Choosing embroidery tools
The list above is what exists. This is how to decide which of it you actually need, what separates a tool worth keeping from one that ends up at the back of a drawer.
Drum tight fabric, and why it matters
Fabric held slack moves as the needle goes through it, so the stitch pulls the weave in slightly. Repeated a few hundred times, that is a puckered, distorted piece that will not press flat afterwards.
A hoop tightened properly holds the fabric like a drum head. Tap it and it should sound taut. Retighten as you work, because fabric relaxes into a hoop over an hour, and a hoop that was tight when you started often is not.
- Tap it like a drum
- It should sound taut. That is the whole test and it takes a second.
- Retighten as you go
- Fabric relaxes into a hoop over an hour. Check it every time you pick the work up.
- Puckers do not press out
- Distortion stitched into the weave stays there. This is the thing to get right first.
- Bind the inner ring
- Cotton tape wrapped round it grips better and stops delicate fabric marking.
Getting the design onto the fabric
There are four practical methods and each suits a different fabric. Tracing with a water soluble pen against a window works on anything pale and thin. A transfer pencil and an iron works on opaque fabric. Tissue paper stitched through and torn away works on dark or textured fabric.
Whatever you use, test it on a scrap of the same fabric first. Several marking pens set permanently if they meet heat, which is discovered at the moment the finished piece is pressed.
- Trace at a window
- For pale thin fabric. Free, and the light is better than any lightbox.
- Iron on transfer
- For opaque fabric where tracing is impossible. The line is permanent, so stitch over it fully.
- Tissue paper
- Stitch through it and tear it away. The only reliable method on dark or textured cloth.
- Test the marker
- Some set permanently under an iron. Find that out on a scrap, not on the finished piece.
Stranded cotton and how many strands
Stranded cotton comes as six loosely twisted strands and is meant to be separated. Two or three strands is the usual working weight, one strand for fine detail, six for bold outlines and filling large areas quickly.
Separating properly matters. Pull one strand at a time straight out of the group, let the rest untwist, then recombine. Cutting a six strand length in half and using it doubled gives a thread that twists on itself and lies badly.
- Two or three strands
- The usual working weight. Six is for bold outlines and covering ground fast.
- Separate one at a time
- Pull each strand out singly and recombine. It lies flat afterwards, which shows.
- Around 45cm lengths
- Longer and it abrades through the fabric and frays before you have used it.
- Let it untwist
- Drop the needle and let it hang. A twisted thread makes uneven stitches.
Needle type by what you are stitching
An embroidery or crewel needle has a long eye for several strands and a sharp point for woven fabric. A tapestry needle is blunt, for canvas and evenweave where the needle should pass through a hole rather than pierce a thread.
A chenille needle is large eyed and sharp, for wool and ribbon on heavier cloth. Getting this wrong shows up as thread that shreds in the eye, or a needle that will not pass without dragging the fabric with it.
- Crewel for woven fabric
- Sharp, long eye. The default for stranded cotton on cotton or linen.
- Tapestry for evenweave
- Blunt, so it finds the hole instead of splitting a thread. Cross stitch and canvas.
- Chenille for wool and ribbon
- Big eye, sharp point, for thick threads on heavier cloth.
- Eye should pass easily
- If the thread shreds, the eye is too small. That is the whole sizing rule.
Finishing so the back does not show
Knots on the back create bumps that show through when the piece is framed or pressed, and they come undone with washing. The alternatives are an away waste knot cut off later, or weaving the tail under existing stitches.
Then press face down on a soft towel so the stitches sink into it rather than being flattened. Pressing embroidery face up crushes the texture, which is the thing you spent the hours on.
- Avoid knots
- They bump through when framed and work loose in the wash. Weave the tail instead.
- Waste knot
- Start with a knot away from the design, stitch toward it, then cut it off from the front.
- Press face down
- On a towel, so the stitches sink in. Face up crushes the texture flat.
- Wash before framing
- Removes marking pen and hoop marks. Cold water, and check the thread is colourfast.
Frequently asked questions
- What tools do I need to start embroidery?
- A 15cm hoop, a packet of crewel needles, some stranded cotton, a piece of cotton or linen, small sharp scissors and a water soluble marking pen. That is genuinely a complete kit, and the total cost is less than a single skein of specialist thread.
- How tight should embroidery fabric be in the hoop?
- Drum tight, so tapping it makes a sound. Slack fabric moves as the needle passes through and pulls the weave, which puckers the finished piece in a way that will not press out. Retighten every time you pick the work up, since fabric relaxes into a hoop.
- How do you transfer an embroidery design onto fabric?
- Trace it with a water soluble pen against a window for pale thin fabric. Use an iron on transfer pencil for opaque fabric. Stitch through tissue paper and tear it away for dark or textured cloth. Test any marker on a scrap first, since some set permanently under heat.
- How many strands of embroidery thread should I use?
- Two or three for most work, one for fine detail, and six for bold outlines or covering an area quickly. Separate the strands one at a time and recombine them, since a length used straight from the skein twists on itself and lies unevenly.
- What is the difference between crewel and tapestry needles?
- A crewel needle is sharp with a long eye, for stranded cotton on woven fabric. A tapestry needle is blunt, so on evenweave and canvas it finds the hole rather than splitting a thread. A chenille needle is large eyed and sharp, for wool and ribbon.
- Should you knot embroidery thread at the back?
- Better not to. Knots bump through when the piece is framed or pressed, and they work loose in the wash. Use an away waste knot that gets cut off from the front, or weave the tail under a few existing stitches on the back.
- How do you press finished embroidery?
- Face down on a soft towel, so the stitches sink into it rather than being flattened. Pressing face up crushes the texture, which is the part you spent the hours on. Wash it first in cold water to remove marking pen and hoop creases.
- What fabric is best for embroidery?
- Medium weight cotton or linen with a close even weave, which supports stitches without letting them sink in. Avoid anything stretchy, and avoid a very loose weave where stitches pull through. Add a stabiliser behind thin fabric or knitwear.
