At the end of a long day I love to relax with an embroidery project. It's a creative way to unwind. Invariably, I find myself needing to pull a project together because I haven't done that. I want to embroider, I often don't have anything ready to go. And at night, when all I want to do is relax, this is the last thing I want to have to deal with. More often than not, this has put me off a project or led to bad thread color choices.
Don't be like me! Let me help you save time and frustration. Having done this to myself countless times, here are 6 tips to help you dive into an embroidery project.
My 6 Embroidery Tips:
1. Prepare Your Project
This means have all of your supplies ready to go. Decide what you want to stitch and have the necessary supplies on hand. Needing to pull supplies together or finding out I'm out of a necessary color is a huge deterrent for me.
2. Use Transfer Paper
Transferring an embroidery pattern is often the bane of my existence. Getting all the tiny details just right are not what I want to have to focus on at the end of the day. Instead, I want to start embroidering. By printing a pattern onto Sulky-Fabri Solvi or using Peel Stick and Stitch Patterns, you don't have to worry about tracing a design. You can just peel off the backing, place it on the fabric, and start stitching. If you want to try out other transfer methods, check out these 7 transfer methods. And if you have dark fabric, this blog post is perfect for you.
3. Have A Good Embroidery Hoop
An embroidery hoop should keep your fabric taught and feel good in your hands. Unfortunately, not all embroidery hoops are created equally. If your hoop isn't holding your fabric evenly taught, it's going to make for an un-fun embroidery experience. See what types of embroidery hoops are available and learn how to make a bad hoop good by binding it.
4. Prep Your Thread
I'm always surprised at how many people don't split apart their embroidery thread. Splitting your thread makes it easier to work with and gives you different weights for more variety and texture in your stitching.
Along with separating thread, I find thread gloss to be an essential embroidery tool. This scented beeswax blend acts as a conditioner for thread. It helps prevent tangles and keeps thread together when threading the needle.
5. Sharpen Your Scissors
Or at least have sharp scissors on hand. Using dull scissors to cut thread makes the process take longer and causes scraggly thread. Which in itself is hard to use or thread a needle with. I find that short sharp scissors are the easiest to use for embroidery.
6. Get An Extra Pair of Hands
With an embroidery stand that is! At the end of the day, I am tired. My hands are tired. Having an embroidery stand hold my hoop for me, makes it so I can enjoy embroidering without worrying about my hands cramping up. I found this embroidery stand on Amazon.
I hope you find these tips helpful! Wether they're helpful reminders or you find new products to try, I want to make your embroidery experience as enjoyable as possible!
Happy stitching!
-Melissa
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