ESSENTIALS

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO GET STARTED ON YOUR EMBROIDERY ADVENTURE

Your guide to all the materials, techniques and embroidery stitches you need to know

YOUR BASIC EMBROIDERY KIT

For the majority of the projects in this issue you will need the following items. There are !& "/"+1 16-"0 3 &) )" 0, read on to choose the correct materials for each project.

Fabric

Thread

Needles

Scissors

Embroidery hoop Transfer pens/pencils

FABRIC

Embroidery can be worked on a wide variety of fabrics or readymade items. It’s best to choose fabrics with a fairly smooth surface as heavily-textured surfaces will prevent the stitches from lying flat. For beginners, it’s best to start with a 100% plain-weave cotton.

When choosing fabric, consider its intended use, how much wear it will get and how often it will need to be washed.

Fabric can be categorised by its weave and fibre content. Plain weave is the most common type of weave and includes poplin, calico and canvas. Satin weave is a really smooth fabric which is glossy on one side; it includes cotton sateen and satin. Twill weave is a strong fabric with diagonal ribs, such as denim and tweed. Evenweave has regularly spaced holes between the threads and is used for counted thread embroidery. Surface pattern, gingham and ticking can be effectively embroidered on top by following, or echoing, the print.

The most common fibre used is cotton, which is strong and washes well. Linen has a slightly uneven surface due to the natural slubs, which are part of its charm. Silk is luxurious and has a subtle sheen, but take care when stitching on it as it can pucker. Pure wool fabric has quite a tight weave, is easy to stitch on and adds a wonderful texture to embroidery.

THREAD

Choose thread for your project according to how your finished embroidery will be used. For items that will receive a lot of wear and tear use hard-wearing thread, such as stranded cotton. For decorative pieces use finer decorative threads. Consider also how well they’ll cover the embroidery design, and experiment to get the thickness you desire.

STRANDED COTTON

This is a divisible, six-strand thread. One strand forms a fine line, while six strands used together produce a bold, heavy line. It’s available in a wide variety of more than 400 colours, in pure cotton, silk and rayon.

COTON PERLÉ

Also known as ‘pearl cotton’, this twisted single-strand thread has a slight sheen and is available in four weights from heavy to fine: 3, 5, 8, 12. It’s often used for Hardanger embroidery.

COTON À BRODER

Also known as ‘special embroidery thread’, this matte, single-strand thread is available in four weights from heavy to fine: 16,

20, 25, 30. It can be used for surface embroidery, blackwork and drawn thread.

CREWEL WOOL

This single-strand woollen thread is available in many colours and used for fine embroidery and crewel work.

Always work with shorter lengths of about 30cm and coat with a thread conditioner.

SPECIALITY THREADS

There are many other threads to choose from in a wealth of different effects, such as space-dyed, hand-dyed and ombré. Try flower, soft cotton and silk threads.

HOOPS & FRAMES

Using a hoop or frame makes it easier to achieve a neat, even finish without the fabric distorting. Stands for hoops and frames, which leave your hands free to stitch, are available as floor-standing, table, lap or seat-mounted.

HOOPS

Hoops work by holding a section of the fabric taut between two rings. Wooden hoops have two rings with an adjustable metal screw. Spring tension hoops have a plastic outer ring with a metal springloaded inner ring to keep the fabric taut.

FRAMES

Frames are designed for larger pieces to keep an entire piece of fabric taut. eye so that it can take thicker threads. It’s also good for embroidering with ribbon.

CREWEL/EMBROIDERY

This is the most commonly used needle for embroidery. It’s a medium-length, sharppointed needle with a long eye.

MILLINERS/STRAW

This long needle has a round eye, so is perfect for working decorative stitches like Bullion Knot.

QUILTING/BETWEENS

These needles are very short and fine with a round eye. The shorter length makes them ideal for fine needlework, such as shadow work.

SHARPS

These general purpose needles are medium length with round eyes, which makes them strong, and perfect for tightly woven fabrics.

TAPESTRY

This blunt-ended, large-eyed needle is used for counted thread embroidery and working whipstitch.

There are several tools and materials that can be used for transferring designs.

TRANSFER PENS AND PENCILS

These are either permanent or temporary, and are erasable by air, heat or water.

DRESSMAKER’S CARBON PAPER

This comes in different colours so it’ll show up on different coloured fabrics.

IRON-ON TRANSFERS

These can be bought either singly or in books and can be used more than once.

LIGHTBOX

These are like an illuminated tablet and are worth the investment for easy tracing.

PENCIL

A standard soft pencil can be used to trace a design onto fabric.

WATER-SOLUBLE STABILISER PAPER

Draw or print a design on this, embroider through it, then dissolve it in water.

USEFUL EXTRAS COTTON TAPE

Used to bind the inner embroidery hoop when stitching on fine or delicate fabrics.

LIGHTS AND MAGNIFIERS

Perfect for seeing small stitches close up or for working in artificial light.

SCISSORS

Small, sharp scissors are invaluable for snipping off thread ends. Dressmaking scissors are used for cutting fabric to size.

THIMBLE

These will protect your fingers, particularly when using thicker threads.

THREAD CONDITIONER/BEESWAX

This helps stop the thread from getting tangled, particularly metallic threads.