Decorative Machine Stitches for Beginners (+ Sewing Tips)

Decorative machine stitches are sewing machine stitches designed to add texture, borders, patterns, lettering, and decorative details to sewing projects. Modern sewing machines often include dozens of decorative stitch options beyond the basic straight stitch and zig-zag stitch, allowing beginners to personalize garments, quilts, home décor, and craft projects. In this tutorial, you’ll learn the different types of decorative machine stitches, the best stabilizers and sewing feet to use, and tips for creating neat professional-looking decorative stitching.

What are Decorative Machine Stitches?

The modern computerized sewing machine has a wealth of fancy stitches. However, it does not matter if you have an old faithful brand from several years ago or the latest state-of-the-art new model sewing machine; here are some great tips and suggestions for getting the best performance from a sewing machine that can sew decorative stitches.

Learn more beginner sewing machine stitches and decorative sewing techniques in the complete sewing machine stitches guide.

Types of Decorative Machine Stitches

Decorative machine stitches fall into two categories. They are known as dense or satin-type stitches or less dense but open types of stitches. 

The dense stitches sew close together and have many repetitions to create a stitch or pattern, while the open style of decorative stitch is like a series of small stitches repeated in a single design to create a pattern. 

Look at the following information about these two categories of stitches and get some tips on the variations on your machine. Once you understand the basic concept, you will look at decorative stitches with a trained eye and know the principle behind the stitch.

Stitch Type	Appearance	Best For

Open Decorative Stitches

Light and open

Borders and outlines

Dense Decorative Stitches

Satin-like texture

Embroidery and appliqué

Lettering Stitches

Alphabet designs

Monograms

Feather Stitches

Decorative branches

Borders and trims

Start with a Zig Zag

The best place to start learning about decorative machine stitches is to understand the simple zig-zag stitch. It is really the most basic of all stitches and can be done with your all-purpose sewing foot or a zig-zag foot. 

Learn how to zig-zag with different adjustments available on your machine, including the width and length. Different brands of sewing machines will have different steps to take to adjust your zig-zag stitch. Learn all those different ways to manage the zig-zag, and you will be more at ease with other stitches and variations of decorative machine stitches.

Open Decorative Stitches

These decorative stitches are made up of single stitches repeating themselves to create a design. Some machines may create letters if the machine has that function as part of its program. 

Open decorative stitches benefit from special foot attachments that allow the machine needle to reverse easily or provide you with an open area in front of the needle. These feet make it easier for you to see what your pattern is doing.

Best Decorative Stitch Settings

Here are some stitch tips to help create open decorative stitches effectively.

1. Check the machine needle required: The needle you use for the decorative stitches is an essential part of getting the perfect stitch. Use a new needle and a needle type suited to the fabric you are using.
2. Choose a stabilizer to suit the project: Stabilizing your fabric beforehand will make all the difference to the firmness and security of the fabric. An iron-on stabilizer or a spray-on starch will prevent puckering or irregular stitches under soft fabrics.
3. Check the settings of the machine: It is a good idea to take a scrap of fabric you plan to decorate and test out the stitch and the different settings. A simple change of width or stitch length could make all the difference to the end result.
4. Refer to the manual: When a stitch is new to you, turn to the machine manual to understand how to use the stitch. Manuals often give suggestions of fabrics to choose from. 
5. Practice lettering, if it is offered: It is wonderful to personalize things you make, but lettering by machine is a skill of its own. Not all machines offer this facility. 
6. Use guidelines: A guide to follow as the center point of your stitch, matching it up with your machine foot, will make a huge difference in keeping the stitch design straight. The needle of these open decorative stitches can change direction and hop from side to side. The best way of keeping in a straight line is to have a guide to follow with the front of the machine foot. 

Dense Decorative Machine Stitches

A clear appliqué foot and embroidery foot are useful additions to your little toolbox for sewing dense decorative machine stitches.

These stitches are called dense because the stitches are made with the thread sewn close together. They are based on the zig-zag concept as the needle moves from side to side to create the pattern. 

An embroidery foot allows the thread to build up under the foot to give more room for the stitch to develop its density. Other feet suited to dense embroidery have a wider opening under the foot at the back to make turning corners easier. 

