Category: How to

I thought I would write a bit today about what one needs to start their embroidery journey. Embroidery doesn’t require a ton of supplies because it’s a pretty simple hobby to start. If someone saw my craft room they may think otherwise, but I promise you that you don’t need that much to get started. I don’t know what happened. There was an explosion and now I have tons of stuff ok. Let’s get on with this!

The Basics

The first thing on my list is fabric. You can use any type of fabric as long as it doesn’t stretch. Any stretching will distort your image. You also want to be careful of any material that will shrink when washed. If you plan on embroidering on clothing, then it’s best to wash the item first before doing any type of stitching. I myself use Kona cotton or calico. Kona cotton comes in a variety of colors and I use calico if I plan on using watercolors. Calico helps the watercolors not bleed as much.

An embroidery hoop is a must have because it helps give tension to your fabric. Your fabric should be drum tight. They come in all different sizes and shapes. You pick the size and shape according to the embroidery pattern that you want to do. I personally prefer to use a plastic hoop to stitch in and a wooden one for displaying my finished works. You can stitch in a wooden one, but plastic ones have a lip on them that grab the fabric to keep it from slipping. Side-note: not all plastic hoops have a lip, but the one I suggested above does. As for using the wooden hoop for displaying your artwork- you can leave it plain, paint it, or even stain it to give it a more polished look. I’ve even seen people glue pom poms around the perimeter. I usually leave it plain, but I plan on experimenting with different stains in the future.

Where do I begin with needles?! There are so many that I use. You’re probably saying to yourself…well don’t you only need an embroidery needle? Duh Aisha?! No, no, no- I use many different needles. Starting out, you can just get an embroidery needle, but if you want to do many sorts of stitches then you may find yourself taking on more kinds.

My favorite needle that I use the most is a DMC #5 embroidery needle. I also use a tapestry needle if I want to do any weaving. You also need a beading needle if you want to apply any beads. Milliners needles aren’t absolutely necessary, but they do come in handy when doing a French knot or bullion stitch. One tip with needles is to make sure you pick the right size needle to go with the fabric and thread you’re using. If using one strand of thread, for example, I would use a smaller needle. If you use the wrong size needle, you risk damaging your fabric or your finished artwork may not look as smooth.

Now we’ve arrived at my favorite part-THREAD! If anyone has stepped into my craft room, then they definitely can see my love of thread.

For embroidery, the main type of embroidery floss is called mouline. It comes on a skein and it’s a thread that divides into six individual strands.

The most popular brands are DMC or Anchor. Both of these brands are good but I prefer DMC. Here in the States, it’s very easy to find and you can order it online. When I was living in Mexico, it was very hard to find in stores and I always had to have it shipped to me. When I first started out, I bought floss off of Amazon. Big mistake! I found out the hard way that those ones tangle so much and they’re not as shiny as DMC or Anchor.

Many people don’t even use mouline when doing embroidery. You can use Perle which is a non-divisible thread. DMC has a perle line that comes in a variety of colors and sizes. One can also use sewing thread. A popular brand is Gutermann. I’ve used it and I find it comes in handy when I’m doing needle painting. The type of thread you use depends on the look you want to give your piece, but as I said before, mouline is most prominently used.

Embroidery scissors are a must and they are really simple to acquire. Many embroiders have a huge collection of them because there are a lot of cute ones!

I personally need to work on my scissor collection! 🙂 The main thing you need to look for is something small and compact with a sharp point. You will also need fabric scissors. Only use these scissors for fabric and only use your embroidery scissors for thread. I also love my pinking shears. They have a zig zag edge and I use them to cut my fabric. There’s nothing I hate more than the edges of my fabric fraying and these scissors help to prevent that.

Tip: If the blade of your scissors get dull, try cutting pieces of aluminum foil with them and they will be good as new!

Lighting, lighting, lighting! If you don’t have good lighting, then your work won’t come out looking very good. Whether it’s natural light or a lamp, you must have good lighting. I use a table lamp with a white light instead of yellow because it tends to look more natural. Also, if you’re picking out colors for a project, don’t do it at night. The colors don’t look the same as in the daytime in natural light.

Nice-to-Haves

Some things that are nice to have, but aren’t a must are an embroidery stand and a needle minder. Embroidery stands grab your hoop for you so that you don’t have to hold it. For me, it’s a must have but when I started out I didn’t have one and it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have one. It’s nice to have both hands free though and it helps relieve any neck or back tension.

Needle minders are also nice to have. They are a magnetized pin that holds your needle for you. That way you don’t have to stick your needle in the arm of the couch and prevent any unfortunate events from happening! LOL! I admit I like them because they come in all sorts of cute designs.

That sums it up for today! I hope you learned a bit. Hit me up if you have any questions. Until next week! I hope you all have an awesome and fulfilling week!