German Buttonhole stitch

Buttonhole stitch and the related blanket stitch are hand-sewing stitches used in tailoring, embroidery, and needle lace-making.

Buttonhole stitches catch a loop of the thread on the surface of the fabric and needle is returned to the back of the fabric at a right angle to the original start of the thread. The finished stitch in some ways resembles a letter "L" depending on the spacing of the stitches.

For buttonholes the stitches are tightly packed together and for blanket edges they are more spaced out. The properties of this stitch make it ideal for preventing raveling of woven fabric. This stitch is also the basis for many forms of needle lace.

Examples of buttonhole or blanket stitches include:

Blanket stitch
Buttonhole stitch
Closed Buttonhole stitch-> in which the tops of the stitch touch to form triangles
Crossed Buttonhole stitch-> in which the tops of the stitch cross
Detached Buttonhole stitch-> in which rows of buttonhole stiches are worked to form a "floating" filling stitch Buttonhole stitches combined with knots
Top Knotted Buttonhole stitch
German Knotted Buttonhole stitch
Tailor's Buttonhole stitch
Armenian Edging stitch