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Watch the video: “How to Make Fringe Stitch Embroidery Tutorial” by Bucilla Kits | Embroidery | Tips & Tricks
A tidy fringe can transform a simple felt edge into something with movement and personality. In this tutorial, Jennifer walks through a beginner-friendly fringe stitch—forming loops, securing them with a knot, and trimming to finish—so you can add texture to scarves and even simulate animal fur.
What you’ll learn:
- How to form an even loop on a felt edge and lock it in place with a simple knot
- How to repeat the stitch for consistent spacing and length
- How to trim the loops to a neat, uniform fringe line
- Practical checks, pitfalls, and easy fixes taken directly from the demo
Introduction to Fringe Stitch Fringe stitch is a small technique with big impact. Jennifer demonstrates it on black felt with a highly visible light blue floss so you can clearly see each move. The approach is deliberately simple: make a loop on the fabric’s edge, pass the needle behind both strands, cinch a knot, and repeat.
What is Fringe Stitch? In this context, fringe stitch builds a fringe along the edge of a piece of felt. Jennifer shows one clean approach that starts at the edge, forms a loop, and secures it. The result is a decorative, tasselled finish.
Why Use Fringe? Two places shine for this stitch: adding a playful edge to tiny scarf elements in craft kits and creating texture—like fur—on felt animals. Jennifer calls out both use cases in the demo.
Materials You'll Need You only need the basics to begin: a scrap of felt, embroidery floss, and a needle. In this tutorial, Jennifer uses a black felt scrap and a light blue floss so the stitch is easy to follow.
Preparing Your Workspace A flat surface helps. Jennifer works over a wooden background, which keeps the felt steady and the thread visible against the dark material. Keep your scissors nearby for the final trimming step.
Threading Your Needle For clarity in the video, Jennifer threads six strands of light blue embroidery floss. She notes that kits often recommend three strands for fringe, but doubling the thickness here makes each move easier to see. If you’re practicing, using more strands can help you learn the motion before you switch to a finer look.
Pro tip If you’re unsure how thick you want your fringe, test on a small scrap first. Start long—you’ll trim later.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Fringe Forming the Initial Loop Jennifer starts at the felt edge and brings the needle up from the back. She pulls the thread to the front, leaving the loop a little longer than usual—this makes it easier to handle before trimming.
The key here is intentional slack. The loop dictates your final fringe length. If you leave it too short, you’ll have little to trim; too long, and it might be harder to manage—but you can always shorten it later.
Securing the Knot Hold both the long working end and the loop end together between your fingers. Then point the needle downward and pass it behind both strands. This motion creates the path for a knot to lock the loop in place.
Now, gently pull to tighten. You’ll see the knot cinch up against the felt edge. This is the moment where the fringe becomes secure. Adjust tension as needed so it sits snugly without puckering the felt.
Quick check
- Is the loop length about where you want it to finish after trimming?
- Did the knot tighten against the felt edge, not float away from it?
When the knot is set, you’ll have your first complete fringe loop. It may look a bit wild before trimming, but that’s expected at this stage.
Adding More Fringe The process repeats. Bring the needle up from the back a small distance from the previous stitch, pull the thread through to form your next loop, then hold both strands and pass the needle behind to create the knot. Keep your tension consistent.
Watch out If the loop tangles or you pull the thread all the way through by accident, don’t worry. Jennifer does this once in the demo and simply resets the loop and tries again—no unpicking required.
If the knot path feels awkward, reposition your hands and aim the needle behind both strands at a slight angle. When the path is clean, the knot forms smoothly and lands consistently on the edge.
As the fringe builds, keep an eye on spacing and loop length. Small adjustments now will save trimming time later and help the final edge look intentional rather than choppy.
From the comments Viewers noted that pictures in printed instructions can be confusing. Seeing the knot form behind both strands in motion helped many understand the mechanics. One viewer working late at night on a raffia fringe said this clip solved their problem. Another, left-handed, appreciated that the clear demonstration made the movement finally click.
- For the question “Can you pre-cut the string and stitch?” the creator replied that you can, but it’s often easier to stitch first and then cut all at once for a straighter line.
- On needle size, the creator said she uses the needle included in kits and mentioned those include a size 10; if the eye is too small for your strands, use a larger needle.
- To a question about fluffing the fringe, the creator said it’s up to personal preference—feel free to separate strands for more fullness.
Trimming for Uniformity When you’ve added enough loops, it’s time to trim. Jennifer gathers the loosely hanging loops and uses scissors to cut them to an even length. This is where the look snaps into “finished.”
Trim with small, deliberate snips. Step back and inspect the line. If anything looks ragged or long, go back for a tiny corrective cut. Jennifer shows this by re-trimming a few stray ends until the edge looks neat.
Pro tip Trim a little at a time. It’s easier to remove more length than to fix a cut that went too short.
