Transcripts
1. Blossom Embroidery Introduction: In this class, I'll teach you how to embroider blossom using only a few stitches. I'll show you how you can combine colors to create an interesting effects, and I'll show you how to finish your hoops so that you can hang it on your wall. Welcome to my home and studio here in Roseville. My name is Sherlock Kong (phonetic) and I'm a fashion designer. I create PDF sewing patterns that I sell online and I teach creative workshops like sewing and embroidery. I studied fashion design and created my own women's wear label. But after about seven years, I lost my sewing mojo, and that's when I turned to hand work to get back into more creative space. I started knitting and embroidery. I love to do small projects where I experiment with only a few stitches and I try to create interesting textures. If you're a beginner, don't worry. I'll walk you through everything. I'll show you the stitches we'll use, I'll show you how to transfer your design onto fabric, and how to start your threads without using knots. Now make sure you download the PDF patterns in the project section so that you can stitch along during this class.
2. Materials & Tools: Materials and tools you'll need, the printed pattern from the project page, embroidery needles. We will be working with different amounts of strands, so having a few sizes at hand will come in handy. I've done the work with Prim needle size 22 and 24. At least two skeins of stranded embroidery floss. Small and sharp scissors to get the threads, and trim the ends. A big pair of scissors for paper and fabric. Tracing carbon paper, makes it super easy to trace patterns onto light and dark fabrics. Doesn't come off easily when you handle it, but it does washout. Always test your fabric, and check the instructions. A pen, pencil or what I'm using, an Aqua Trickmarker. Fabric, you can embed on a lot of fabrics. But if you're a beginner, I suggest you choose a light, medium fabric, that's woven and non stretch. My favorite is calico, or unbleached cotton. It has a soft off white tint, and makes your stitches popup nicely, this one comes from [inaudible]. An embroidery hoop, I like to work with hoops that are about 12 or 15 centimeter, where I can still reach the center with my fingers while working. A piece of cardboard for scrapped threads. A needle threader is optional, but they're super handy when it comes to the threading multiple strands of embroidery floss. Felt, as a back-end for your hoop. Pins to hold down the felt to the back of your hoop.
3. Transfer The Pattern To Fabric: For this step, you'll need the pattern you'll be using, copy paper, a pair of scissors, your embroidery hoop, fabric, and a pen. Here I'm using my embroidery hoop to determine what branches I'll be using and I cut off only what I need. This makes it easier to trace later on. I'm using my hoop to center the design. I want to make sure I have enough room around the edges. When you are happy with the placement of your pattern, remove the hoop and start tracing. Make sure you hold down the pattern with your hands, a weight or a piece of tape. Although I'm using a dark fabric to trace the pattern onto, copy paper comes in a wide variety of colors, so you can also use it on light fabrics. If you're using a pen or a pencil to trace, it's easy to see if you've covered all the branches. But if you want to make sure you've applied enough pressure, you can carefully lift one corner of your pattern. You are now ready to put your fabric into your hoop. Because the linen that I'm using is quite sheer, I'm using an extra piece of fabric as a backing. This step is optional and depends on the fabric you're using. Put your fabric on the inner hoop and push down the outer hoop. If your fabric's too loose, tighten the outer ring with the screw and pull your fabric sides. If your fabric is fairly light or sheer, you can also trace using a pen or pencil. For this step, you would need a pen or pencil, I'm using a trick marker, which is water-soluble, your fabric, an embroidery hoop, and the pattern you want to use. I start by centering the fabric in the hoop and adjust if necessary. Then I turn the hoop upside down on my pattern and start to trace. If your fabric's not light enough, you can use a window to help trace the pattern. When I use this method, I like to put the fabric into the hoop because it gives me a flat surface to draw and I can see if I like the placement of the pattern inside the hoop. When you are done tracing, all you need to do is flip the fabric upside down and put it back into your hoop.
4. Threading & Starting Without a knot & Weaving in ends: To start your thread, slide the wrappers to the center of your skin, pull the thread from the skin that is as long as you're under arm, measuring from your fingertips to your elbow. But because we'll be folding a thread and a half from where the loop starts, you need twice that length and don't be tempted to use a longer thread, you will have more chances of knots. More importantly, the friction from pulling of thread through the fabric actually weakens it. To separate the strands, slowly pull them from the center of your long threads or from the beginning. The key is to go slow and hold the thread lightly and slowly pull out the strands you need. The remaining thread should bounce back. Run it through your hands before you pull out another strand. If your thread is very long, sometimes you need to slide down where your thread bunches up to prevent knots. An important step is to run the thread through your fingers before you thread your needle. You will get smoother results and less knots. To thread your needle, fold your thread and half and trim the ends. Pinch the ends between your fingers and trim at an angle. Bring the eye towards the ends and thread your needle. Fold this knot at the bottom and we're making your first stitch, this will create a loop at the back of your fabric. You will then pull your needle through that loop and attach it to the fabric. You'll see a small stitch once you finish the loop method. But you can simply cover over is when you start to embroider. Now to finish you threads, bring the needle to the back and weave in the ends. Doing this for a centimeter or two should be enough. Now as you can see, I didn't cross large areas with my thread. If I want to start working on a different area, I simply weave in my ends at the back of the work until I reach the area where I wanted to start working.
5. Backstitch & WhippedBackstitch & Texture: In this class, I'll show you how to do the back stitch, the whiped back stitch, and how to create textures to use in bigger branches. You can start your thread with a loop method and make a larger stitch than you normally would. It'll blend in with the back stitch if you match the stitch length. If you want to keep an even stitch length, pull the thread where it comes up out of the fabric to get a better view of the new stitch you are creating. Even stitches are not necessary. The irregular stitches full creates an interesting and branch like effects, that you can use to your advantage. To create a whipped back stitch, you raise your thread through the stitches by sliding your needle underneath. Keep stitching in the same direction until you reach the end of your line. For the smaller branches, a single row of whiped back stitch is enough. But for the bigger branches, you can fill an area with a few rows back stitch, and you can now whip those single rows or multiple rows at once to create a larger texture.
