Can I use regular needles for embroidery?
Embroidery needles work better with embroidery thread than sewing needles. If you have standard sewing needles around the house already, they won't generally work for this kind of crafting. Embroidery needles are usually less sharp than sewing needles, with a larger eye.
Embroidery needles have a long eye which makes threading the needle so much easier when using multiple strands of thread. The most popular sizes used to embroider are size 7 and 9. Because of their large eye these needles are suitable for general sewing.
Scissors are nice, but you don't need them to embroider. (That said, I think it would be somewhat difficult – and inadvisable – to cut embroidery threads with your teeth…) But you can't really embroider without a needle. Something has to transport that thread in and out of the fabric, after all.
Ball point needles are designed to alleviate making holes in knits or loosely woven materials. A sharp, or standard point needle is used for tightly woven fabrics, quilt cottons or special applications.
Embroidery needles have a long oval eye that is somewhat larger than a standard sewing needle. This makes it easier to use with multiple strands of embroidery floss. The end has a sharp point, making it great to use on fabric with a tighter weave for surface embroidery.
If you're considering starting to use correctly sized needles, I would highly recommend the Clover Gold Eye Sized 3-9 Embroidery Needles stocked in the shop. In this pack you'll have the 3 sizes I use in my projects, and also a few others to try out for yourself.
There are three types of needles usually used for embellishing fabric: embroidery (also referred to as crewel), chenille and tapestry.
The fabrics least suited for embroidery are thin or flimsy fabrics like silk, rayon, or super fine t-shirts.
Stabilizer is the foundation of your embroidery and is a necessity to support your fabric and thread. Without the use of the proper stabilizer the registration of the design may be off, you might have puckering, and your fabric may distort. Your choice of stabilizer can “make or break” your stitch out.
Depending on the skills of the person with the needle, hand embroidery can result in a lifelike piece of art that will make a unique display to be enjoyed by all. Machine embroidery, on the other hand, produces more professional looking work in a fraction of the time it takes to do something similar by hand.
Can anyone use any kind of needle when working with embroidery?
Embroidery needles work better with embroidery thread than sewing needles. If you have standard sewing needles around the house already, they won't generally work for this kind of crafting. Embroidery needles are usually less sharp than sewing needles, with a larger eye.
A 75/11 needle may bend or break, which could result in injury. Ball point needles (golden colored) 90/14 are not recommended for embroidery, as they may bend or break, causing injury.
Six strands - Sometimes you want maximum bulk and to retain the embroidery floss look, in which case all 6 strands can be used. A longer length of three strands can be doubled if you want to stitch with 6 strands but don't want as much bulk at the eye of the needle.
The most commonly used embroidery needles have a universal point, which means a slightly rounded tip that sits between the sharp and ballpoint type points. The universal point suits most kinds of fabrics and stabilizers in general.
For most embroidery projects on average-weight fabric, a 75/11 needle works great. For heavier cottons and linens, you might go up to an 80/12 size, and for heavy denims and fleeces you might use a 90/14 needle. Please note that the thinner your thread, the smaller the needle should be.
The running stitch probably is the most simple and basic embroidery stitch. Yet you can achieve the most intriguing patterns or minimalistic line stitching. It is worked in a simple up and down motion. The running stitch is the main embroidery stitch for Japanese Sashiko embroidery and many darning techniques.
In short, yes, you actually can! But there can be a danger of puckering. Hoops are designed to keep the tension of ground fabric even at all times so that it is neither understretched or overstretched. Because in both cases it leads to your fabric looking squeezed.
Gold plating and other things
Gold plating is used to make a needle more slippery as you stitch. This is especially popular with cross-stitching. The other benefit to gold plated needles is that those with nickel allergies don't get the itchy fingers and red eyes associated with nickel allergies from sewing needles.
You'll need a needle, floss, scissors, fabric, a design to stitch, and a way to transfer that design to your fabric.
This type of knot is particular to the rich Chinese silk embroidery where patterns were filled with rows of such fine knots. The name 'Forbidden Stitch' took shape probably because of the knots' association to China's Forbidden City, the home to the Emperor.
What is bad embroidery?
Poor Registration. DESCRIPTION: Where the stitches and design elements do not line up correctly. The embroidery sewing process sews different colors at different times. If the fabric shifts while one color is being sewn, then poor registration will occur when the next color is sewn.
Using the wrong size or type of needle or 2. Using the wrong fabric. If you're using a large needle on a fine fabric, your work may develop holes. Beginner stitchers should stick to cotton or linen fabrics with a tight weave as they are more forgiving than other fabrics.
Under the embroidery, you'll find a piece of white material (or black). That's backing. Backing is a sheet of material that is hooped and embroidered along with the fabric you're embroidering. This material acts as a stabilizer, supporting the fabric and stitches during the embroidery process.
Cotton, sweatshirt materials, fleece, flannel are all good alternatives to fabric stabilizers.
No, do not use dryer sheets or just spray starch instead of stabilizer. You must use stabilizer. Do not use coffee filters either.
