How to do Star Stitch

Star stitch in hand embroidery does what it says on the tin! It's a cute, quick way of creating a star and is a little similar to fishbone stitch.

This stitch tops the tree in my Christmas Morning embroidery kit.

Here's how ya do it!

• Start with 6 dots equally spaced out in a circle. If you've bought the kit, this is what is printed on the fabric already.

• Bring your needle up at point 1, then go back down at point 3.

• Bring needle up at point 2, then go back down at point 4.

• Bring needle up at point 3, then go back down at point 5.

• You're basically moving in a clockwise direction, bringing your needle up on a dot, skipping a dot to go back down, then going back one dot to start again. (Forward two, back one!)

• Continue until the star is complete. So, up at point 4 and down at point 6.

• Up at point 5, down at point 1.

• Up at point 6, down at point 2.

• You should then have a complete star outline.

• To fill the star, you do the same as above. When you come up at point 1, keep to the left of the tip. When you go down at point 3, keep in a straight line and go down just to the left so your new line is sitting to the left and starting to fill in the middle.

• Continue around, going forward two and back one as per the above. Use your previous lines as a guide to keep straight, and always go down just on the other side of the tip to create the criss cross effect. Your stitches should start and and end further towards the centre as you go.

• Keep going until you're happy the star is filled and you're done!