14 guides
Hand embroidery guides
New to hand embroidery? Begin with Starting hand embroidery, step by step.
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Starting hand embroidery, step by step
How to start hand embroidery, in order. The six supplies to buy, setting up a hoop, starting a thread with or without a knot, and five first stitches.
How to transfer an embroidery pattern
Ways to get a hand embroidery pattern onto fabric, from window tracing and marking pens to carbon paper, stick-and-stitch, tissue paper and prick and pounce.
Ten basic stitches for hand embroidery
Ten basic hand embroidery stitches and how to work each one, with a chart of which stitch to use for outlines, lettering, filling, flowers and leaves.
How many strands of floss to use
How many strands of floss to use for outlines, lettering, satin stitch and knots, how to separate six-strand floss cleanly, and which needle fits.
Hand embroidery needle sizes
Hand embroidery needle sizes explained, with crewel sizes 1 to 12 matched to strands of floss, plus tapestry, chenille, milliners and sharps needles.
Hoop sizes for hand embroidery
Hand embroidery hoop sizes from 3 to 12 inches with centimeters, the largest design each one holds, how much fabric to cut, and what each kind of hoop is for.
On clothes
Hand embroidery on clothes
Hand embroidery on clothes: prewash the garment, hold T-shirts and other knits still with a stabilizer, pick a needle for denim, and secure every thread end.
Where to place embroidery on clothes and linens
Where embroidery goes on shirts, jackets, pockets, cuffs, towels, napkins, totes and pillowcases, in inches and centimeters, and how to mark the spot.
Care and finishing
How to finish an embroidery hoop
How to finish the back of an embroidery hoop for display: gather it with a running stitch, add a felt backing or glue it, hang it, or mount it in a frame.
Washing and caring for hand embroidery
Yes, you can wash hand embroidery. How to test for colors that run, rinse out pen marks, hand wash, dry flat, press face down on a towel and store it.
How to remove embroidery stitches
How to take out hand embroidery: snip the stitches on the back, pull the threads with tweezers, lift the fuzz with tape, and what to expect from the fabric.
Reference
The main types of hand embroidery
The main types of hand embroidery and what sets each apart: surface, crewel, redwork, blackwork, whitework, sashiko, goldwork, stumpwork and counted work.
Embroidery and cross stitch compared
Cross stitch is one counted kind of embroidery. Compare the fabric, patterns, stitches, needles and thread of surface embroidery and cross stitch.
Pricing your hand embroidery
How to price hand embroidery you sell: add up materials, time the work, build an hourly figure from pay, overhead and profit, then check it against the market.