Hello there! If you are looking to start a new craft or hobby- look no further! I hope this gives you a basic understanding of what I think are some of the most used stitches!
THE BASICS
- Embroidery Hoop- This pattern is designed for a 4” round hoop, but you can adjust the size of the pattern to whatever hoop you have. Hoops can be found online or at any craft store
- Fabric- Fabric choice is important! Choose something that is not too stretchy, or too thick that the needle can’t pierce through. I personally like Fabric Quarters from JoAnn
- Embroidery Needles- These are bigger than regular sewing needles, and can be found in any craft store. I use DMC brand
- Embroidery Floss- If you ever made friendship bracelets, you know what this is! They come in single colors or packs online or in any craft store
THE EXTRAS
- Heat or Water Erasable Pen- Found in the sewing section, these make it easy to transfer your pattern to the fabric! I use a Clover Fine Water Erasable Marker.
- Transfer Paper- Draw (or print) your pattern directly onto this paper, then stick it to your fabric. It dissolves in water so it’s easy to remove! I use Stick n’ Stitch
- Embroidery hoops come in two parts. Part 1 is the outer hoop; Part 2 is the inner hoop
- Unscrew the screw at the top of the outer hoop to pull the two pieces apart
- Lay your fabric on top if the inner hoop, then place the outer hoop on top
- Tighten the screw to secure the fabric in between the two pieces. You can gently pull on the fabric to smooth it out.
- Make sure the screw is as tight as you can make it!
- Unlike sewing needles, embroidery needles have a much larger eye, which makes it a lot easier to thread!
- Pull one end of your thread through the eye of the needle
- With the other end, tie a knot at the bottom. This knot will secure that end of the thread in your fabric once you start stitching, so make sure it’s nice and tight
- Start by coming up through the fabric on 1, then back down through 2
- Skip a space, then come up through the fabric on 3, and down through 4
- Repeat, skipping every other space, making what looks like a dotted line
- When you are finished, go down through the fabric and tie a knot on the back side
- Start by coming up through the fabric at 1 and going back down through 2
- Skip a space, and come back up through the fabric at 3
- Going in the opposite direction, now go back down through the fabric at 2
- Repeat: Skip a space and come up through 4, then down through 3, etc..
- When your line is as long as you would like it to be, go down through the fabric and tie a knot on the back side
- Start with a normal back stitch (see back stitch page if you need help!)
- When you are finished with your line, go down through the fabric and tie a knot on the back side
- With the same color thread (or a different color if you want that effect), come up through the fabric through 1
- Without going through the fabric, wrap your needle and thread around the stitches (shown in dark blue above)
- Make sure to always go in the same direction; think of it like a spiral! This will give your line a puffy, 3D effect!
- Once you are finished, go back through the fabric and tie a knot on the back side
- This stitch is similar to back stitch
- Come up through the fabric at 1, and down through 2
- Don’t pull the thread tight yet! Leave a swag of thread below your line (pictured above)
- Come back up through the fabric in the middle of points 1 and 2 (point 3), then pull the thread tight.
- Repeat: You’ve just come up through 3, now go down through 4, leaving the thread loose. Come up through 2 (the middle point) and pull tight.
- This stitch looks like twisted rope when complete
- When you are finished with your line, go down through the fabric and tie a knot on the back side
- Similar movement to stem stitch
- Come up through the fabric on 1, and down through 2, and pull the thread tight
- When you come up through the fabric at the middle point (point 3), split the thread, so your needle will come up in between the strands of thread
- Repeat: you just came up through 3, go down through 4, pull tight, then come up splitting the thread at the middle point (2)
- This stitch looks almost like a braid when completed
- When you are finished with your line, go down through the fabric and tie a knot on the back side
- Similar to running stitch, this is a great stitch for filling up space!
- Come up through the fabric at 1, and down through 2
- Then come back up through 3 (directly next to 1) and down through 4 (directly next to 2)
- Repeat until the entire area is covered, then go down through the fabric and tie a knot on the back side
- You can do satin stitch horizontal, vertical, or sideways; whatever you like!
- The trick to getting neat stitches is to really take your time, and make sure your stitches start and end right next to the previous stitch
- There are many ways to do this stitch; but this is the way I’ve found that’s the easiest!
- Come up through the fabric at 1 and down through 2 (these points should be right next to each other)
- Do not pull the thread tight! Leave a loop of fabric (similar to stem stitch)
- Come up partially through the fabric at point 3- pierce the needle through the fabric but don’t pull it through just yet
- Take the loop of thread and wrap it over the needle
- Now take the needle, pull it through the fabric, and pull tight
- Go back down through 4 (should be directly next to 3)
- When you are finished, go down through the fabric and tie a knot on the back side
- I use this stitch for flower petals and leaves!
- My favorite stitch for leaves!
- Start by drawing a leaf shape (like above). Then draw 3 parallel lines, one starting at the tip and going down the middle of the leaf, and one on the left and right of that line
- At the tip of your shape, come up through the fabric through 1 and then down on the middle parallel line on 2 (this is the only time you will go down through the middle line)
- Pick one side to start (in this example it’s the left side)
- Come up through 3 (a point directly to the left of 1), cross over the middle line, and go down through 4 on the parallel line on the opposite side
- Repeat: Come up through 5 (directly to the right of 1), and down through 6 on the opposite parallel line
- Repeat this pattern until you completely fill your shape, then go down through the fabric and tie a knot on the back side
- One of the trickier stitches to master, but once you’ve done it a few times it gets easier!
- Come up through the fabric where you want your French knot (point 1)
- Using the thread you just pulled through the fabric, wrap the tread twice around the tip of the needle
- Go back down through the fabric on 2 (directly next to 1), but don’t pull the needle all the way through yet
- Gently pull the thread so the knot you’ve wrapped around the needle is flush against the fabric
- Slowly pull the needle through the fabric
- Repeat if you would like, then tie a knot on the back side of the fabric
- An easy stitch for making roses!
- Start by drawing a circle on your fabric (it doesn’t have to be perfect, but you can use a coin or button as a guide if you’d like)
- Estimate the center point and draw that on your fabric (point 1 pictured above)
- To create the “spokes” of the wheel: come up through a point on the circle at point 2 and then down through 1. Repeat around the circle (up through 3, down through 1; up through 4, down through 1; etc..)
- You need to have an odd number of “spokes”- I like using 5, but you could also use 7, 9, etc. Add more spokes if your circle is bigger
- Once you have created all your “spokes”, come up at a point next to 1 at the tip of any of the pie slices the “spokes” created (it doesn’t matter where)
- Carefully, start weaving your needle and thread through the “spokes” (not through the fabric) going under one, then over the next, under, over, etc.. until your circle is filled
- Don’t pull the thread too tight!
- When you are finished, go down through the fabric at a point on the circle and tie a knot on the back side
- You did it! Congrats on finishing your hoop! There are many different ways to finish off your hoop, but this is my favorite.
- Trim your excess fabric into a round-ish shape
- Using a running stitch, stitch a circle around your hoop on the excess fabric
- Once you have stitched all the way around the hoop, pull the thread tight! This will neatly pull all the fabric behind the hoop, so from the front you can’t see any extra fabric.
I hope this post is helpful to get you started!