Step-by-Step Tutorial: Creating 3D Embroidery flowers with the Free-Standing Woven Picot Stitch Technique

 Today, I'd like to introduce you to an alternative Picot Stitch technique that I've named the "Standalone Picot Stitch Method." 

 
This standalone picot stitch method is a technique I've personally devised to simplify my embroidery process.

Unlike traditional methods where the picot stitches are integrated into the fabric, in this approach, I create these components separately. 

This results in the formation of individual, free-standing pieces that can be creatively arranged and incorporated into various embroidery projects.

I have shared a series of informative videos on my YouTube channel, showcasing the step-by-step execution of this technique. But I know not everyone's seen them, so I've put together a detailed tutorial on my blog too

In this tutorial, I'll start by demonstrating how to create the leaves. For this, I'll be using a woven picot stitch technique with 5 warp threads. However, instead of attaching these 5 warp threads to the fabric, I'll secure them to small safety pins.

Let's jump right in! The images below will guide you through the process:

To begin, I attach the safety pins to the fabric. To do this, I secure the safety pins to the backside of the fabric. On the front side, only about half a centimeter of the pin's wire portion will be visible.

As you can see in the images, I place four safety pins vertically side by side on the fabric, leaving approximately 3mm gaps between them. 

I thread my needle with green-colored thread. At the end of the thread, I tie a secure knot. I position the knot on the fabric away from my working area and then lower the needle and thread to the backside of the fabric.

Next, I bring the needle up from the backside to the front side of the fabric at a point just 3mm away from the first safety pin.

 

I pull the thread all the way up. Then, I pass the needle under the wires of the 4th and 3rd safety pins without entering the fabric.

I pull the thread to create a larger loop in the middle. Just like in the classic picot stitch, I attach a  pin to the spot where the tip of the leaf will be. I secure the top end of the loop onto the head of the pin.

 Extending my working thread upwards, I loop it around the back of the pin's head and guide it downward. I then pass the thread under the wires of the 1st and 2nd safety pins, and I pull the thread tight.

One final time, I wrap my thread around the back of the pin's head. There you have it – my warp threads are ready. Now, I transition to the back-and-forth weaving motion. I continue weaving until I reach the base of the picot.

 In the first row, I pass my needle over the middle warp thread and under the other 4 threads.

Starting in the opposite direction for the second row, I pass my needle over the first two threads and under the middle and last threads.

In the following rows, I revert to regular weaving. This means that in each row, I continue weaving by passing the needle under the warp thread that I went over in the previous row.

When I reach the base of the picot, I create a loop around the bottom of the 5th warp thread using my working thread. I pass the needle through the loop and tighten it, securing the thread firmly in place.

I'm ready to detach the picot from the background fabric. To begin, I trim the knot at the end of my working thread that I initially left on the fabric when I started.

I remove the pin that was holding the top end of the picot in place on the fabric.

Next, I carefully remove the 4 small safety pins that were holding the base of the picot in place from the back of the fabric.

With nothing else securing the picot to the fabric, I now grasp its end and gently pull it upward, separating it from the fabric.

And there you have it, my standalone woven leaves are ready! Trust me, they can be crafted much faster than it might seem from my explanation.

Imagine this: you can craft a bunch of charming woven petals and leaves on a separate fabric canvas, all without leaving a trace on your main embroidery design. 

No pins, no worries about ruining your fabric – just pure creativity!

Now that you've got the hang of weaving a single picot without it being confined to the background fabric, let's dive into the exciting world of the chain picot technique! 

In this technique, we'll be crafting a chain of five picots, each linked by their base ends, creating a beautiful chain-like effect. Let's now delve into the intricacies of this method together!

Of course, this is a creative needle weaving technique I've come up with.

This is a method I've employed for quite some time – a clever hack that has significantly streamlined my work, especially when tackling designs that demand a profusion of flowers. In the initial stages, I used a small handheld weaving frame crafted from a piece of EVA foam paper. You might recall encountering a similar approach in my earlier tutorials.

I had previously created a single picot using 5 warp threads. Now, to craft the chain picot, I will create five picots, each woven around 3 warp threads.

As shown in the images, I position 10 safety pins vertically in close proximity on the backside of the fabric, securing them to the fabric. I make sure there's a gap of approximately 2-3mm between each one.

I thread my needle with blue-colored thread and tie a secure knot at the end. After placing the knot away from my working area on the fabric, I then guide the needle and thread to the backside of the fabric.