6. Stemstitch & Texture: The stem stitch and outline stitch are often confused because these stitches are the same, the only difference is that the stitches twist in a different direction. If you keep your thread above the stitches, it's called an outline stitch and if you keep the thread below the stitches, it's called a stem stitch. It doesn't really matter what you choose, but you have to be consistent. For your first stitch, you want to go a stitch length forward and come back up halfway through that stitch. Now you make another stitch and come back up at the end of your previous stitch. You can use a stitch to fill an area, or you can create a gradient effect by pulling out a few strands along the way. You can either pull these strands to the back or use them to create side shoots. If you pull them to the back, you can weave in the ends later. Just make sure your working thread doesn't get tangled with the strands you just pulled out.
7. French Knot: It's time for the French knot. The basic knot is done by wrapping the thread around a needle a few times. Wrap the thread around your needle and stick your needle back into the fabric, making a tiny stitch next to where your thread came out of the fabric. You can pull the thread slightly to slide the wraps down the needle towards the fabric, but don't pull too hard or will be difficult to pull your needle through all the wraps. Now, if your wraps are a bit too tight, it sometimes help to slightly twist them just before you've pulled through the thread. To create different sizes, use more strands or wrap more often. The more you wrap, the harder it is to pull the threads through. I suggest you start small and do a few tests along the way. If you're having trouble pulling the needle through, you can also try a different needle like a milliner's needle.
8. Combine Colours: Embroidery floss comes in a wide range of colors that you can use on their own or combined. If you look at blossoming trees, you can see that it's never really a solid color. It's always a mix of colors and most of the times it's a subtle gradient. Now you can combine strands from different colors in one knot using two three or even more colors or give each knot a different solid color. Use a beautiful gradient or go for contrast. It's really fun to experiment with combinations.
9. Stitching The Branch: I wanted to share a little bit about my process. I traced the pattern and started with the branches. I did a little bit of testing with yellow blossom. As you can see, I started quite heavy and I'm not quite finished. I used the width backstage for the top branch, still needs a little bit of extra stitches to fill in the area. Here I've used a combination of the stem stitch and a width backstitch, but I've only whipped a few stitches. I also like that the beginning is a little bit irregular here. I'm going to keep that. As for how many strands I used, I think it's about eight. I pulled four strands and then doubled them using the loop methods. For the smaller branches, I went from three strands, making it six and then taking out a few along the way. I think I've only used about two on the ends of the branches. I think I'm going to do a few stem stitches here, and see how that works out. As you can see, I only did a few stitches, to connect the larger area with the smaller branch and I'm already liking what I'm seeing. I'm thinking this should be enough. As you can see, there's still a little gap here, but I can come back later and fix that. For now I just want to keep going on the branch. With this branch, I already decided that it goes over this one. What I'm going to do is, just go underneath and keep going. I think I already need to pull out a few more strands. Then maybe I can switch from the stem stage to the width backstitch. You can see it. There is no plan, I just make it up as I go. You don't want to pick up the fabric there. I think that's it. Just want to connect these, and then bring my needle to the back. I'm going to continue stitching this and I'll show you more when I get to the blossoming back.
10. Stitching The Blossom: I'm ready to start working on adding more blossoms and I wanted to show a few different approaches. Here I've gone in and started with a layer of small French knots alongside the branches. Then I filled the areas in with these larger knots and make these diagonal lines. What I like about this one, is that it's fairly clean around the branches. Then there's this bigger French knots at the top, creating this wavy lines and a few smaller ones underneath. and its makes this nice triangle. It's not quite finished yet, but I don't know this might look good. I might fill it in later with a whip stitch. It's time for me to add a few more knots to this piece. I think I'm going to go with six embroidery strands. I'm taking three out my thread here. I think I'm going to start here and work towards the bigger branch. This is starting to look nice and I'm going to continue to work my way up this branch. The knots I've been making were either seven or eight reps or two or three. You have quite a big contrast between the sizes. I really like the effects. Now as you can see, I'm slowly filling the area and it's still quite open. But it's a lot easier to go back in and add a few knots later than it is to pull them out. I hope you enjoyed watching a little bit of my process and I hope it helps.
11. Finish Your Hoop & Final Thoughts: Use the inside of the outer hoop to trace the circle onto the felt. Cut it out and put it aside for now. Trim the excess fabric, but leave around five centimeters or two inches of fabric so that you have something to work with. I use a running stitch to pull back the fabric before you cover it with felts. I'm using true strands of embroidery floss that were left over, but any thread will do. If you don't want to use felts to cover the back or you simply don't have felts, you can fold in the raw edges and again, use a running stitch to keep the fabric in place. But because this part is now visible, you might want to make the stitches a little bit more even so that it looks nicer. After you've positioned the felt on the back of your hoop, use a few pins to hold it in place. Now stitch around the edges to secure the felts. Once you finished, all you have to do is tie a little loop into some embroidery floss and hang your hoop on your wall. Now you know how to embroider blossom. Thank you so much for watching this class. I hope you enjoyed it and learned something new. If you like the class, please leave a review, it helps others to find a class. If you have questions, you can leave them in the community part of this class, is just below the videos. I would love to see your projects. You can upload them to the project section, and if you're on Instagram, please tag me. Remember to experiment and have fun along the way. It's just a needle and a thread and there really is no wrong way to do it. If you're curious about classes to come, make sure you follow me on skill share.
Charlotte Kan, Embroidery / Sewing ✂️
