General Information:
PULLED THREAD STITCHES
Definition
Pulled thread stitches are the ones that require you to add extra tension as you stitch -- pulling the linen threads together.

Tension
Depending on the stitch and how open you want your stitches, the amount of tension or pull you put on each stitch will vary. Pulling rearranges the weave of the linen threads and creates enlarged holes -- the holes that already exist in the weave of the linen. The tighter the pull, the "lacier" the look.

It is important to keep a consistent tension within a project.

You may find that you will break a needle while working pulled thread stitches. This is an indication of an inferior needle, a needle size that is too fine, or that you are pulling too hard. Make whatever adjustment necessary.

Color
Traditionally, pulled thread stitches are worked with a stitching fiber that closely matches the linen threads in color and in weight. This maximizes the lacy look. The human eye sees the "holes" and not the "stitches." It is this very thing that creates a challenge in learning pulled thread work. Sometimes it is helpful to practice your stitches with a slight contrast between fabric and fiber colors.

Pulled thread is often used referred to as “whitework“ which is simply stitching with white fibers on a white linen or canvas. Today, whitework is also done with colors. Match the fiber and fabric colors as closely as possible. Another term you will hear is tone-on-tone.

Fibers to Use
Pearl Cotton is an excellent choice to use for pulled thread stitches. It is a strong fiber and can withstand the tension needed for pulled thread work. It also comes in different weights (thickness). In the US, numbers 3, 5, 8 and 12 are commonly available. Number 12 is the finest and number 3 is the heaviest in this range.

If you can find linen stitching thread on a bobbin or card, you may find it to be your favorite fiber for pulled thread. It is often only found in white and ecru.

The best way to match the weight of the linen to your stitching fiber is to remove a thread from the linen and lay them side by side. The stitching fiber and the linen threads should be similar in weight (size).

If you must use floss, avoid using less than a single strand for pulled thread stitches. A single strand of floss simply cannot withstand the tension and easily breaks.

Beginning
Unless otherwise instructed, pull while executing the entire stitch, start to finish. The first stitch will not stay put until the next one is in place and the beginning of the thread is anchored just as the last stitch will not stay in place until the end of the stitching fiber is secured. As soon as you make the second stitch, the first one will stay tight, and so on.


Sometimes, it is best to begin with an "away waste knot." Trying to stitch over the tail of your stitching fiber as you begin to stitch can be a study in frustration. Put a knot in the end of your fiber, insert it on the front of the fabric about 4" from the place where you will begin to stitch and out of the way of the stitching area. Begin to stitch. You cannot pull on your first stitch. Begin pulling with your second stitch. You will go back and clip the knot off (that's why it is called a waste knot -- you are wasting it!) when you get to the end -- the end of a row or the end of the stitching fiber. Re-thread your needle with the fiber from the beginning of the stitch. Secure the beginning of your fiber in the same way as the end, described below.

Other times, it is best to anchor your fiber as you begin to stitch. One example is a row of tightly pulled satin stitches. Although it is not impossible to slip your needle under completed stitches, it can be a tight fit at times. To anchor your thread as you begin, place your waste knot about an inch from the starting point opposite the starting point, so you will have to stitch over top of it. (The beginning will be on the back side of the fabric.) Pull slightly on your first stitch. Pull harder on the second one. Then flip your fabric over and tug on the beginning of the stitching fiber to add tension to that first stitch. Try to match it with the tension on the second stitch. After completing five or six tight stitches, clip this beginning stitching fiber closely.

Ending
When you get to the end, secure the fiber by working it under the last few stitches on the back of your project. Because you have been pulling your stitches, you may have to secure it under one stitch at a time.

Pointers
When stitching an area or a row of stitches, take care not to carry the working fiber across the back of your fabric in such a way that the delicate holes are blocked.  If it seems impossible to move from one stitch to the next without trailing the working fiber, “tunnel” under a finished stitch and then begin the next one.

Important: the unworked threads of the linen should be smooth, straight, and without any gaps.

If you use a hoop or stretcher bars, be sure that the fabric is not pulled tighter than its natural tautness.

It is easy to get confused by our most often used word: stitch. In pulled thread, each stitch is made of up of two, three, and even sixteen individual stitches. I once threatened to use the term "stitchlet" to refer to the stitches within a stitch. I do wish our needlework vocabulary included some way to make it clear! 

Be aware that many stitches can be either pulled or not pulled. A good example is the satin stitch. It is often called "pins" when it is pulled, but the stitch is executed in the same way as the non-pulled variety.

Other stitches seem to be either pulled or not pulled, but are actually just pulled with different degrees of tension. For example, an eyelet can have a center hole large enough to thread a ribbon through it, or it can have a soft, almost dimple-like effect in the center. Both of these are considered pulled stitches.