Detached buttonhole on irregular shapes

Last time we talked about detached buttonhole, I showed you the examples worked on squares. But, let's be real – working perfect squares in your hand embroidery is quite a rare event. So, today let's see how to apply this technique for the shapes that are more likely to be used in your embroidery projects!

While I was thinking of shapes, a petal and a leaf were what came to my mind instantly. I actually worked detached buttonhole on similar leaf shapes when I was stitching the Fall wedding pattern.

Of course, there are lots of other shapes that will look great with detached buttonhole filling, but I guess two examples will be enough to get the idea.

Frankly speaking, I don't know any formula or rule when working detached buttonhole on irregular shapes, so everything you read in this post is purely the result of my own self-teaching. Maybe there are better and more convenient ways. Unfortunately, I haven't come across to any explanation on that, so I will just share what I learned in the process of my own embroidery adventures.

Let's dive in!

Petal shape

So, what I noticed while working detached buttonhole is that if a shape is irregular I like to adjust my rows of loops in a way that they will form an even line that I can continue from, just like how I would do with a square.

It might be confusing now, but bear with me! :)

You can see that this petal shape has two apparent apexes which we can work individually first. These loops together with the cut in the middle will form an even line and it will be more convenient to continue buttonhole-ing.

So with the next row, we make loops on the previous ones above, and then on the outline of the cut in the middle.

And then just continue building the “net”. As the shape narrows down and you have to decrease the number of the loops, my suggestion is to not miss on the loops like in the picture above.

It will just create a stray lonely loop. 

Well, not like it is completely a “no”. Actually, you can make various patterns in your buttonhole net depending on how you anchor the loops. In the case of the picture above, if you insert the needle at the opposite end from where it emerged, you will make an opening on both sides. And then you can finish it up, anchoring the two hanging arcs. It will create a sort of a pattern and if that's what you're seeking then – great!

Otherwise, to get a consistent buttonhole net I suggest cutting down on the parts of the loops at the sides. Just don't acnhor these halved ones, and go straight for the full loops. Like that you will naturally decrease the number of loops.

Leaf shape

The principle is the same.

We work the top of the leaf first: two rows in this case. The first detached buttonhole stitch leaves us with 2 halved arcs, and after we work the next row we have one halved, one full, one halved. The full one is what we are going to use for the next row.

Now we can work a full row of loops, anchoring the ones on the sides to the outline...

…then anchoring to the full loop we have above, and then continuing to anchor to the outline.

Continue working detached buttonhole and when you come to another place of broadening in the shape, you can work a full row of loops again anchoring them to the outline and the loops from the previous row.

The end.

Now, do you remember that we used the outline to anchor our loops in some places? Well, as long as your outline is the same color as the detached buttonhole, it is fine. But what if it isn't? What if the outline would be pink or red and the places where you anchored the loops will stand out?

There are two ways to fix it:

-Preplanning. If you plan everything ahead, you can leave tiny stitches underneath the outline that you can later use for anchoring. It is a bit hard, to tell you honestly, the whole preplanning thing. Well, alternatively, you can be using a second threaded needle and timely put tiny stitches where you need them while you are working the main buttonhole net with the other needle.

-Secondary outline. You can have the first simple outline in one strand of floss – any line stitch will do – and then top it with a more voluminous and prettier stitch. It will cover up all the places where the loops were anchored to the first outline.

Finally, one last thing. The examples above are for working buttonhole from the tops to the bottom of the shape. But you can actually turn the shape over on its side and start working buttonhole making the rows parallel to the side. That's how I worked the leaf shapes in the Fall wedding project. You might find this method more preferable in many situations!