Hand embroidery guide
Starting hand embroidery, step by step
On this page 7 parts
To start hand embroidery you need six things: fabric, a hoop, six-strand floss, an embroidery needle, small scissors and something to draw the design with. Trace a simple design onto the fabric, stretch it in the hoop, thread the needle with two or three strands of floss, and stitch along the lines.
The rest of this page goes in the order you will need it: what to buy, how to set up the hoop, how to start and end a thread, five stitches to learn first, and a first project.
What you need to start
| Supply | What to get first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric | Plain cotton, such as muslin, in white or cream | Cotton is an easy fabric to begin on, and muslin is an inexpensive one to practice with. Linen is another natural fabric stitchers like, though good linen costs more. |
| Hoop | A wooden or plastic hoop about 6 inches (15 cm) across, with a screw | It holds the fabric taut so the stitches lie well. A hoop this size is easy to hold in one hand. |
| Floss | Six-strand cotton embroidery floss, also called stranded cotton, in a few colors | You separate the strands and stitch with as many as the line needs: fewer for a fine line, more for a bold one. |
| Needles | A mixed pack of embroidery needles, also sold as crewel needles, in sizes 3 to 9 | They have a sharp tip and a long eye that takes several strands. The higher the number, the finer the needle. |
| Scissors | A small, sharp pair | Small scissors are all you need for thread, and a cleanly cut end is easier to get through the eye. |
| Marking tool | A water-soluble fabric pen, or an ordinary pencil used lightly | To draw the design on the fabric. Do not use a regular pen or a permanent marker. |
Pick a light-colored fabric for your first piece. Tracing at a window depends on seeing the pattern through the cloth, and dark fabric needs a different way of transferring the design. When you want to stitch on clothing, read how to embroider clothes first.
How to set up an embroidery hoop
- Cut the fabric so that it reaches well past the hoop on every side. The rings need cloth to hold, and you need an edge to pull on. If the piece will be washed later, wash and iron the cotton first, because some cotton shrinks.
- Trace the design onto the fabric before you hoop it. The simplest way is to tape the pattern to a sunny window, tape the fabric over it and trace the lines lightly. How to transfer a pattern covers the other methods.
- Loosen the screw just enough to separate the two rings. Do not take it all the way out. Lay the inner ring, the smaller one without the screw, on a table.
- Lay the fabric over the inner ring with the design facing up and centered, then press the outer ring down over both.
- Tighten the screw until the fabric is held, then pull the fabric gently at the sides to take up the slack. Usually you want it drum tight: flick it and it sounds a little like a drum.
- Pull and tighten again whenever the fabric loosens. Take the fabric out of the hoop when you stop for the day, which lowers the chance of lasting hoop marks.
How to thread the needle and start a thread
- Cut a length of floss about 18 inches (45 cm) long, and no longer than your arm. A longer thread is harder to handle, and it wears and loses its sheen as it passes through the fabric again and again.
- Pull out the strands you need one at a time, then put them back together. Two or three strands is a common place to start. See how many strands of floss to use.
- Thread the needle and pull a short tail through. Leave that end loose. Do not knot the two ends together, or you will be stitching with double the thickness.
- Anchor the long end with a knot, or use one of the knotless starts below.
Starting with a knot
Tie a small knot at the long end, bring the needle up from the back of the fabric, and begin. This is probably the most common way to start, and it is fine wherever the back of the work will not be seen. On pieces whose back shows, such as towels and handkerchiefs, a knot is a nuisance: it has to keep a tail so it does not come undone, and the tail sticks out.
How to start without a knot
- Waste knot. Knot the end. Take the needle down through the front of the fabric about an inch (2.5 cm) along the line from where you will begin. Come up at the starting point and stitch toward the knot, so that each stitch crosses over the thread lying along the back and holds it down. When you reach the knot, lift it and snip it off close to the fabric.
- Loop start. This works with an even number of strands. For two strands, cut one strand twice the usual length, fold it in half and thread the two cut ends through the needle. Come up from the back, leaving the loop behind the fabric, go back down close by, and pass the needle through the loop before pulling it snug.
- Anchor stitches. Make two or three tiny stitches on a line or inside a shape that later stitching will cover, then trim the tail close.
How to end a thread
Turn the hoop over, run the needle under the backs of a few stitches, pull through and snip the thread close. Stop while you still have enough thread in the needle to do this.
Five stitches to learn first
| Stitch | What it makes | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Running stitch | A dashed line | Light outlines and simple lines |
| Back stitch | A solid line | Outlines and lettering |
| Stem stitch | A rope-like line | Curves, stems and cursive lettering |
| Satin stitch | A smooth solid fill | Small shapes such as petals and leaves |
| French knot | A raised dot | Flower centers and dots |
Draw a few straight lines, curves and small leaf shapes on a scrap of fabric and try each stitch there before you use it on a real pattern. When these feel comfortable, basic stitches adds five more, and the stitch library has a page for each one.
A first project
Start small. Choose a design made mostly of lines, with a few colors and two or three simple stitches, in a hoop of 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm). Go easy on filled areas at first: satin stitch is simple in idea, but it takes practice to get smooth.
- Trace the pattern onto the fabric and put the fabric in the hoop.
- Stitch along the lines, ending each thread on the back as you finish with it. Do not carry a thread across an open gap on the back, because it can show through from the front.
- Take out the pen marks the way the pen's maker directs. Marks from a washable transfer pen come off with a damp cloth or in the wash.
- To press the piece, lay it face down on a folded towel and iron the back, so that raised stitches are not crushed.
- Display it in the hoop. See how to finish a hoop.
Is embroidery hard to learn?
The first stitches are not hard. Running stitch is simply up and down through the fabric, and stem stitch is counted among the easiest stitches to do. What takes practice is keeping your stitches even. Mistakes are part of it, for experienced stitchers too, and most of them can be put right or turned into something else.
Common beginner problems
- The fabric keeps going slack. Pull the fabric at the sides and tighten the screw again. Binding the inner ring of a wooden hoop with cotton twill tape adds friction, so the fabric stays tight longer.
- The thread twists up or tangles. Let the needle and thread dangle toward the floor now and then so the thread can untwist. Cut a shorter length next time.
- The thread looks worn and dull. It was too long and has been through the fabric too many times. Start a fresh, shorter length.
- The fabric puckers around the stitches. The stitches are pulled too tight, or the fabric is loose in the hoop. Very small stitches in a thick thread can pucker the fabric too.
- The needle is hard to pull through. If the fabric dents and you have to fight to get the eye through, switch to a larger needle, which means a lower number. See needle sizes.
- The hoop leaves marks. Take the fabric out of the hoop at the end of each stitching session.
- Thread shows through from the back. A thread carried across an open space on the back can be seen from the front, even white thread on white fabric. End the thread and start again instead.