What wire gauge is used for stumpwork armatures and how is it attached to the ground fabric?

Stumpwork wire armatures are made from 28-gauge (0.32mm diameter) or 30-gauge (0.25mm diameter) uncovered brass or copper wire. The choice between gauges depends on the element size and required rigidity: 28-gauge is stiffer and more appropriate for larger petals and leaves that need to hold a pose without drooping; 30-gauge is more flexible and easier to bend into tight curves for smaller elements and fine details. The wire is bent by hand to the exact outline shape of the petal, leaf, or element, then twisted at the base (stem end) to form a tight double-wire stem about 1–2cm long that can be passed through the fabric to anchor the element after construction. To attach the wire outline to the ground fabric for subsequent stitching: the wire is couched along the design outline using a fine thread in a matching or neutral color (fine silk or 1-strand cotton floss). Couching stitches are placed every 3–5mm over the wire, catching the wire against the fabric surface without pulling the wire out of alignment. The couched wire creates the rigid outer boundary of the element that will define its shape and to which the outer edge stitches (typically detached buttonhole stitch) will anchor at the element perimeter. The twisted stem is left unstitched and free at the base, passing through a small hole pierced in the ground fabric after the element is complete.

How does detached buttonhole stitch work in stumpwork and why is it worked over a foundation thread rather than through the fabric?

Detached buttonhole stitch in stumpwork is worked in horizontal rows over a laid foundation thread (or over the couched wire at the top of a wired element), with each individual stitch looping through the stitch of the previous row rather than through the ground fabric. The reason it is detached — worked over the foundation thread rather than into the fabric — is specifically to create a three-dimensional surface that stands away from the ground fabric. If each stitch were anchored to the fabric, the resulting surface would be flat against the fabric. By anchoring only to the foundation thread at the top of the element (or to the wire at the element edge) and looping each subsequent row through the previous row, the stitching builds up a lace-like mesh that is physically detached from the fabric surface from the second row downward. As the rows increase, the mesh forms a fabric-like sheet that curves, drapes, and lifts away from any padding beneath it. When padding (felt layers or a wooden mold) is built up beneath the detached surface, the detached buttonhole stitching stretches over the padding, following its raised contour and creating the characteristic raised textured surface of stumpwork petals, insects wings, and leaves. The detached surface can be gently shaped with fingers to curve petals, bend leaf edges, or angle wings after stitching is complete.

How does the Apple Tax affect stumpwork Patreon creators?

Stumpwork raised embroidery content reaches iOS audiences at rates consistent with the fine needlework, miniature art embroidery, and three-dimensional textile tutorial category. YouTube stumpwork technique tutorials (wire armature construction, felt padding layering, detached buttonhole stitch instruction): 64–76% iOS. Instagram stumpwork photography (finished miniature pieces with raised dimensional elements, macro detail shots of detached stitch surfaces and wired slips): 74–86% iOS. Starting November 1, 2026, Apple takes 30% of every Patreon subscription processed through the iOS app. At $150/month with 70% iOS: $150 × 0.70 × 0.30 = $31.50/month ($378/year). At $250/month with 74% iOS: $250 × 0.74 × 0.30 = $55.50/month ($666/year). At $400/month with 78% iOS: $400 × 0.78 × 0.30 = $93.60/month ($1,123.20/year). Enable Patreon's web-only billing toggle before October 31, 2026 and update all bio links to the Patreon web URL so patrons subscribe through a browser rather than the iOS app.

Explainers · 2026-07-22

Patreon for stumpwork creators: detached buttonhole stitch over wire armature padding, felt layer carved mold dimensional padding, wired-edge petal slips worked separately and applied, thread selection stranded silk metallic, iOS rates, and the Apple Tax in 2026

Stumpwork Patreon retention depends on technical documentation covering the structural layer of three-dimensional raised embroidery that photographs of finished miniature pieces always flatten: the wire armature foundation that determines petal and leaf dimensions; the padding sequence for felt layers or carved wooden molds; the detached buttonhole stitch mechanics that create the characteristic lace-like surface of stumpwork petals; and how slips (separately worked elements applied to the main fabric) are constructed, padded, and attached. Stumpwork audiences are YouTube and Instagram-primary with high iOS rates — Apple Tax exposure begins November 1, 2026.

Stumpwork structural mechanics: wire armatures and dimensional padding

Wire armature foundation

The wire armature is the structural skeleton of every stumpwork petal, leaf, or element that stands away from the ground fabric. 28-gauge (0.32mm diameter) or 30-gauge (0.25mm diameter) uncovered brass or copper wire is the standard. Brass wire holds a bend firmly without springing back; copper wire is slightly softer and easier to shape by hand but holds its final pose with equal stability. The gauge choice depends on element size: 28-gauge provides more rigidity for larger petals and leaves (15mm or wider) that must hold a deliberate three-dimensional pose without sagging; 30-gauge is preferred for smaller elements (under 10mm), tight-curve details (insect legs, fine tendrils), and any element where the wire will be bent multiple times to achieve the final shape.

To form the armature: cut a length of wire approximately 2.5× the perimeter of the element outline. Bend the wire by hand around a drawn template of the element outline, shaping it to follow the exact contour of the petal or leaf edge. When the wire has traced the full perimeter and returns to the start point, twist the two wire ends together at the base (the stem end of the petal or leaf) to form a double-wire stem 1–2cm long. This twisted stem is the anchor that will eventually pass through the ground fabric to fix the completed element in position. The twisted stem also reinforces the base of the element where it meets the fabric and where the most stress from handling and posing is concentrated.

Couching the wire to the ground fabric: position the wire outline on the ground fabric along the design line. Thread a needle with a fine matching or neutral thread (1 strand of stranded cotton, or fine silk thread). Work small couching stitches every 3–5mm over the wire, catching the wire against the fabric surface and securing it in position. The couching stitches should be tight enough to hold the wire firmly but should not distort the wire outline. The couched wire now defines the element’s exact shape and outer boundary, and its inner edge provides the attachment point for the outer edge stitches of detached buttonhole fill.

Felt padding layers: graduated stacking

For stumpwork elements that remain permanently attached to the ground fabric (not slips), graduated felt padding layers build up the raised relief beneath subsequent surface embroidery. Cut layers of fine wool or acrylic felt to the shape of the design element. The padding sequence uses successively smaller layers to build a smoothly domed or graded profile: the first layer is cut to the full design shape (matching the outline exactly); the second layer is cut 2mm smaller on all sides; the third layer is cut 2mm smaller again (4mm smaller than the first layer overall); and so on. Typically 3–5 layers are used, with 3 layers providing moderate raised relief and 5 layers producing substantial high-relief effects appropriate for prominent dimensional elements in miniature compositions.

The padding is applied in order from largest to smallest. The largest (first) layer is placed on the ground fabric within the design outline and stitched down around its perimeter with small whip stitches or running stitches that catch through the felt and into the ground fabric. The second layer is placed centered on top of the first and stitched down, then the third on top of the second. By stacking from largest to smallest, the padding builds up to a gently domed profile at the center of the element, with the profile sloping down smoothly toward the design outline edges. This creates a naturally rounded surface over which surface embroidery (long-and-short stitch, satin stitch, or detached stitching) can be worked to produce a smooth, rounded three-dimensional element.

Carved wooden molds for highly raised elements

For highly raised elements — grapes, berries, dimensional flowers with deep curvature, round insects bodies — felt padding layers cannot build sufficient height or maintain the necessary crisp shape. A small carved wooden or plastic mold (shaped to the element’s three-dimensional form) is used instead. The mold is covered with a piece of fine silk or cotton fabric cut larger than the mold, which is pulled smoothly over the mold surface and gathered or stitched at the back to hold it taut. This fabric-covered mold is then embroidered directly: the embroidery thread is stitched through the covering fabric (and the gathering at the back), covering the mold surface with the chosen stitch pattern. The completed embroidered mold is then attached to the main ground fabric at its base by passing the gathering threads through the fabric and securing them on the wrong side, or by stitching the mold base directly to the fabric surface. The rigid mold beneath the embroidery maintains the three-dimensional form permanently, regardless of handling.

Detached buttonhole stitch and wired-edge slips

Detached buttonhole stitch mechanics

Detached buttonhole stitch is the signature stitch of stumpwork and the technique that most requires process documentation to understand, because the finished surface gives no visual indication of how it was constructed. It is worked in rows from the top of the element downward, over a laid foundation thread (not through the fabric), with each row of stitches looping through the stitches of the previous row.

To begin: lay a foundation thread horizontally across the element at its top edge, anchoring each end to the fabric or to the couched wire. This foundation thread is the only attachment point to the fabric for the entire detached area below it. Bring the working thread up through the fabric at the left end of the foundation thread. Work a row of buttonhole (blanket) stitches along the foundation thread, spacing them evenly at 2–3mm intervals. Each buttonhole stitch loops over and under the foundation thread, and the looped thread tightens against the foundation thread as it is pulled snug. At the end of the first row, bring the working thread down and anchor it to the fabric or wire at the right edge of the element — this anchors only the right edge; the stitches themselves are not anchored to the fabric.

For the second and subsequent rows: bring the working thread up at the left edge, and work buttonhole stitches that loop through the looped thread of the previous row, not through the fabric. The needle passes through each loop of the previous row in sequence, pulling the working thread through to create the next row’s loops. Each row is anchored at its left and right edges to the fabric or wire boundary, but the interior of each row is free of any fabric attachment. As rows accumulate, they form a lace-like mesh that grows downward from the foundation thread, free of the fabric below the top edge. When padding (felt layers or a wooden mold) is built up beneath this detached area, the detached buttonhole mesh stretches over the padding surface, following its three-dimensional contour and creating the characteristic raised, textured stumpwork surface.

Thread for detached buttonhole: stranded silk (Au Papillon, Soie d’Alger, or similar) is the preferred choice for the finest work — silk’s sheen and flexibility allow the stitch loops to slide smoothly along the previous row’s loops and produce a fine, even mesh with good light-reflective quality. Stranded cotton (2–3 strands of DMC or Anchor) is used for practice work and less formal pieces. The thread weight determines mesh density: 1–2 strands of silk produces a fine, open, lacy mesh; 3–4 strands of stranded cotton produces a denser, more opaque surface.

Wired-edge slips: construction and application

A slip is a stumpwork element that is entirely constructed separately from the main ground fabric and then applied (stitched) to it as a completed unit. Slips allow elements to be shaped three-dimensionally, bent, curved, and posed before and after application — something not possible with elements embroidered directly onto the flat ground. The construction sequence for a wired-edge slip: transfer the element outline to a separate piece of fine fabric (a cotton or silk backing fabric stretched taut in a small hoop). Couch the wire armature to this separate fabric along the design outline. Embroider the element surface on this separate fabric (with long-and-short stitch, satin stitch, tent stitch, or detached buttonhole stitch) working over the design area. When embroidery is complete, cut the slip from the backing fabric, cutting carefully around the wire outline and leaving the wire edge exposed. The cut fabric edge at the perimeter (just inside the wire) is sealed with a fine whipstitch or the embroidery stitches extend to the wire edge. The twisted wire stem is left free.

To apply the slip to the main ground: pierce a small hole through the main ground fabric at the base of the element position. Pass the twisted wire stem through this hole from front to back. On the wrong side, bend the stem flat against the fabric and secure it with small stitches over the stem, or spread the two stem wires to either side and stitch each down separately. On the right side, the slip now sits on the fabric surface. It can be gently bent at the wire edge — petals can be curved upward, leaves can be angled away from the fabric surface, insect wings can be positioned at the desired angle — because the wire armature holds whatever three-dimensional pose is given to it. Multiple slips overlapping at their bases (as in a flower head with multiple petals) are applied in the correct order from back-most to front-most so that each slip partially conceals the base of the one beneath it.

Apple Tax for stumpwork embroidery audiences

Stumpwork raised embroidery content reaches iOS audiences at rates consistent with the fine needlework, miniature art, and three-dimensional textile tutorial category. YouTube stumpwork technique tutorials (wire armature construction, felt padding layering, detached buttonhole stitch instruction, slip application): 64–76% iOS. Instagram stumpwork photography (finished miniature pieces with raised dimensional elements, macro detail shots of wired-edge slips and detached stitch surfaces): 74–86% iOS. Starting November 1, 2026, Apple takes 30% of every Patreon subscription processed through the iOS app.

At $150/month with 70% iOS: approximately $31.50/month ($378/year). At $250/month with 74% iOS: approximately $55.50/month ($666/year). At $400/month with 78% iOS: approximately $93.60/month ($1,123.20/year). Enable Patreon’s web-only billing toggle before October 31, 2026 and update all platform bio links to the Patreon web URL.

KeepTier is a self-hosted membership page for creators who want 100% of their tier revenue and zero Apple Tax. Plans from $9/month.

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