Hand Embroidery Shop Co

HAND EMBROIDERY
BASICS:
A Beginner's Guide
 MATERIALS NEEDED:

FABRIC: you can embroider the designs

on a wide variety of fabrics. the best are
cotton and linen. wash and iron your
fabric before getting started.

EMBROIDERY HOOP: it is preferable to

work with an embroidery hoop, especially
with flat fabrics. however, some clothing
can difficult the use of it. in those cases
you may prefer to work without a hoop.

EMBROIDERY NEEDLE: we suggest a number 9

embroidery needle. cut the thread and separate the
strands. now thread the needle with the 3 strands,
conserving a 4” to 6” tail at the end

EMBROIDERY THREAD: we recommend using DMC

embroidery thread. embroidery thread is made up of 6
individual strands. before you begin, cut the thread to a
length you can work with.

SCISSORS: Please have good, sharp scissors ready.

 HOOPING UP

Take your hoop and loosen the screws to separate the two hoops.

Place the inner hoop on a flat surface, place the fabric on top (and centered) of the inner
circle with the pattern side up.

Place the outer hoop on top, press the fabric with the outer hoop until both hoops are
together. Then tighten the screw gently.

Gently, pull the fabric taut at all the perimeters.

Tighten the screw firmly.

While stitching, keep the fabric taut and check that the screw has not loosened.

Do not forget please that the hoop is very useful to keep

your fabric taut while stitching the pattern.
Also, it can help you frame your
art creation once you’ve finished.
You can acquire hoops in a very wide
variety of sizes, starting from 3” and up to 12”
depending on your local market.
 TRANSFERRING YOUR PATTERN

There are several ways to transfer your pattern to the fabric. Below, we list them from the
simplest to the hardest:

PRINTABLE WATER SOLUBLE STABILIZER: (recommended): this is the easiest way to transfer
an embroidery pattern onto clothing. print out the pattern onto a piece of water-soluble
embroidery stabilizer paper. (we use sulky 8.5x11 printable sticky fabri-solvy). is available at
most craft stores or on amazon.

CARBON PAPER METHOD: print your design on A4 paper. Then place a piece of carbon
paper upside down over the fabric and put your design on top of the carbon pape. Finally,
using a pencil and pressing firmly, draw the design.

LIGHT METHOD: this option can be very useful when embroidering on white fabric. you can
use your laptop, pc monitor or even a glass table. place your fabric over the printed design
and it can be seen through the fabric. then draw the design with a pencil or a washable
pen. if you want to modify the final scale of the design, the laptop or pc monitor will be the
best way. just be careful, don’t press too firmly with your pencil to avoid damage.

DAY LIGHT METHOD: if you are going to use a light-colored fabric, through which the
pattern is clearly visible in the daytime, simply, use your window, attach the design to the
window, then put the fabric over it and draw the visible lines.

IRON TRANSFERRING: outline the contours of the design with a special iron-on pattern pen
(or pencil), flip it, put on the felt and iron it with steam. do not forget that the patterns are
not symmetrical, they should be printed in a mirror mode. sometimes, the design can be
transferred without the use of an iron-on pen, just by ironing the back of the pattern
previously printed on a laser home printer.

THE BACKING

1. Glue the fabric to the inner frame of the hoop and trim the excess with scissors. Use thick
glue for fabric and wood. After that, glue a felt circle with the diameter equal to the
diameter of the inner frame. Apply glue to the edges of the circle only.

2. Gather the edges of the fabric and stitch a felt circle.

Hand Embroidery Shop Co

Hand Embroidery Shop Co

BASIC STITCHES
Embroidery Stitches Perfect
for Monograms
LET'S GET CRAFTY!
SATIN STITCH
Satin stitch is used to fill an area with thread. It is made up of straight stitches worked closely
together and can be used to fill almost any shape. A stab stitch technique makes it easier to do satin
stitch neatly. Keep your stitches a reasonable length so they don't sag against the fabric.
You may have to change the angle of your stitches as you work to fill more intricate shapes.

I leave here a link to Sarah´s Hand embroidery page , whose explanation has been very useful for me.

https://www.embroidery.rocksea.org/stitch/satin-stitch/satin-stitch/

STEM STITCH
Stem stitch is often used for outlines as it gives a smooth, elegant row of stitching and works well on
curved lines.

I leave here a link to PracticalEmbroidery page, whose explanation has been very useful for me.

https://practicalembroidery.eu/stem-stitch/

LEAF STITCH
Leaf stitch is a nice way to fill leaf, oval and pointed oval shapes, although it tends to look better
with an outline because of the open edge.

