For those of you who are just delving into the wonders of hand embroidery and discovering the creative pleasures that embroidery affords, here’s a list of tips that you might find useful along your journey.
For those who have been embroidering for a while, some of the tips may be old hat to you, but others might offer some new ideas to help spark the creative muse, or just to make needlework easier for you.
You might even have your own embroidery tips that you can share in the comments sections on the various articles listed below. Maybe you’ve learned a little trick or technique in your needlework pursuits that has made your stitching better or easier or just more fun? Why not share it with others, so that they can benefit from your experience?
As you browse the articles, don’t forget to check the comments sections – you’ll often find real gems there!
The Preliminaries
Setting up an embroidery project might seem daunting, but these tips will get you through the tough parts:
Learn how to neaten the edge of your fabric (and why) here.
You’ll find all kinds of ideas for how to transfer embroidery designs here.
Unsure of what kind of hoop or frame to use? Here’s a run-down on different types of hoops and frames used in hand embroidery.
And speaking of hoops, what makes a good embroidery hoop? Find out here.
You can make your hoop work even better by binding it with twill tape. Find out how to bind an embroidery hoop here.
Which Needle?
Here are 5 things you should know about embroidery needles.
Make sure you’re using the right needle for the job! Learn about the different types of embroidery needles, what they look like, and what they do, here.
We’ve even talked about various ways to thread embroidery needles. Read the comments on this one, too!
This article – All about Embroidery Needles – includes a list of links to many informative articles on the stitcher’s most necessarily tool.
All about Threads!
Here’s a list of various thread comparison articles on Needle ‘n Thread, if you’re baffled about the different types and weights of embroidery threads.
Maybe you just want to know about cotton threads and their types of weights. Here’s an article that covers just that question, and you can see what these cotton threads look like stitched here.
If you don’t know about separating strands of cotton, you’ll want to read this article on how to prepare stranded cotton (that’s the popular 6-strand stuff from DMC, Anchor, or the like) by stripping it – it makes a big difference in the way your stitches turn out!
Unsure of how many strands of floss to use? Here’s an article that shows you what different numbers of stranded cotton in the needle look like, stitched.
Time to Stitch!
Ever wonder how to begin and end your thread without knots? You’ll find several photo tutorials here to help you out.
Ut-oh! Slip knots are inevitable – here’s how to remove and repair those pesky slip knots.
If you know these ten embroidery stitches, you’ll never be bored!
These tutorials for hand embroidered flowers and leaves will help you add variety to your embroidery projects.
Of course, you can learn all kinds of new stitches by watching the how-to videos here on Needle ‘n Thread, or by following the step-by-step tutorials in the Stitch Fun series.
If you’re interested in creating your own sampler of embroidery stitches, check out these tips.
On Specific Stitches
Chances are, you’ll probably use chain stitch at some point. Learn how to create a perfect circular join with chain stitch here and how to start a new thread in a chain stitch line here.
And you’ll definitely want to learn stem stitch and use it, too. It’s a beautiful stitch and very versatile. These 12 tips for better stem stitch will serve you well!
Here’s hoping you find some useful tips herein! Don’t forget, you can always browse the Tips & Techniques section here on Needle ‘n Thread for further reading, too!
