ABC Stitch Along Embroidery Progress & Videos

Stitching through the alphabet

Welcome to the ABC Stitch Along Review page! As we work on stitching through the classic Penguin & Fish ABC Animals Collection, we'll be updating this page with our finished blocks. We will also include links to the YouTube playlist from that block and any other resources mentioned, such as special techniques used. Feel free to click on any of the finished pattern images below to purchase that pattern.

Learn more about the ABC Stitch Along 

ABC Animals embroidery patterns - iron on

Aa - Alligator

We kicked off the ABC Stitch Along with the Alligator pattern. This pattern was stitched the week of January 31 - February 4, 2022. We stuck to the colors and stitches suggested for the original pattern and filled in the letters 'Aa' with satin stitch. This pattern actually features two A animals, the alligator and the albatross birds. Watch the Live stitch along replay below!

Aa Alligator embroidery pattern - ABC Stitch Along

Aa Alligator embroidery stitch along, Livestream replay

Buy the A - Alligator iron-on pattern

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Bb - Butterfly

The Butterfly pattern was stitched the week of January 7-11, 2022. For this pattern we tried a fun new technique called Color Tinting, or fabric coloring. Using colored pencils, we shaded the butterfly and letters prior to stitching to add a new dimension of color. Click here to read more about color tinting. Watch the Live stitch along replay below!

B Butterfly embroidery pattern

B Butterfly Livestream Replay Playlist - YouTube

Buy the B - Butterfly iron-on pattern

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Cc - Cat

This fun Cat pattern was stitched the week of February 28 - March 3, 2022. We chose our own fun colors and made the cat grey with orange stripes. Then, I filled the 'Cc' letters in with satin stitch. The "Marew" word in this pattern can be replaed with whatever sound your cat makes! This is the kind of meow my parent's cat made while I was designing this pattern. Watch the Live stitch along replay below!

Cc Cat embroidery pattern - ABC stitch along

Cc Cat ABC Stitch Along video replay playlist

Buy the C - Cat iron-on pattern

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Dd - Dog

We stitched the Dog pattern the week of March 7-10, 2022. Although we stuck with the original colors for this pattern, we mixed up a couple of the detail pieces on the dog's collar. First, we stitched the collar in a crosswise satin stitch to make it look like a woven collar. Then, we pulled out the Nishikiito metallic embroidery floss for the decorative French knots on the collar, and it turned out so fun! It looks like real bling. Watch the Live stitch along replay below!

Dd - Dog finished embroidery

Dd Dog embroidery livestream stitch along playlist

Buy the D - Dog iron-on pattern

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Ee - Elephant

We stitched up the Elephant pattern the week of April 4-8, 2022 and added some fun touches to this one! Someone suggested we do turkey work for the tail, and this stitched turned out perfect as an elephant tail. We also switched the flower that the elephant is holding to a sunflower. We were able to quilt this block in the same week as well. I love how the little flowers turned out. Catch up on the elephant stitching by watching the Live stitch along below!

Finished Ee - Elephant embroidery

Elephant embroidery holding a small sunflower

elephant embroidery turkey work tail

E Elephant YouTube Playlist

Buy the E - Elephant iron-on pattern

Learn more about the ABC Stitch Along

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Ff - Fox

The Fox embroidery pattern was stitched the week of April 11-14, 2022. For this pattern, we tried to stick with the colors and stitches on the original pattern, but did mix it up by using French knots for the letters. This fox pattern uses the chain stitch as an embroidery fill stitch for the end of the tail and on the head. In the stitch along, we did both the forward and reverse chain stitch method. Catch up on the fox stitching by watching the Live stitch along below!

Finished Fox embroidery pattern - ABC Stitch Along

Fox pattern - chain stitches

Ff - Fox French knot filled letters

F - Fox Live Stitch Along videos playlist on youtube

Buy the F - Fox iron-on pattern

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Gg - Giraffe

The Giraffe embroidery pattern was stitched during the week of May 2-6, 2022. We tried some fun types of stitches with this pattern, including different ways of satin stitch, turkey work, and a whipped backstitch for the letters. If you look closely at the giraffe's spots, you'll see that the satin stitch is done in multiple direction. This gives a fun texture to the giraffe. We also used turkey work for the tail again. Catch this quick preview of how I did it over on TikTok. Watch the full giraffe stitch along Live replay below!

