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Video – How to Do Turkey Work Embroidery

How to Do Turkey Work Embroidery - a video tutorial from Shiny Happy World

Turkey work is an unusual embroidery stitch that gives you a special effect. If you make long loops you can get a hairy or fringy look. Shorter loops can be trimmed to look like the pile of a rug or shorter hair.

Neat!

Turkey work stitching isn’t difficult, but it does require a bit of focus so you don’t lose track of what you’re doing. I tend to mumble to myself while I do it. . . flat stitch, loopy stitch, flat stitch, loopy stitch. . .

Here’s what I’m talking about.

See what I mean?

You can work this stitch on flat embroidery – you’ll often see it as the center of flowers, for example.

But I use Turkey work most often on little felt softies. It opens up a whole range of possibilities for hair, manes, tails, bushy eyebrows and more. 🙂

I used it here for the mane on Zoey Zebra.

Zoey playing Pin the Tail on the Zebra

In the video you saw me working on Leon Lion’s mane. Here he is all finished.

Leon Lion - felt lion softie holding a birthday cake. I used Turkey work embroidery for his shaggy mane.

You can get the Leon Lion pattern here.

Want to see another way to add longer hair to a softie? This tutorial shows how to add yarn hair to a crocheted amigurumi, but you could use the same method with embroidery thread on a smaller felt softie.

Here are all my lessons for fill stitches (besides satin stitch).

Return to the Learn to Embroider main Table of Contents.

Move on to the lessons for all the other stitches.

Play with some felt! Try the Oddballs – a fun pattern for silly monsters.

5 COMMENTS

  1. Sharon Walker SAYS...

    Hi Wendi, I’ve just joined you and I’m having a fantastic time watching your tutorials. I have to reiterate what everyone else has been saying – that your videos are by far the best I’ve seen as they are clear to see, well explained and your hubby does a fabulous job on the recording a close up shots (can’t leave him out) lol. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your wealth of experience with us all, Love and Blessings, Sharon xx Ps: I can’t wait for my first newsletter 🙂 xx

  2. Pingback: How to Work with Eyelash Yarn - video tutorial | Shiny Happy World

  3. Linda Leary SAYS...

    OH My! This stitch is so fun! I just put a mustache on one of my wee warren bears with it. He looks quite dashing.