Here are some stitch tips to help create dense decorative stitches effectively.

1. Check the sewing machine needle: Checking the machine needle is a vital part of using decorative stitches correctly. Having a new needle and the correct needle for your fabric will make all the difference.
2. Test out the stitch: Taking a test drive with the needle, fabric, and stitch is very important. The different settings on your machine can change the size, length, and intensity of the stitches. Unpicking a dense decorative stitch is a lot more intense than an open stitch decorative stitch.
3. Check the thread you are using: The thread used for embroidery stitches on a sewing machine is an important aspect of dense or satin stitch embroidery. The bobbin thread, in particular, needs to be finer if the stitch is thick and close together. The bulk of the thread can affect the stitch and the tension.
4. Use a good stabilizer: A good stabilizer is an important part of ensuring the stitches do not pucker up or cause the design to bunch up and ruin the effect of the decorative stitch. 
5. Practice, practice, practice: This is a precious tip for decorative machine stitches. Try out the stitches you have available and try ‘mix and match’ effects to create borders. Think of different places you would like to enhance with some decorative stitches. They are so quick and easy once you have tried them out.

How to Make Decorative Stitch Samplers

The next most useful advice for sewing decorative machine stitches is to make samples of your work. Buy some cheap calico or seed cloth and a marking pen. As you experiment with your different decorative stitches, write down the stitch settings and any other information you think might be useful. 

Put all the same stitch types on one fabric sample and add to this as you develop your repertoire of decorative machine stitches. Sew a row of the stitch and write underneath the stitch selection, size, and tension of the stitch.

For example, W.5 = width choice and L.2 = length choice. Together with the decorative stitch you like, these notes will help you remember how you made that particular stitch. This will enable you to repeat that stitch again whenever you need it.

Add in other information, like the best foot or thread, and soon, you will have your own personal sewing encyclopedia. Sewing machines with multiple options may be more daunting at first, but most modern machines come with lessons and detailed handbooks. 

Uses for Decorative Machine Stitches

Now it is time for some fun with your decorative machine stitches! You can add a few decorative stitches onto so many items and just give them that wow factor.  

Think about every room in your home, from tea towels in the kitchen to the tablecloths and serviettes in your dining room. Decorate cushions and table mats in the lounge. Delicate curtains can look good with some decorative ribbon. Pillowcases and pajamas for the bedroom area. Bath towels and facecloths in the bathroom. 

There is not a single item around your home that would not look good with some decorative machine stitches. Birthday gifts with a personalized monogram, and even Fido would love to have his dog bandana decorated with your creative stitching.

 Here are some interesting suggestions for how you could use decorative machine stitches.

1. Bindings: Adding a binding to a project does not have to be just a practical straight stitch approach. Brighten up your binding with some interesting decorative machine stitches. 
2. Couching: Decorative stitches can add originality to the way you attach a braid or ribbon to something you have made. 
3. Stitch in the ditch and quilting: Be adventurous and use a decorative machine stitch to stitch in the ditch of a new quilt. 
4. Adding texture: Decorative machine stitches can add little creative touches to pockets, yokes, and other parts of a garment creating interesting textures.
5. Appliqué: Instead of using a zig-zag for appliqué try out some decorative machine stitches. They will do the job of attaching the fabric shape to the garment or home furnishing. 
6. Adding ribbon strips: Ribbons or lace, or any trim for that matter, will look interesting and unique with some decorative machine stitches. Try them out on a scrap, first of all, to be sure the stitch fits the ribbon or fits in with the lace pattern.

Best Stabilizers for Decorative Stitches

Decorative stitching often requires a stabilizer to prevent puckering and uneven stitches. Lightweight tear-away stabilizer works well for most woven fabrics, while spray starch or wash-away stabilizer can help support delicate fabrics during stitching.

Decorative Machine Stitch FAQs

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Decorative Machine Stitches – In Conclusion

Decorative machine stitches are an easy way to personalize sewing projects with borders, textures, appliqué, monograms, and creative details. Once you learn how stabilizers, settings, and sewing feet affect decorative stitching, you can confidently experiment with those built into your sewing machine. Even basic sewing machines often include decorative stitches that can transform garments, quilts, bags, and home décor with professional-looking details.