Afterward, I guide the needle from the backside to the front side of the fabric, positioning it about 3mm away from the left side of the first safety pin.

I pull the thread all the way up. Then, I pass the needle under the wires of the 3rd and 2nd safety pins without penetrating the fabric.

Next, I create a larger loop in the middle by pulling the thread. Similar to the classic picot stitch, I attach a pin where the leaf's tip will be. Then, I secure the top end of the loop to the pin's head.

Having set up the warp threads, I begin weaving around the three threads of the picot, moving forward and backward in a steady manner until I reach the picot's base.

Once I finish weaving all the way to the base of the picot, I wrap my working thread around the lower portion of the 3rd warp thread. Passing the needle through the loop and pulling tightly, I secure the thread firmly in place.

With the completion of the first picot in the chain of five, I move on to the second one. Now, I pass my needle under the wires of the 4th and 3rd safety pins.

Similar to the initial picot, I create a broad loop and attach its upper end to the back of a pin's head on the fabric.

I anchor my working thread once more by encircling it around the pin's head. With this simple step, the warp threads for my second picot become visible.

I proceed to weave the second picot as well.

I continue weaving the picots in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th positions by repeating the same steps. The images illustrate how the process unfolds.

I proceed with weaving until I reach the base of the last picot. Finally, I wrap my working thread around the lower portion of the final warp thread. Passing the needle through the loop and pulling it snugly, I securely fasten the thread in place.

I've finished my chain of picots, and now it's time to detach it from the fabric. First, I remove the pin holding the last picot in place.

I cut the knot that I left on the fabric when starting the picot, and then I remove the small safety pins that were holding the bases of the picots in place on the fabric.

Now, there's nothing left attached to the fabric from the chain of picots. I gently pull the end of the picot upward, separating it from the fabric.

 And there you have it – in my hand – a free-standing woven chain picot stitch piece.

If you've observed the image above closely, you'll notice that a loop forms at the base of each picot. These loops are where the warp threads were secured to the safety pins. When the safety pins are removed, these loops remain behind.

As you can see in the images, there are leftover thread tails at both ends of my chain of picots. Now, I take one of these tails and thread the end of the thread onto an embroidery needle.

Starting from the opposite end of the picot chain, I guide the needle through the loops at the bases of the picots, one by one.

Finally, I carefully pull the thread to gather all five loops together.

And there you have it, my free-standing picot stitch flower! 

Up until this point, I've been trying to demonstrate how you can create leaves and flowers using the free-standing picot stitch technique. Even if my explanations were incomplete or unclear, I hope that the images I've provided have made it easier for you to grasp the technique.

*Before you begin weaving, I recommend placing an old fabric that you don't mind wearing out onto your embroidery hoop. This fabric can serve as your practice area for needle weaving. With this approach, you can comfortably work by attaching and removing pins and safety pins repeatedly without worrying about damaging your fabric.

I will proceed by crafting an embroidery composition using these needle-woven leaves and flowers. In the process, you will also observe how I seamlessly integrate these woven elements into my embroidery project.

The leftover threads from weaving still hang at the center of my flowers. I haven't trimmed them off because they will come in handy when I sew the flowers onto the fabric.

I take one of these threads and thread it onto a sewing needle. 

 As I reach the spot where the flower needs to be placed on the fabric, I insert the needle into the center of that specific area and guide it downward beneath the fabric. By gently pulling the thread, I make sure the flower sits neatly on the fabric's surface.

I attach the woven flower to the fabric, stitching within the thread's limits.

 After bringing the needle up from below, I make a small front stitch and guide the needle back down beneath the fabric.

I use the second thread tail that hangs from the center of the flower in the same manner.

I continue attaching the remaining woven flowers to my design using the same stitching method.

Next, I take a yellow thread and create three French knot stitches at the center of each flower to represent seeds.

The woven leaves still have thread tails hanging at both ends, and I haven't cut them off. Just like I did with the flowers, I'm using these thread tails to attach the leaves to the fabric as well.I stitch along the lower edges of the leaves, maintaining the three-dimensional appearance.

My design is complete...

 If I can inspire you for your 3D embroidery projects, I would be delighted.

 I hope you found the tutorial helpful and that the method I came up with proves to be useful for you.

You can find a video tutorial on this technique on YouTube. 

My channel has many more tutorial videos covering this technique as well. I hope you visit my channel, watch my videos, and consider subscribing.

 Until we meet again with another tutorial, take care.