Scrolling through the world wide web, we come across many pretty art forms and talented artists. Looking at the bright and beautiful designs makes us wanna try them out, too! But swimming into the uncharted waters of a new hobby can seem scary, but worry not, for we are here to help. Today, we are going to give you an introduction to one such art form, and take you to the world of embroidery and stitching, so buckle up!
1. Things You Need To Gather
Picture Credits:jayandrosedesigns
Our favourite part about starting a new artistic hobby, like embroidery, is that we get to shop for new and cute stationery items and the material. For embroidery, you will need to get your hands on a few things - embroidery hoop, to put in the fabric, a fabric of your choice, small & sharp scissors, embroidery floss (thick thread) which comes in a huge range of colours and embroidery needles - which have bigger eyes than normal needles to accommodate the embroidery floss, and something like a pencil to trace the design of your choice on the fabric.
Here’s A Beginners Guide To Embroidery | https://pumora.com/hand-embroidery-for-beginners-guide/
2. Learn The Basics
Picture Credits:millersquilting
There are a lot of small and nitty-gritty details about the art of embroidery, which, although easy to understand, are still very important to learn. For example, threading a needle can be complicated at times. Other basics you need to know about is how to separate the embroidery floss, and how to start and stop your thread for the pattern! Learning all about these basics is an important step.
3. Learn A Few Basic Embroidery Stitches
Picture Credits:youtube
Did you know there’s a whole world of different types of embroidery stitches you can learn? It may seem a little overwhelming at first, but you don’t have to worry. Select a few easy and basic stitches, to begin with, and master them by creating simple and easy patterns. When you feel you’re ready to go on, you can learn more of them. Here are a few basic stitches which you can choose to learn - Running Stitch, Back Stitch, Split Stitch, Stem Stitch, Satin Stitch, French Knot Stitch and so on. Practice your selected stitches on an extra cloth to master them.
Here’s A Tutorial | https://bit.ly/2RAOAHL
4. What Type Of Fabric To Use?
Picking fabric for embroidery can be a crucial step and can give you a hard time if you mistakenly pick up the wrong one. Although you can use whichever fabric you like, like muslin, linen, quilting cotton, or canvas, you should definitely avoid choosing satin, velvet, fleece, jersey, and in general, very smooth, thin or stretchy fabrics. Make sure you pick up light-coloured fabrics so that your design looks pretty & bright. Once you are done picking the fabric, prepare it so that it doesn’t fray when you start. There are a few methods to prevent fraying, among which, adding masking tape on the edges of the fabric, is the quickest fix!
5. Trace The Simple Pattern On The Fabric
Picture Credits:dailystitchual
Now, this part is fun! You have to choose a simple pattern to begin your embroidery journey with. Look for something which you think will be easy enough for you to start with. Once you choose a pattern, you have to transfer it onto your fabric. Tracing the design on the fabric with a pencil is easy enough. Keep your fabric on top of your design and trace it with a pencil. Keeping it against sunlight can help with visibility. Try using a water-soluble pen to trace, so that you can erase it later!
6. Putting The Fabric In The Hoop
Picture Credits:pretty_craftmaker
Finally, we get to use the much-awaited hoop! It is now time to add your fabric to the hoop. Embroidery hoops come with an outer and inner ring, and securing the fabric within the ring keeps it taut and makes the stitching easier. Plus, it gives us total artsy vibes. Now we’re finally feeling it. Make sure your fabric is secure & tight, but not too tight that you have a hard time taking it out after designing.
7. Start Stitching!
Picture Credits:hopeandharthq
We are now ready with all our prep, and ready to dive in! All that is left now is to start stitching and make the beautiful pattern appear on the fabric with our pretty and vibrant colours. Use the stitches you learnt earlier to give life to your design. Even if the world of embroidery might look intimidating at the first glance with all its stitches and prep, once you start stitching, it turns out to be pretty easy people!
8. Some Useful Pages & Videos To Follow
Picture Credits:juliet.braidwood/
Excited to get started? In case you are looking for some guidance and tutorials, the internet is flooded with pages to help you start out. HandiWorks is a cool YouTube channel with numerous videos you can follow to enter the door of your new favourite and cool hobby! The Spruce Crafts is another blog that will help you get started with learning the basics of embroidery! And lastly, if you’re looking for an interesting read that describes embroidery and everything related to the art form then you should definitely give the book, Embroidery: A Step-by-Step Guide to More than 200 Stitches by DK a read!
Here’s HandiWorks YouTube Channel |https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGjZJ0TN1PlJIEwJXKNlm6w
Here’s The Spruce Crafts Website | https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/get-started-with-embroidery-1177438
Buy The Book Here | https://www.amazon.in/Embroidery-Step-Step-Guide-Stiches/dp/1465436030
Does the world of embroidery intrigue you as much as it intrigues us? Start learning your newest hobby!
