I've wanted to get into embroidery for a while, but I'm discouraged. Starting a new hobby is somewhat overwhelming for me, and I'm not sure where to start. Any beginner tips would be greatly appreciated!
Hey! It can be daunting to start a new hobby - but the great thing about fibre arts is you can kind of start however you want!
These are my tips though, as a self-taught embroiderer ☺️
⭐️ don’t be intimidated by supplies / the cost of things - you don’t need speciality fabrics or threads - linen or cotton is the best place to start (I use pillow cases to stitch on!), or old clothing can also be fun!
⭐️ pick one or two stitches and practice them until you’re super comfortable with them! for a total beginner, I’d recommend backstitch, and satin stitch to start! you’d be surprised the amount of texture etc you can get using just one or two stitches! I tend to use 4 main stitches in my work, and some stitches I actively avoid because I just don’t get them (bullion knots 🙈) so don’t try and learn ALL the stitches at once!!
⭐️ there are some great tutorials out there, both video and photo, have a look and find the style of tutorial that you like, and have a play around with stitches ☺️ I have two tutorials (pictures, not video) on my wordpress too https://amystitchesthings.wordpress.com
⭐️ if you want to make a specific piece that has a pattern, the pattern will have little diagrams for each stitch, & many stitchers sell ‘sampler’ kits / patterns that can be really helpful for learning too!
⭐️ if you’re wanting to make pieces using designs, I’d recommend getting a water soluble pen (they’re around £3 in craft stores), then you can trace the design onto the fabric, and just rinse it off when you’re finished!
⭐️ experiment with different amounts of thread - when I first started I got frustrated that it didn’t look ‘clean’ enough on the edges, but when I used 2 strands (instead of all 6) it was much better! you can change the amount of thread and really change the look of a piece so have a play around
⭐️ try and remember that you’re doing this for fun! it’s easy to become overwhelmed or frustrated when you first start, and that’s totally natural - but you should be having fun! if the idea / pattern you’re working on isn’t jamming with you, try something different!! one of my favourite things about embroidery is how free it can be - I’m a very freehand stitcher, and often make it up as I go, I find pattern work somewhat stressful and so I have different pieces & styles of stitching that I work on at different times depending on my mood!!
⭐️ don’t compare yourself to others! this is related to the point before, but it’s incredibly easy for ‘inspiration’ to become de motivational - remember that we’re all at different stages of our crafty journey- your work won’t necessarily look the same as [any other crafters] but that is a GOOD thing!! the beauty of hand embroidery is that things don’t look the same in my opinion! you have to be FAIR to yourself. you won’t master everything you try, you’ll probably have pieces you’ll look back and cringe on, and that’s kind of the point! to learn and explore and create, not to be perfect, or as good as [this person/piece] ☺️
⭐️ practice! practice practice practice! I have hoops that aren’t ‘pieces’ as such, but just a load of rows of stem stitch, or French knots, etc just to keep cementing them in my brain (and means I can stitch *something* when I have no ideas)
this has somehow become an essay.. so I’ll stop now oops! I hope some of this was helpful though 🌸
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