Introduction
This guide will introduce you to the basics of embroidery by hand: materials, and tools needed, a few common simple stitches, and handy tips & tricks!
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1. Embroidery hoop - choose the size based on the size of fabric being used and how large the design will be
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2. Fabric - You can embroider just about any type of fabric' - as long as the hoop you are using is able to fit within the piece of clothing and/or the hoop will not over-stretch the fabric'
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3. Embroidery needle - chose your needle based on how thick your fabric is; the thicker the fabric/tighter the grain the sharper the needle
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4. Embroidery thread
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5. Pencil - often it's easiest to work from a pattern sketched on the fabric
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Scissors or thread snips
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Unscrew the top of the hoop
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Place the inner hoop underneath your fabric
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Place the outer hoop on top of the fabric and slip the outer hoop around the inner hoop
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Tighten the screw so the two hoops fit snug around one another
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Pull the loose edges of the fabric taught around the hoop
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Note: the fabric should have a good amount of tension and be completely smooth within the hoops; pull the fabric tight around the hoop but not so tight that the fabric is permanently stretched out
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Cut the embroidery thread to your desired length
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Note: longer pieces of thread can often get tangled and knotted, start off with a shorter piece of thread - you can always add more later
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Pull the thread through the eye of the needle and tie the thread in a knot
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Note: leave some slack between the thread and the eye of the needle - this will minimize the chance of the thread coming unknotted and will keep the holes being made in the fabric smaller
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Tie a knot or two at the end of the piece of thread to keep it secured against the fabric while embroidering
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For the purpose of these demos a pattern will be drawn out on the fabric as a visual guide - you can chose how much space is left between each stitch depending on where you place your needle
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Starting from the back of your fabric, poke the needle up into the fabric at the beginning of the dotted line
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Pull the needle up through the fabric along with the rest of the thread - you will hear a 'pop' once the needle knot has passed all the way through the fabric
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From the top of the fabric poke your needle down into the fabric at the end of the dotted line, again pull the needle and thread completely through the fabric
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Repeat
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Once you're done with this stitch, tie off the thread with a double knot on the backside of the fabric
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From the back, pull the needle and thread up through the fabric starting a bit ahead of the beginning of the drawn line
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Pull the needle and thread back down into the fabric, this time starting behind where you just pulled the thread up
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For the rest of the stitches, pull the needle and thread up through the fabric a bit ahead of the stitch you just made
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When pulling the needle back down into the fabric place the needle into the spot where the previous stitch started
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Repeat
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When complete, double knot the thread at the back of the fabric
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Start by making a back stitch
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Make another back stitch, this time inserting the needle into the middle of the previous stitch - this should split the thread of the previous stitch
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Pull needle and thread through the split stitch
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Repeat
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Once complete double knot the thread at the back of the fabric
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Start by making a back stitch
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For the next stitch, start next to the middle of the back stitch
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End this stitch just in front of the back stitch
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Repeat this stitch, starting just next to the middle of the previous stitch and ending the stitch just in front of the previous stitch
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When complete, tie off the thread in a double knot at the back of the fabric
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Bring the needle and thread up through the back of the fabric
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Next to the thread just pulled through, insert the needle back into and then up out of the fabric
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Continue to pull the needle and thread through, this will create a loop
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The needle and thread should be running through the middle of the loop with the loop underneath
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Gently pull the thread to finish off the first chain stitch
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For the remainder of the stitches, insert the needle next to the thread within the loop - this should be where the thread left off
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Repeat the process, gently pulling the needle and thread over the hoop that is created and re-inserting the needle within this hoop -- to finish off this stitch insert the needle into the fabric and pull the thread through the back, tie it off with a double knot
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Note: the further the distance between where you inserted the needle and where it comes back up through the fabric, the larger the chain hoop will be once pulled tight
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Start by inserting the needle and pulling the thread up through the back of the fabric
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Next, like the chain stitch, insert needle into and back up through the fabric, this time starting a bit below and to the right of where the thread was just pulled through
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Make sure the needle rests over the thread
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Pull the needle and thread through the holes just made - this will make a hoop like shape
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Continue pulling the thread tight until an 'L' forms
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Repeat
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Once complete, insert needle into fabric and pull thread to the back, tie off thread with a double knot
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From the back of the fabric, insert needle and pull thread up through the front
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Insert the needle back through the front of the fabric a bit ahead of where the thread was just pulled through
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The distance between where you insert the needle and where the thread is pulled up is completely up to you and the design
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Repeat
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Once complete, insert needle and pull thread to the back of the fabric, tie off with a double knot
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Start by inserting the needle from the back of the fabric and pull the thread all the way through
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Then, re-insert the needle back into the spot where the thread was just pulled from
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Gently pull the needle and thread back through the fabric leaving a small loop
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Next, push the needle up at the top of the loop and pull the thread through
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Re-insert the needle just outside of the loop and pull the thread back down into the fabric - this will secure the hoop in place
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Repeat, starting at the same spot where the previous stitch began
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Once complete, tie off the thread in a double knot at the back of the fabric
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Yay! You now know the basics of embroidery!
Yay! You now know the basics of embroidery!
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One Comment
Very cool! I heard this is the way to make sew on patches, is that true?