G-Giraffe embroidery pattern

turkey work - hand embroidery

Finished giraffe embroidery pattern

whipped back stitch of letters Gg - hand embroidery stitches

G- Giraffe YouTube playlist

Buy the G - Giraffe iron-on pattern

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Hh - Hedgehog

The Hedgehog embroidery pattern was stitched the week of May 9-13, 2022. We stitched this hedgehog with a lighter brown than the original pattern shows. We also gave the hedgehog green eyes and a sweet pink nose! The letters are filled in with the chain stitch, and we quilted "chain stitch" style loops around the hedgehog to make it look like a little sweater stitch. Catch up on the Hedgehog stitch along below!

Hh Hedgehog - finished embroidery pattern

Chain stitch H letters - Hedgehog embroidery

Hedgehog embroidery pattern

Hedgehog embroidery stitch along YouTube playlist

Buy the H - Hedgehog iron-on pattern

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Ii - Inchworm

This fun Inchworm embroidery pattern was stitched May 31-June 3, 2022. We stuck to the same colors from the original pattern, but did choose different shades for some of the colors as we went along. Thanks to the suggestion of a Live viewer, we also added the whipped backstitch to the outline of the worm's body. This gives the worm a neat textured look. Lastly, we filled in the letters with a longer satin stitch, to mimic the satin stitch colors on the worm's body. Catch up on the Inchworm stitch along below!

Inchworm embroidery pattern finished

Inchworm embroidery close up - whipped backstitch

Ii long satin stitch

Inchworm Stitch Along Playlist

Buy the I - Inchworm iron-on pattern

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Jj - Jellyfish

The Jellyfish embroidery pattern was stitched June 6-9, 2022. This pattern is loaded with French knots so we spent some time during the Live stitch along to talk about how to do this stitch, including the three things you may be doing wrong if your knots don't quite look right. We also used our small embroidery floss scraps to satin stitch the 'Jj' letters. We even combined two floss colors together at times to give an ombre effect. Catch up on the Jellyfish stitch along below!

Jellyfish embroidery - finished

Satin stitch letter J j

Jellyfish embroidery with French knots

J Jellyfish embroidery stitch along playlist

Buy the J - Jellyfish iron-on pattern

Learn more about the ABC Stitch Along

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Kk - Koala

The Koala is a community favorite and was stitched July 11-15, 2022. We had fun with colors while stitching this pattern! Using a technique where we combined multiple colors to create one strand (for example, 2 blue strands and 1 purple), we gave this koala pattern a fun new texture. The eucalyptus branch and Kk letters also used a combination of colors and were stitched with the back stitch to fill in the space, placing the rows of stitches right next to one another - this is sometimes called brick stitch. Catch up on the Koala stitch along below!

Embroidered koala with mama and baby

baby koala, embroidered with purple thread

Embroidered koala and eucalyptus branch

Koala embroidery stitch along

Buy the K - Koala iron-on pattern

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Ll - Lion

The Lion was stitched July 18-21, 2022. The bulk of the time spent on this pattern was put into creating the mane for the lion. We decided to give some extra floof to this guy through the turkey work stitch. By going around the face a couple of times with turkey work, we were able to create this fun, fluffy mane. We used scrap embroidery threads to get the rainbow effect which also used up a bunch of scrap floss - win-win! Catch up on the Lion stitch along below!

Lion embroidery with multi-color mane

lion face with fluffy embroidery mane

turkey work secured stitches

Lion embroidery stitch along playlist

Buy the L - Lion iron-on pattern

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Mm - Monkey

The Monkey was stitched August 1-4, 2022. We stuck with neutral colors for the monkey and used basic stitches to complete his look. A simple satin stitch brings the banana to life, and a long satin stitch gives that satin-like finish to the 'Mm' letters. The M - Monkey marks the half way point of the ABC Animals! Catch up on the Monkey stitch along below!

hand embroidered monkey holding a banana

hand embroidery satin stitch

basic embroidery stitches

Monkey stitch along youtube playlist

Buy the M - Monkey iron-on pattern

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Nn - Newt

This sweet Newt was stitched August 8-12, 2022. We had fun playing with colors for this pattern. We made our newt purple with pink, grey and cream spots. We also went over the 3 things you may be doing wrong with a French Knot in the beginning of video 2. The Nn letters are stitched with satin stitch in two different colors. Catch up on the Newt stitch along below!

Hand embroidery Newt pattern

How to do a French knot video

Hand embroidery satin stitch letters

Newt Hand Embroidery Stitch Along

Buy the N - Newt iron-on pattern

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Oo - Owl

The Owl was stitched August 6-9, 2022. We embraced a sunset theme with the colors on this pattern. Both the French knots in the owl's belly and the letters below it are stitched with an ombre effect. The Penguin & Fish colors used for this were: Bumblebee, Tiger Lily, California Poppy, Garden Rose, and Lilac Season. Catch up on the Owl stitch along below!

