How does embroidery work

Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Getting Started. Basic Stitches to Get Started. Stabbing vs. Beginner Projects. Free Patterns for Beginners.

Finishing Your Project. How to Finish the Back of Your Hoop. Featured Video. Related Topics. Read More. That's what gives the stitch its signature spiral look. The key to making this stitch look good is keeping the stitch length constant and short so that your spiral looks tight and even , and beginning each stitch so that it lies underneath the preceding stitch so that you don't have any extrusions breaking your line.

Mary Corbet has a very nice close-up video of the stem stitch here. Stem stich can accommodate curves but, as you can see with my waves, it is better on curves going one way than the other depending which side of the needle you're keeping the thread, and you can't switch between sides while stitching without breaking the spiral.

I don't mind the way the stitch pulls a little on the bottoms of the waves, but that is what it looks like when you hit the limit of how much stem stitch can accommodate a curve like that. At a sharp point, break the stitch line and begin a new one. Satin stitch is, to me, the quintessential embroidery stitch. It is the most time-consuming and thread-consuming! Satin stitch is simply filling in an area of fabric with thread by laying one stitch down immediately next to another.

This is where having a nice medium weave in your fabric comes in handy. In this example, I'm filling in the building on the pier with satin stitch; since it's a wooden structure, I want my stitches to look like straight boards, so I'm taking care to follow the threads in the fabric when I make each stitch.

In order to make your satin stitch look good, a little organization is required. I don't recommend varying your stitch lengths so that you have jagged edges to the stitch areas; it looks shabby.

Smooth edges look neater. You want to plan ahead how you're going to fill in a region so that you can divide it into manageable stitch areas, and the larger the region, the more difficult this gets. You can see on my sea lion that my planning was deficient, and the stitch areas are kind of all over the place. I wanted the stitch areas to be wavy, because I thought straight edge lines would look odd on an animal and to repeat the water theme, but I didn't really take the overall shape into account and the wavy areas seem to change direction, which was not what I wanted.

On the stingray, however, the plan came through and the results are excellent. Of course, the stingray is much smaller, so it was an easier area to plan for. Why can't you just make long stitches that cover the whole length of the region you're working with?

Because long stitches will gape away from your fabric, exposing the background, and sag over time. You can make long stitches if it's really necessary I used long stitches for the pillars , but then you must secure the embroidery floss to the fabric using thin sewing thread, stitching inside the floss rather than on top of it.

For a large region, this is rather impractical. Embroidery is meditative and satisfying, and I hope you'll give it a try with these three stitches. Start with a small project, and post a photo here if you'd like to share! Question 5 months ago on Step 5. I appreciate the wonderful easy instructions. I've had no formal training and most of what I've learned I learned on Youtube. Here is a bag I'm working on.

Reply 5 years ago. I work on them over a few weeks at a time on and off, but I would guess about 20 hours for something like this. Reply 6 years ago on Introduction. Introduction: Embroidery Basics. By gtrachel Follow. More by the author:. About: I am a landscape designer and advocate for native plant-focused and sustainable landscaping, but in the past I have worked in costume production and clothing alteration.

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Sewing, Embroidery. Search Your Product Enter your model number to find the support page for your product. Your session has timed out. Please log in again Login. Login Email:. Embroidery for Beginners - Machine Embroidery Estimated read time: 6 minutes Embroidery is a timeless art form and a wonderful way to add a custom flourish to a variety of textiles.

What supplies do I need to get started with programmable machine embroidery? Consider the following factors in order to narrow the field and find the best simple embroidery machine for you: Cost: An embroidery-only machine with limited embroidery field size isn't hard to fit into most budgets, while a top-of-the-line combination sewing and embroidery machine is more of an investment.

Machines are also available at every point in between. Visit a dealer to try a variety of machines so that you can choose one that fits your budget and includes features you want and need.

Embroidery Size: In general, the embroidery fields on home machines start at 4" x 4" and increase to sizes that will accommodate an entire jacket back in one hooping. If you want just a taste of embroidery, the smaller embroidery fields like 4" x 4" and 5" x 7" will lower the machine's cost and may prove more versatile than you think as you learn to manipulate designs.

It's important to know that hoop size and embroidery field are not necessarily the same. If your machine's field is 4" x 4", attaching a 6" x 10" hoop won't allow you to stitch larger designs—even if you can make the larger hoop fit onto the machine.

Features: What sort of screen does the machine have? How easy is it to transfer designs to the machine for stitching? What can you do with designs in the machine: change the size, rotate, program multiple designs into the embroidery field for one hooping? Are accessories other hoop sizes or computer software or upgrades available to increase your capabilities? Training: What embroidery how to resources are available to you once you've made the purchase?

Dealers may offer classes or individual instruction as part of the purchase price, while brands may also offer videos and online projects to help you discover all the features of your machine.

How do I start embroidering and use an embroidery hoop? Press your garment or fabric if necessary, and choose the threads for your design. Wind one or more bobbins and set one into the bobbin case.