Did you know that March is National Craft Month?! Yay!
I am determined to do at least one craft a day throughout the month of March. I love creating and trying new things, so this is going to be a really FUN month!
Today I’m learning to embroider.
Follow along with me and share your ideas, suggestions, and comments. You can also follow along on my Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/JayDeesBlogPage
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Botanical Embroidery
Today I practiced embroidery stitches. I’m making Spring flowers on fabric, and will eventually use these pieces as part of a sort-of-quilted pillow cover collage I have in mind.
I was very much a tomboy growing up. Jumping bikes over ramps, playing hockey, softball, and football or doing anything outside were my favorite things to do growing up. My Mom was an incredible seamstress and could also knit, crochet, embroider… you name it! And she was a natural at all of these things. She tried teaching me, but sitting still inside wasn’t something I was good at. As an adult, I sure wish I still had my Mom here to teach me now. Wonder what she’d think if she saw ME embroidering?! I’m still learning.. 143 Mom
What You Will Need:
- 6″ Embroidery Hoop (a variety of different sizes is helpful)
- Embroidery Cloth (or any fabric that you want to embroider on)
- Embroidery Needles
- Needle Threader
- Embroidery Floss (Thread)
- Scissors
- Pencil
What You Do:
- After planning and sketching your pattern onto the fabric that you’re going to embroider, place that fabric into an embroidery hoop
Make sure to tighten the loop in order to hold the cloth securely. It’s a good idea to pull the fabric all the way around to make it as tight as possible. Tighten the loop if needed. - Split the strands of your embroidery floss to have the number of strands you need for your pattern – for example, most stitches use two strands
TIP: The more strands you use, the thicker your stitches will be. If you want fine stitches, use just one strand of thread. - Use a needle threader to thread your first color of floss onto your needle
- Push your threaded needle up from the back of your fabric to follow the pattern, and leave about 1/2″ of thread on the backside
- While holding down the tail of thread on the back, push your needle through the top of the pattern, back to the back
- Continue stitching, following your pattern and using the appropriate stitch for that part of your pattern
TIP: You can capture the tail of embroidery thread on the back within the stitches as you move forward. - Change the colors of embroidery thread as you go, until your entire pattern is complete
- To end a color of thread, push the needle through a couple of stitches on the backside of your cloth before cutting the thread – this keeps the tail of thread tucked under existing stitches so it doesn’t come loose
Additional Tips:
- Start with a Kit – If you’ve never done embroidery before, or you’re just starting out (like me), you might want to start with a kit. I used this Botanical Kit and am really happy with the results.
- Learn the Stitches – I have a Practice Kit I bought that helps you learn a bunch of different embroidery stitches – it’s pretty cool. I found the instructions a little confusing at first, but the more you start stitching, the more sense they make – and I did learn a lot! I like the finished look of these pieces so much, I’m going to hang them in hoops in a bedroom at our lake cabin. I think they’ll fit the boho botanical decor very well.
- Use a Variety of Fabrics – You can embroider on virtually ANY fabric. For example, t-shirts; ball caps, pillowcases; tea towels; denim jeans, jackets – whatever you want to use. Be creative!
- Display Your Pieces or Turn Them Into Something New – You can display your finished project in an embroidery hoop, a picture frame, or even use the pieces of fabric to create a pillowcase, or other creative piece.
- Patterns and Designs – You can freehand draw patterns and images to use for your embroidery project. If you need more inspiration, search for patterns on the internet or on Pinterest. Coloring books also make interesting patterns.
Make sure to see all my other projects for National Craft Month to give you ideas of projects you might want to try!
I hope you enjoyed this project! Make sure to check back tomorrow to see what I’ll be working on.
