (the thumb is not shown in the diagram), gently pull the needle through the fabric and through the wraps (Step 4). Still holding the wraps against the fabric with your thumb, gently tug on the thread and rotate the wraps around to the other end of the stitch (Step 5). Insert the needle at the end of the stitch and pull through to the back of the fabric (Step 5).
 
Step 1:


Step 2:


Step 3:


Step 4:


Step 5:


Step 6:


Finished Stitch:
Although the Bullion Stitch is most often used for Roses and Rosebuds, it can also be used to stitch small figures, especially good for baby boys' garments.
 
Hints:
  • Use a straw or milliner's needle. The needle's shaft doesn't taper, and the eye of the needle has the same diameter. This allows the needle to slide smoothly through the wraps in Step 4.
  • If you wrap too few times for the stitch length, then the stitch won't look pretty. The purpose of the wraps is to give the stitch a solid, satiny look, like the Satin Stitch.
  • If you use too many wraps for the stitch length, the stitch will curve a little. This may be what you want - for example, to round out the teddy bear's body, have the outside Bullion Stitches curve a little to the outside. A large curve (made by wrapping many more wraps than the stitch length needs) makes a Bullion Loop.

 
Uses:
  • Brazilian embroidery
  • Roses and Rosebuds
  • Small figures
 
See also: