Brown - Embroidery stitching handy pocket guide: all the basics & beyond, 30+ stitches

MATERIALS FABRICS Solid fabrics in cotton, batiste, denim, linen, moir, wool, and silk are suitable, as are cotton prints, hand-dyed fabrics, and batik fabrics. Other base materials, such as felt squares and silk roving, can be interesting to work with. Keep in mind that some amount of fabric will show through the embroidery stitches; therefore, you dont want the fabrics color or pattern to overpower the embroidered design and vice versa. Once you choose your fabrics, you can decide whether to make a wholecloth or pieced base. Detail of Sand Pebbles, linen fabric with appliqud lace doily Detail of Melted Crayons, silk fabrics crazy pieced into squares with a strip-pieced border STABILIZERS I suggest using some form of stabilizer for the backing of any project while embroidering; this will minimize the wrinkling and distortion of the fabrics as you stitch. Detail of Tatianas Garden, solid piece of cotton fabric with vintage lace sections formed into a basket with a handle; backed with fast2fuse Blue Heart Etui, 5 4, modified version of log cabin piecing using two large print fabrics; backed with Timtex LACE AND APPLIQUS You can use lace yardage and appliqus as part of a pieced design or as a shape to embroider around. Detail of Tatianas Garden, solid piece of cotton fabric with vintage lace sections formed into a basket with a handle; backed with fast2fuse Blue Heart Etui, 5 4, modified version of log cabin piecing using two large print fabrics; backed with Timtex LACE AND APPLIQUS You can use lace yardage and appliqus as part of a pieced design or as a shape to embroider around.

New and vintage laces can be found in a variety of widths, styles, and fiber contents. Lace yardage can be backed with fabric and stitched as one piece of fabric. Lace trims should be hand stitched onto the project first with sewing thread and then embroidered on or around the edges. Detail of Midnight in Paris: crazy-pieced cotton, dyed silk fabric, and vintage lace yardage; lace and ribbons dyed with COLORHUE dyes Detail of Spring Butterflies: strip-pieced silk fabric with the embroidery worked off of the vintage butterfly appliqus and lace trim RIBBONS Satin, jacquard, grosgrain, and velvet ribbons can be stitched onto the project by machine or by hand. Embroidery stitches can be worked on the selvage edges or down the center of a solid-colored ribbon. Detail of Lady Bird 2: cotton fabrics with woven ribbons and lace yardage CORDS, TRIMS, AND BRAIDS You can hand stitch rattail or mouse-tail rayon cords, soutache, or braids to fabric, whether following a shape or creating a shape to embroider around. Detail of Lady Bird 2: cotton fabrics with woven ribbons and lace yardage CORDS, TRIMS, AND BRAIDS You can hand stitch rattail or mouse-tail rayon cords, soutache, or braids to fabric, whether following a shape or creating a shape to embroider around.

Cords, trims, or braids can be couched or stitched in place with an embroidery stitch using threads or beads. These trims can also be applied to the outer edges of the finished base to add extra interest. Detail of Jelly Beans: appliqud felt with soutache braids THREADS AND RIBBONS FLOSS Floss is a flat six-stranded thread that comes wrapped in a skein. A variety of fiber contents are available, including cotton, linen, silk, and rayon. Cotton and silk can be found in solid, ombr, variegated, and hand-dyed colors. Detail of Merrily We Go Around: embroidered with seventeen colors of cotton floss TWISTED THREADS Perle cotton and silk perle threads give stitches some dimension. Detail of Merrily We Go Around: embroidered with seventeen colors of cotton floss TWISTED THREADS Perle cotton and silk perle threads give stitches some dimension.

Perle cotton is a two-ply twisted cotton thread that comes in a skein or a ball; it is available in a variety of solid, ombr, variegated, and hand-dyed colors. I recommend sizes #5, #8, #10, or #12 for the embroidery stitches in this book. Specialty threads can be found in hand-dyed and solid colors. Two examples are Wildflowers thread, which is perle cotton #12, and Subtlety, which is a silk perle found in size #12. Detail of Chrysanthemum Tea: embroidered with perle cotton and cotton floss METALLIC THREADS Metallic threads come in a variety of styles and sizes, including floss, twisted threads, cords, and ribbon. Detail of Enmeshed: silk fiber with vintage metallic mesh and embroidered with metallic threads and sequins SILK EMBROIDERY RIBBON Ribbons that are made especially for silk embroidery have a woven edge. Detail of Enmeshed: silk fiber with vintage metallic mesh and embroidered with metallic threads and sequins SILK EMBROIDERY RIBBON Ribbons that are made especially for silk embroidery have a woven edge.

This ribbon is sold by the yard or on cards, spools, or plastic reels. The most popular sizes are 2 mm, 4 mm, and 7 mm, though 13 mm and wider can occasionally be found. Detail of Cancun Dreams: hand-dyed silk fabric embroidered with hand-dyed 4 mm and 7 mm silk embroidery ribbon EMBELLISHMENTS BEADS Beads come in many different shapes and sizes. The colors and finishes available are almost as extensive as the variety of threads and ribbons.