Tackling Turkey Work Part 1: Overview and Threads

When I opened up questions to readers, a tutorial on Turkey Work was the most requested topic. I suspect this may have to do with a certain stocking I stitched a couple of years ago. This stocking was by far the biggest and most epic project I have stitched (and will ever stitch), so I’m flattered when people mention it! The stocking, containing approximately 32 square inches of Turkey Work, was stitched over several months and was actually my first formal foray into Turkey Work. I’ve since used Turkey Work in a variety of projects. While I am far from an expert, I’m sharing my tips and tricks for Turkey Work in two parts. In part one, I’m walking you through ideas of when and where you would want to use Turkey Work (including some inspiration photos!) as well as walking through your options of threads to use. In part two, I’ll discuss how to stitch and style Turkey Work.  

Overview

Turkey Work is a great stitch to use for a variety of effects on canvases. Some of my favorite ways to use this stitch include: