Weekend Craft: Learn How to Embroider June 11 2017

I love embroidery, and could talk about it all day long. Sometimes I see embroidery in the clouds and plants, and even in people's faces. But in 2011, when I first started embroidering, I did not know that I would fall in love with it, nor did I know it would turn into a business. 

I've always been a dabbler of many crafts. When I first learn, I get really into it, and then put it down, vowing to pick it up again. This type of crafting can gets very expensive, and can also take up a lot of valuable closet space. This is not true of embroidery. It is cheap. You can probably find everything you'll need to start at a garage sale or thrift shop for under $20. You can start and abandon projects at will. You can also travel with an embroidery project, just remember to keep a close eye on those needles. A misplaced needle tends to make people nervous, and angry when sat on. 

Back to the beginning of my embroidery education. I went to my local craft boutique in search of a new craft project, and ended up in the book section. I bought a couple of books for beginners, and a few supplies. 

Let's talk about materials. Here is what you'll need. 

-Plastic embroidery hoop. You need a plastic embroidery hoop for all embroidery projects. Plastic hoops will grip and keep your fabric tight, which is always a must. Not pulled, but tight. Loose fabric makes sad, baggy stitches. The wooden hoops are just for displaying embroidery art, and are transferred into those hoops after the embroidery is finished. 

-Thread. Use 6 stranded cotton embroidery floss. They come in these cute little skeins, in every color. Pick out some staples (black, brown, red, grey), and also some colors that you just love. Or raid your local thrift store of embroidery thread, there is always a baggie with a bunch of skeins of embroidery, and let fate decide which colors you'll use. Also, floss and thread are used interchangeably. 

-Embroidery needle. The needle should be sharp, and have a large enough eye for the thread to pass through easily. 

-Scissors. Really, you can use any old scissors when you are just getting started. I've had this pair of embroidery scissors that I bought from Joann Fabric years ago, but when I first started, I used regular kitchen scissors. 

Let's talk about fabric. You can use anything that isn't too flimsy or stretchy. I started with pillow cases and dishtowels. Tote bags are a fun option. Or, if you want to make hoop art, use a mid-weight cotton. Save your t-shirts and any gauzy fabrics for stitching projects after you're comfortable with the embroidery basics. The goal here is to keep it simple. 

Now, what are you going to embroider? There are tons of embroidery patterns out there. Iron on patterns, patterns that you trace on the fabric yourself, or patterns printed on fabric. Or you can create a simple pattern yourself, drawing directly on the fabric. It'll be a one of a kind original. I have a few patterns in my shop that come with instructions for embroidery.

I would suggest watching some youtube embroidery videos or check out some stitch diagrams, depending upon what kind of a learner you are. Then, follow a simple pattern. It'll help you to pull all of your new-found tips together to create a piece of art. 

Embroidery is basically coloring or sketching with thread. It can be incredible detailed, or it can have simple embroidered lines or words. And if you hate some of the stitching, you can undo it, or simply cut out an entire section and re-do it. 

About Different Kinds of Stitches. There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of embroidery stitches, though there are less than 10 that I use and have committed to memory. 

Some stitches are great for outlining, some for filling, some for adding texture, some for making borders. There are no rules of which stitches go where. Experiment with color and thread. Let your imagination roam through your needle. 

What's with the 6 strands? With any embroidery project, you will almost always cut your length of thread, and then separate so that each length has 3 strands. Then thread your needle, knotting the 2 ends together. Why they don't make 3-stranded skeins of embroidery, I'll never know. 

Oh, and if you are looking for a place to hang out and talk about embroidery, join my free Facebook group "embroidery habit". Ask questions, share your work, see what other people are embroidering from very beginners to seasoned stitchers.