Lesson: How to Embroider French Knots

Add dots and spots to your stitches with French knots!

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Omegacryl yarn or embroidery floss
Fabric
Pencil or pen

step one

Thread your needle and knot it at the end. Start your French knot by entering the fabric from the underside. Pull thread all the way until the knot touches your fabric.

step two

Create a circular shape with your thread, positioning the needle parallel to the thread where the thread exits the fabric.

step three

Hold your needle in that position (parallel to the thread where it exits the fabric), then wrap the thread around the needle twice, wrapping towards the point of the needle. If you want a plump knot, be sure to keep your wrap tension a bit loose.

step four

Enter your needle back into the fabric on the front side, next to where the thread originally exited. Be sure to enter the fabric through a new hole! (If you enter the fabric through the same hole as where your thread initially exited, your French knot will come undone.)

step five

Gently pull the thread until you see a little knot begin to form. To better anchor the stitch, you can hold the other side of the loop that's staying stationary until the entire thread is pulled and your knot secures.

step six

Once you pull the thread all the way, you have completed a French knot!

step seven

Secure your knot on the backside however you normally do when stitching. When stitching a single French knot, you can tie together the two tails on the back in a double knot, then trim the excess thread.

step eight

Use your French knots as decorative accents in countless ways! Use them to dot your embroidered i's and j's, cluster them to make a sweet design, and so much more!