Pitfalls and fixes (pulled from the demo)
- Pulled the loop all the way through? Re-insert the needle, recreate the slack, and try again.
- Knot won’t form cleanly? Hold both strands firmly and pass the needle behind them at a comfortable angle so the path is clear.
- Inconsistent lengths? Before trimming, nudge loops into line with your fingers; after trimming, make micro-corrections.
Creative Uses for Fringe Stitch Scarves and Edges The most straightforward application is decorative edges—mini scarves in felt kits are a perfect match. This stitch builds soft movement right along the perimeter without complex counting or diagrams.
Animal Fur and Textures Jennifer also mentions using this as “fur” on small felt animals. The trimmed ends create a textured, shaggy surface that reads as fluff when placed in clusters.
From the comments: Common questions answered
- Needle size: If you can’t fit your strands through the eye, switch to a larger needle. The creator notes that kit needles were size 10.
- Pre-cutting vs. trimming later: Both work; the creator prefers stitching first, then one straight trim.
- Fluffing fringe: Personal choice—leave strands intact for a sleek look or separate them for extra fullness.
- Thin felt in kits: The creator has replaced thin pieces with scrap felt and advised that if you try stabilizer, make sure it’s thin enough to hand sew.
Quick check
- Are your knots sitting right on the edge of the felt?
- Do your loops all fall within a small range of lengths before trimming?
- After trimming, does the line look even from a short distance?
Practice notes from the demo Jennifer emphasizes that this is a skills-builder. She keeps the loops slightly long during stitching for a better grip and then trims to perfection at the end. It’s normal if your first few loops look irregular—consistency comes with repetition.
Sidebar: For machine embroiderers This tutorial focuses on hand stitching fringe on felt. If you also work on machine projects, you might encounter accessories like an embroidery frame or a magnetic embroidery hoop for stabilizing fabric at the machine. While these tools aren’t used or shown in the video, they’re part of broader embroidery workflows and may be helpful in other contexts.
Another note for beginners exploring equipment If you’re researching tools beyond hand techniques, you’ll see terms such as embroidery sewing machine and even guides aimed at choosing an embroidery machine for beginners. These topics are outside this specific fringe stitch demo, but the vocabulary often appears when comparing craft methods and planning future projects.
Optional reading list for machine accessory terms If you browse supply catalogs or forums, you may also come across phrases like magnetic embroidery frames and magnetic embroidery hoops. They’re different from traditional screw hoops and are used to hold fabric during machine stitching—again, not part of Jennifer’s hand-sewn fringe process here, but common in the wider embroidery world.
Finishing strong Wrap up with a final, careful trim. In the video, Jennifer shows that even after the first cut, it’s fine to go back and make the fringe line straighter. Perfection isn’t the goal; a tidy, consistent edge that enhances your project is.
Watch out When trimming, be mindful not to cut into the base knot. Approach the line slowly and keep your scissors angled so you’re only skimming the fringe ends.
Helpful confidence boosts from viewers
- Several viewers said this was the clearest explanation they’d found, especially compared to static diagrams.
- Left-handed stitchers appreciated seeing the motion at normal speed and slowly repeated.
- A viewer working on a Christmas penguin ornament confirmed they got a neat scarf fringe after a few tries.
If you’re experimenting with other gear Some readers cross over between hand and machine work. You might see discussions about machine embroidery hoops or general hooping options for different setups. These are not used in the tutorial, but the terms can help you navigate equipment discussions elsewhere.
Troubleshooting snapshot
- Problem: Loops vary a lot in length before trimming.
Fix: Focus on pulling the same amount of slack each time; pinch both strands in the same place before knotting.
- Problem: Knot slides away from the edge.
Fix: Tighten with a gentle, steady pull while guiding the knot down to the felt.
- Problem: Edge looks crowded or sparse.
Fix: Adjust spacing by bringing the needle up slightly farther or closer to the previous stitch; small shifts make a big difference.
Closing loop Jennifer demonstrates a simple, repeatable method: loop, pass behind both strands, cinch a knot, repeat, and trim. It’s a forgiving technique that rewards a calm pace and a steady hand. Once you’ve tried three or four, your muscle memory will take over—and your edges will look tidy and intentional.
Conclusion Fringe stitch is approachable, quick to learn, and impressively versatile. Whether you’re edging a mini scarf or adding texture to a small animal shape, the steps in Jennifer’s demo will get you to a clean result. Keep loops slightly long for control, secure each knot right on the edge, and finish with careful trimming. You’ll have a polished fringe that elevates your felt projects.
From the community Practice is key. As the creator encouraged one viewer: you’ve got this—familiarity comes with a few tries. If printed diagrams left you confused, watching the knot path in action can be the turning point.
Note for terminology browsers If you branch into other areas of the craft, you’ll encounter phrases like magnetic hoops for embroidery or even supply listings for embroidery hoops uk. These aren’t part of this hand-fringe tutorial, but recognizing the terms can make your research easier.