I started hand embroidery in January, and I got totally hooked! Now that I have been doing it pretty frequently and consistently for a few months, I think there are a few things that I wish I knew from the very beginning. I hope this helps some of you that have been asking about how to start hand embroidery and give a few fellow pros a few laughs about mistakes I've made.
I have been slowly introducing Embroidery and DIY content into my blog, so if this is something that you are into be sure to let me know in the comments below this post!
Other Embroidery Posts:
1. Use wooden hoops/ I have had a few of you ask if you should use wooden or plastic hoops when faced with that decision at the craft store. Wooden, hands down! It grips the fabric better and is far more cost effective. Some people I know prefer plastic, but for what I do I really love wooden ones.
If you are confused as to what I'm talking about:
2. Organize your thread/ This may seem like a no brainer but thread gets tangled, fast!! I put my thread on these plastic floss bobbins and put them into a thread storage box. In total the whole operation cost me around four dollars, totally worth it.
3. Instead of tracing, try outlining primary/foundation shapes/ This is one I learned the hard way. When you are embroidering something based on another design (especially a Disney character!) its tempting to cut corners and trace. I tried this a few times and ended up with a heavily distorted version of what I was trying to create. Try picking out a few key shapes and building from those instead, it takes a little extra time but gives you a better more accurate result.
Also thought I would mention that you need to be careful with other peoples designs in general, make sure to ask, credit, and research beforehand :)
4. Use a straightener to iron your fabric piece/ I had a friend recommend this to me at an embroidery circle, it really helps to make sure everything is aligned and provides a clean, tight fit inside the hoop.
5. If a complex pattern seems daunting, try a color block method/ This really helped when I was just starting out and didn't know what the heck I was doing. Outline a basic shape (silhouette, state shape, heart, etc..) and fill it in with colorblocking using thread, the result should look something like this! it makes the task of your first hoop a little less daunting.
Hope this helps some of you guys get stitching! If you would prefer to own a hoop of mine I hide them at Disneyland periodically and just recently opened up an Etsy store. Have a wonderful week!
xo, Natalie
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