Owl embroidery with sunset ombre colors

Satin stitch sunset ombre

French knot ombre

Owl Stitch Along Playlist

Buy the O - Owl iron-on pattern

Learn more about the ABC Stitch Along

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Pp - Pig

The Pig was stitched August 12-16, 2022. This simple pattern was calling for more, so when someone in the Livestream suggested we add wings, it was an immediate yes! We filled in the wings and the letters at the bottom with a long and short stitch in white, then traced them with a light blue backstitch. To add a pop of color, we also put a layered lazy daisy on the back of the pig. We then spruced up the mushroom with a fun new stitch - the drizzle stitch. This created a fun 3D 'boingy' stitch that immitates grass. Catch up on the Pig stitch along below!

hand embroidered pig with wings and letters 'Pp'

Close up of pigs wings, white as well as a yellow and orange flower

Embroidered pig sniffing a colorful mushroom

Letters P and p filled in with long and short stitch in white

P Pig YouTube Playlist - Livestream replay

Buy the P - Pig iron-on pattern

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Qq - Quail

The Quail was stitched October 3-7, 2022. We pretty much stuck to the same colors as the original pattern for this Quail, but then we had to add a little baby quail behind its mama! We also talked a lot about the seed stitch during this stitch along and used it on the belly of the quail, under the satin stitch for the top knot, and in the letters at the bottom. Catch up on the Quail stitch along below!

Qq - Quail embroidery pattern

Mama quail with seed stitch belly

baby quail embroidery pattern

Qq - seed stitch fill

Quail Playlist - ABC Stitch Along

Buy the Q - Quail iron-on pattern

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Rr - Raccoon

The Raccoon was stitched October 10-13, 2022. We were feeling the rainbows for this project and decided to add a little rainbow to the tail of the Raccoon. The colors we used are Rose Garden, You're a Peach, Bumblebee, Celery, Denim Wash, and Lilac Season. We also switched the stitches on the tail from satin stitch to chain stitch, which is the same stitch we decided to stitch the letter R's in. Catch up on the Raccoon stitch along below!

Hand embroidered raccoon with a rainbow tail

Racoon's rainbow tail with chain stitch

Raccoon eyes

Letter R's embroidered in chain stitch

R Raccoon embroidery stitch along playlist

Buy the R - Raccoon iron-on pattern

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Ss - Seahorse

The Seahorse was stitched Novemberer 1-3, 2022. For this pattern, we kept it simple with classic water-themed colors and simple stitches. To give the piece a little dimension, we mixed some thread colors! For the outline of the body, we used two strands of Teddy Bear and one strand of Goldenrod. Then, for the belly it was two strands of Scubadive and one strand of Fresh Basil. And finally for the letters at the bottom we used two strands of Fresh Basil and one strand of Scubadive. You can catch up on the Seahorse stitch along below!

Seahorse embroidery in browns and blues with letter Ss underneath

Seahorse head, thread color mix

S letters embroidered with stem stitch

Seahorse stitch along videos playlist

Buy the S - Seahorse iron-on pattern

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Tt - Turtle

The first part of stitching on the Turtle was completed on November 7, 9, and 10, 2022. We picked it up again on January 19, 2023 and then finished the Turtle up on February 20, 2023. For this pattern, we wanted to fill in the turtle shell with a bunch of fun and different flowers. The first few flowers we did were the Wagon Wheel stitch that is paired with a couple of woven picot leaves, a lazy daisy flower, and a bullion knot flower. See each of the flowers come together on the replay of the Turtle stitch along below!

Turtle embroidery with flowers on shellembroidery flowershand embroidery rose flower and picot leavesLetters 'Tt' stitched with woven backstitch

T Turtle stitch along playlist

Buy the T - Turtle iron-on pattern

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Uu - Unicorn

The Unicorn was stitched Novemberer 28-December 1, 2022. We had a lot of fun stitching this unicorn pattern! I dug out my metallic threads to had a sparkle to this project. I like the Nishikiito brand metallic threads as they have been the easiest I've found to work with. We used these threads for the horn, the hooves, the flowers on the unicorn's back, and did a whipped backstitch with them on the Uu letters. You can catch up on the Unicorn stitch along below!

