When I was first learning how to stitch Turkey rug stitch, I struggled to find a tutorial that I clicked with. So I’m hoping that if you’re in a similar boat, that this tutorial will help you!
Once you’ve got the steps figured out, I don’t think this is a difficult stitch. However I did find I needed quite a few photos to feel truly confident. So this is probably going to be my most photo heavy tutorial to date!
As usual, I’ll also give you some tips and inspiration for how to use Turkey rug stitch.
But first, let’s get the basics covered…
How to stitch
To start this stitch, you don’t secure the end of your thread in the usual way. So if you use the waste knot method for starting stitching, don’t for this one and don’t tie a knot in the end of your thread.
I tend to work Turkey rug stitch from the lowest part of my shape and work up. To do this, bring your thread down just inside the bottom left part of your shape. Your thread end should be on the top of your fabric, with an inch or so of thread loose.
Bring your thread back up on the left edge of your shape. Hold the starting end of your thread down while you take your needle down to the right to create a horizontal stitch, although don’t pull your thread all the way through yet.
Keeping the loop of your horizontal thread up and out of the way, bring your thread back up next to where you started the stitch. Now pull all the thread of your horizontal stitch through to the back and then pull it all to the front.
You’ve completed your first Turkey rug stitch!
To work your second stitch, take your needle down just to the right of where your first stitch finished. Leave a loop of thread on the front of your work. This loop won’t get pulled through to the back.
Bring your thread back up at the end of your first stitch. Holding your thread loop down and out of the way, take your needle down to the right to create another horizontal stitch that’s the same length as your first. As before, don’t pull this loop all the way through yet.
Holding this temporary loop up and out of the way, bring your needle back up next to the end of your stitch loop and pull the thread of the horizontal stitch all the way through.
You’ve now completed your second Turkey rug stitch.
Keep stitching in this way to the right hand side of your shape. To finish this row, simply cut the end of your thread, leaving about an inch on top of your work.
Work your next row of Turkey rug stitch in the same way just above the previous row. Continue until you’ve filled your shape.
Now it’s time to trim your Turkey rug stitch into your desired shape.
To start, cut through all of the thread loops.
Then trim the threads down to the desired height. Depending on the effect you want to create, you might trim them all to the same length. Or you might trim the outer threads shorter to create more of a ball effect.
Turkey rug stitch tips
Unless you plan to leave long, shaggy threads for your Turkey rug stitch, the loops you create don’t need to be very long. I generally make them just long enough to fit my finger tip inside. I also find keeping them the same length helps me to make sure I’ve cut all the loops.
In order to create a good structure to your Turkey rug stitch, work your rows of stitches pretty close to each other. This denser stitching will create a firmer finish.
When working Turkey rug stitch with crewel wool, I usually use 3 threads at once in my needle. You could use less, but since I think this stitch looks best with densely packed thread, I figure you might as well make things quicker and easier with more threads in your needle!
Trimming your Turkey rug stitch can create a lot of fluff, so I like to protect my fabric and previous stitching by laying a few scraps of paper around my shape. Once I’ve finished trimming, I then be carefully remove the scraps of paper, taking the fluff with them.
Variations
You can create a different effect by leaving all of your loops intact. In this case, you probably want to take extra care to make sure all your loops are the same size. You could wrap your loops around a strip of card or strong paper to help with this.
Using Turkey rug stitch
Turkey rug stitch is a great way to add texture and depth to your embroidery. I’ve seen it used to great effect in both crewel embroidery and canvaswork.
I love these examples of Turkey rug stitch from fellow embroiderers. Both used it in their Royal School of Needlework Certificate Crewelwork pieces:
Gemma McCarthy used the stitch to great effect to create the fluffy tail of her dog Kukla. So adorable!
For more of Gemma’s embroidery, check out her Instagram.
Gail Holland included a mythical alpaca in her crewelwork piece and added a fun bit of texture with Turkey rug stitch on the edging of its back covering.
For more of Gail’s embroidery, check out her Instagram.
I hope this tutorial has demystified Turkey rug stitch for you. I’d love to know if you give it a go or what you’d use it for!