Top 5 Simple Embroidery Tips for Beginners
Have you been trying to get into embroidery for a while? Good news! The fabulous Rossella from Stitching in the Moment is a long-time embroidery queen, and she has been chatting to Hochanda who are here to provide you with her top five simple tips for beginners!
1. Choose a Needle You Can Thread
According to Rossella, the first thing you need to know is that some needles are more useful for certain stitches than others. Here are a few that she uses in her stitching:
Sharps – These are great for general sewing and have a relatively small round eye.
Crewel / Embroidery – To allow easier threading, these needles have wider and longer eyes, and have a sharp point for piercing the fabric.
Tapestry / Cross Stitch – These have a large eye to enable you to use thicker threads and wools. They are also blunt, and so are used to be passed through a pre-made hole in canvas.
Milliners / Straw – These have a narrow shank with the same width of the eye, making them ideal for Bullion Knots, French Knots and Cast-on Stitches where the needle is passing through coils of thread.
Chenille – Large eyes and very sharp points, I find them perfect for Silk Ribbon Embroidery!
2. Use Any Fabric at All
It is easy to feel that not having a particular type of fabric is a barrier getting in the way of your embroidery… but don’t let it be. Use whatever you have! Rossella loves using old linen tablecloths/napkins, and even if they are stained, that makes an interesting background and shows that they have history. Also, consider ‘dying’ your fabric with inks and paints. If your stitching will be laundered, these will need to be colourfast. She has also found that a stencilled background can look great. Again, just let your creativity flow!
3. Add Lace or Fabric Scraps to Your Fabric
Blank Fabric can be very daunting, so maybe attach a scrap of pretty lace or fabric as a starting point to stitch around and embellish. As Rossella suggested, a stencilled background can be great to begin embellishing!
4. Use Any Stitches At All
Don’t worry if you are unfamiliar with embroidery stitches – Back Stitch and Running Stitch make great designs. There are a huge number of online tutorials to watch and some beautiful inspirational books to browse if you want to expand your knowledge. Here is a short embroidery technique video tutorial from Rossella.
5. Leave Your Work Out So That It Is Easier to Add to Whenever You Have a Moment
“I always leave my daily stitching out in a hoop and seat stand” said Rossella. Sometimes the thought of getting all your supplies and materials out to start your project can be off-putting and take up valuable time. You are more likely to stitch regularly if your project is on show with a needle threaded. This also means that having your embroidery on display can be a talking point and may inspire others around you to begin stitching!
See Rossella’s full advice in the video below!
There you have it! Looking for additional crafting inspiration? Visit Hochanda.com for your daily craft shows, inspiration and entertainment.