Unicorn embroidered with metallic thread for the horn and flowers on its back

Unicorn horn with metallic embroidery floss

Unicorn body with metallic flowers and pink tail

Letters Uu embroidered using whipped back stitch

Unicorn embroidery stitch along playlist

Buy the U - Unicorn iron-on pattern

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Vv - Viper

The Viper snake was stitched December 5-8, 2022. We used basic embroidery stitches on this design, and tried a new, simple stitch for the letters - the woven backstitch. The fangs and tongue were stitched with the Nishikiito metallic threads while the details on the snake's back are done with a satin stitch using cotton embroidery floss. We then did a double woven backstitch for the letters. This stitch is similar to the whipped back stitch where you start with a backstitch as your base, but instead of going around the same way with the second thread color, it weaves back and forth. We did this twice to create the double woven backstitch. You can watch along as we do the stitch in the last video of the playlist. Catch up on the Viper stitch along below!

Finished Vv - Viper hand embroidery pattern

Snake with sparkling fang teeth and red tongue

Woven backstitch letter V's

V Viper Stitch Along Playlist

Buy the V - Viper iron-on pattern

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Ww - Whale

Stitching on the Whale began January 3-5, 2023 and was finished on January 18, 2023. We stuck with the basic embroidery stitches for this pattern. The colors for the outline of the whale are blended with Scubadive, Denim Wash, and Lilac Season. The first week we stitched this pattern was a shorter week on the Livestream and we didn't quite finish then, so the little fishies and the letters were finished at a different time. Catch up on the Whale stitch along below!

Finished whale embroidery Satin stitch Ww letters in orangeClose up of embroidered whale with small fish swimming next to it.W-Whale Stitch Along replay videos

Buy the W - Whale iron-on pattern

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Xx - Xray Fish

The Xray Fish was stitched January 9-12, 2023. We started by stitching the white "skeleton" inside the fish with a chain stitch. Then, we blended colors for the fish outline. We used California Poppy, Tiger Lily, and Bumblebee. Since the fish is technically see-through, we decided to add a little heart. We added a baby fish (with a heart) as well since there was a lot of talk about babies during this stream. ;) Finally, we satin stitched the Xx's with Denim Wash and Winter Morning. Catch up on the Xray Fish stitch along below!

Xray fish hand embroidered with small baby fish underneath and the letters Xx stitched in blue

Close up of Xray fish face with a small pink heart.

Close up of embroidered baby fish under bigger fish.

Letters X x stitched in a mix of blues

Xray Fish YouTube Playlist - Watch now

Buy the X - Xray Fish iron-on pattern

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Yy - Yak

The Yak was stitched February 6-9, 2023. This pattern was a fun one to stitch using the straight stitch to create the fur-look of the Yak. We decided on yellow horns and light purple for the nose. Then, we did some turkey work to make fun, floofy letter Yy's! We just about finished the Yak in the week we stitched it - we just need to finish trimming the little 'y.' Catch up on the Yak stitch along below!

Yak embroidery shown in a hoopClose up of Yak embroidery with straight stitch furLetters Yy stitched in red Turkey Work stitchSide view of the fluffy Yy turkey work stitchY Yak YouTube Playlist

Buy the Y - Yak iron-on pattern

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Zz - Zebra

The Zebra was stitched February 13-16, 2023. This was the first time I ever stitched this zebra pattern in classic black and white. The stripes of the zebra are stitched with chain stitch. But of course we had to add some color. So, we chose to satin stitch the letter Zz's with random colors we picked from our leftover embroidery floss. Catch up on the Zebra stitch along below!

Finished Zz Zebra hand embroidery patternClose up of zebra with chain stitch stripes and blue eyessatin stitched letter Zz's with a variety of colors

Z Zebra embroidery stitch along

Buy the Z - Zebra iron-on pattern

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The Scraps & Leftovers

After stitching all 26 letters, we had a good pile of scraps and some leftover embroidery floss. With all the little scrap bits and ends (some may call this trash), we put them into a clear ornament to create a colorful and fun decoration. Then, for the leftover floss that was on the spools or in our "cloud" of scraps, we created a pom-pom! Check out the finished products below. 

embroidery floss scrap ornament and pom-pomembroidery floss scrap ornamentleftover embroidery scrap pom pom

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Quilted Blocks

On March 15th, 2023 we finished quilting all the individual ABC blocks! Each block has its own scene or corresponding quilting, and they all turned out so fun. Check out the overview of the blocks below!

ABC Quilted blocksKoala and Pig quilted blocksClose up of quilted ABC blocks

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ABC Stitch Along supplies bundle

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ABC Animals - embroidery patterns

 

2 comments

Catharine Youngman

Love this!

Betty

beautiful work and wonderful instructions. we are blessed to have you as our instructor thank you.

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