I leave here a link to Pumora Embroidery page, whose explanation has been very useful for me.

https://pumora.com/leaf-embroidery/

CHAIN STITCH
Chain stitch is one of the oldest and most familiar embroidery stitches. It works well for outlines as
well as to fill areas with embroidery. Take note of your tension when doing this stitch as you don't
want to pull the chains too tight. Adjust your stitch length for a different look.

I leave here a link to Penguin and fish page, whose explanation has been very useful for me.

https://penguinandfish.com/blogs/embroidery-stitches/how-to-do-a-chain-stitch-embroidery

Hand Embroidery Shop Co

 LONG AND SHORT STITCH
Long and short stitch is made up of straight stitches and used to cover an area completely with
thread. It works well if you want to grade your thread colours or fill an area too big for satin stitch.
The direction of the individual stitches may change depending on the shape being filled and a
smooth, solid surface is the aim.

I leave here a link to Amina's page (StitchFloral), whose explanation has been very useful for me.

https://stitchfloral.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-utlimate-guide-to-long-and-short.html?spref=pi&m=1

FERN STITCH
Fern stitch is made up of groupings of three straight stitches, worked in a row. It is done more
easily and accurately as a stab stitch.

I leave here a link to Anne's page (NorthernBelle), whose explanation has been very useful for me.

https://diaryofanorthernbelle.com/fern-stitch-embroidery-tutorial/

BACK STITCH
Back stitch can be done using a sewing technique or as a stab stitch. Try to keep each individual
stitch the same length.

I leave here a link to ShinyHappyWorld page, whose explanation has been very useful for me.

https://www.shinyhappyworld.com/2011/01/embroidery-how-to-backstitch.html?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social

HOLLY LEAF:
I leave here a link to VegetaDreams page, whose explanation has been very useful for me.

://www.shinyhappyworld.com/2011/01/embroidery-how-to-backstitch.html?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social

Hand Embroidery Shop Co

 FEATHER STITCH
Feather stitch is worked in a similar way to fly stitch to create a decorative row of stitching. Imagine
you're working between four lines.

leave here a link to Penguin and fish page, whose explanation has been very useful for me.

https://penguinandfish.com/blogs/embroidery-stitches/how-to-do-a-feather-stitch

FRENCH KNOT
French knots are round and probably the most popular embroidery knots. Today, they are
generally done by wrapping the thread around the needle twice. Use more strands or a thicker
thread to increase the size of the knot rather than wrapping your thread around the needle an
extra time. Use a milliner/straw needle.

leave here a link to ShinyHappyWorld page, whose explanation has been very useful for me.

https://www.shinyhappyworld.com/2011/02/embroidery-how-to-stitch-a-french-knot.html?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social

FISHBONE STITCH
Fishbone stitch is a plaited stitch that is good for filling shapes such as leaves, feathers and
wings. It can be worked with the individual stitches close together to fill the shape with solid
embroidery or further apart for a more open look.

leave here a link to Wandering Threads Embroidery page, whose explanation has been very
useful for me.

https://www.wanderingthreadsembroidery.com/fishbone-stitch-embroidery-tutorial/

Hand Embroidery Shop Co

BLANKET STITCH
Blanket stitch was traditionally used to stitch the hems of blankets. When the stitches are done
close together, so there are no gaps between the uprights, it's called buttonhole stitch.

leave here a link to Elara embroidery page, whose explanation has been very useful for me.

https://www.elaraembroidery.com/how-to-stitch-buttonhole-stitch/?utm_source=blog-posts&utm_medium=pinterest&utm_campaign=buttonhole-stitch&utm_content=template-12

FLY STITCH
Fly stitch can be worked in a row or as an isolated stitch. It resembles a Y and the look of the
stitch can be changed by adjusting the width and depth of the upper half of the stitch as well as
the length of the securing stitch.

leave here a link to Sweater Doll page, whose explanation has been very useful for me.

http://sweaterdoll.blogspot.com/2016/05/cross-stitch-feather-stitch-fly-stitch.html

FLY STITCH – LEAF

A fly stitch leaf is simply a leaf shape filled with fly stitch. It's an easy way to embroider leaves.
I leave here a link to ALK Stitching page, whose explanation has been very useful for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkbVc0G6FwQ

LAZY DAISY
The lazy daisy stitch is a pretty little hand embroidery stitch that is often used to form flower petals,
leaves, and intricate designs.
I leave here a link to Anette Rosanelli page, whose explanation has been very useful for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkbVc0G6FwQ

Hand Embroidery Shop Co

 Conclusion
Hand embroidery is such a wonderful medium, and the
styles and types of embroidery seem to be almost
endless. Embroidery is relatively easy to start learning
because you can start by teaching yourself simple
stitches and then build off of the skills
and techniques you’ve
learned as you go.

Thank you!

HandEmbroideryShopCo.