Use the Tartan Stencil to achieve a plaid look on your fabric using the most basic stitch—the Straight (or Running) Stitch. Tartan embroidery is achieved by using strategically placed straight stitches on the square grid (as covered in The Geometry of Hand-Sewing) laid out by the Tartan Stencil. This design is made up of 1/4” squares that are evenly spaced with some larger spaces that you can leave empty for a more traditional Tartan plaid look—or fill them with appliqué and beading for more embellishment. Because of the straight, geometric nature of this stencil and technique, we recommend using it on garments that have more straight lines, such as the Cropped Car Jacket shown above.
On the original Tartan embroidery design, we used three different colors of Button Craft Thread with the colors passing over and under each other to further mimic a classic plaid pattern. We now use Embroidery Floss to achieve this look since there are more colors to choose from. The embroidery can be completed using a single color of Embroidery Floss or Button Craft Thread if you’re going for a more tonal look.
We’ve had a number of requests to share this technique, so we’ve provided instructions and illustrations below for the Tartan embroidery treatment using three different colors of Embroidery Floss (or Button Craft Thread, if you prefer).
You will work this stencil in blocks as shown above to cut down on the number of times you need to knot off and start a new stitch. Thread your needle, love your thread, and knot off. To begin one 16-square block, come up at A and sew a Straight Stitch as shown above until you go down at B. Turn and come up at C and sew a Straight Stitch as shown until you go down at D. Knot off on the backside of your fabric.
To complete the four columns of vertical stitches in this block, repeat this process in the center of the next two blocks as shown above. Come up at A and sew four Straight Stitches. Go down at B, turn, and come up at C. Sew four Straight Stitches and go down at D. Knot off.
Next, you will complete the horizontal stitches in your 16-square block with the same method used to complete the vertical stitches. Thread your needle, love your thread, and knot off. Come up at A and sew a Straight Stitch across to B. Go down, turn, and come up at C. Sew a Straight Stitch across and go down D. Knot off on the backside of your fabric.
To complete the four rows of horizontal stitches in this block, repeat this process in the center of the next two blocks as shown above. Come up at A and sew four Straight Stitches. Go down at B, turn, and come up at C. Sew four Straight Stitches and go down at D. Knot off. Complete all vertical and horizontal stitches before moving on to diagonal stitches.
Next, you will stitch the diagonal lines across your blocks in a second color. You may complete each 4-square block individually, but we recommend sewing two 4-square blocks at once to save time and cut down on the number of knots on the backside of your fabric.
To complete the diagonal lines in your second color, you’ll be working two 4-square blocks at a time in an alternating pattern as indicated above by the darker squares. If you wish to bring in a third color, this will be sewn as indicated by the lighter squares above.
Thread your needle, love your thread, and knot off. Come up at A and go down at B. Come up at C and go down at D making a slightly shorter stitch than the rest. Come up at E, go down at F, and come up at G. Repeat this pattern to complete the rest of your block. Sew all diagonal lines in the same direction for an entire row of blocks before going back across with the same color (much like sewing cross stitch).
Once you’ve completed a row of diagonal stitches in one direction, go back across the row crossing the stitches you’ve just sewn in the opposite direction. Come up at A, go down at B, and come up at C. Make a short stitch and go down at D. Come up at E, go down at F, and come up at G. Continue this pattern to complete the blocks. Sew all diagonal lines in your second color before moving onto the third.
Once the second color is complete, thread your needle with your third color of choice, love your thread, and knot off. You will be filling in the blocks that were skipped before. Using your third color, come up at A, go down at B, and come up at C. Make a small stitch and go down at D. Come up at E, go down at F, and come back up at G. Finish the block using by continuing the pattern. Complete the row of blocks working in the same direction in your third color.
To complete the Tartan embroidery, you’ll now go back across the same row working with your third color until you have crossed all of the stitches in your third color on the same row. Come up at A, go down at B, and come up at C. Make a small stitch and go down at D. Come up at E, go down at F, and come back up at G. Finish the block using by continuing the pattern. Complete the row of blocks working in the same direction in your third color.
Since this treatment focuses on embroidery rather than cutting away fabric (like Reverse Appliqué or Negative Reverse Appliqué), this technique is great for outerwear or a structured skirt as it adds a bit of weight to a garment. If you try it out, be sure to share your work with us on Instagram using #theschoolofmaking and #thegeometryofhandsewing.