Learn Hand Embroidery: Beginner to Pro

1. Introduction to Embroidery: Welcome to hand embroidery for beginners. I'm Shanaz and I'm thrilled to share my passion for hand embroidery with you. As a teacher, I love seeing the spark of creativity ignite in my students eyes, and I believe hand embroidery has that same magic. I love to combine my passion for embroidery with my love for exploring the outdoors. Embroidery is more than just a hobby. It's a journey of self expression, a source of relaxation and a way to tap into your inner creativity. And who knows? Maybe you'll even discover a new way to share your passion and earn money doing what you love. In this course, we'll journey together through the basics of hand embroidery. You'll master 20 essential stitches, and then we'll put them to use creating ten stunning designs. No prior experience is needed, just a willingness to learn and have fun. We'll start with the essentials, needles, threads, fabrics and hoops. I'll guide you through transferring designs onto fabric, and we'll cover those all important beginner tips like threading your needle and securing those stitches. By the end of this course, you'll be confidently stitching beautiful designs and discovering the joy of hand embroidery. Let's get started on this creative adventure together. 2. Section 1 Essential Tools and Materials: Alright, let's dive into the wonderful world of embroidery supplies. There's a whole universe of fabrics out there, but don't get overwhelmed. Today, I'm showing you some of my favorites, linen, Osnaburg and hand loom cotton. Let's talk about one of my favorite fabrics for embroidery, linen. See how the threads are woven together. Linen often has a slightly looser weave, which makes it easy to pass your needle and thread through. This makes it a great choice for beginners. Osnaburg is a bit more rustic, perfect for a vintage vibe. And hand loom cotton. Oh, it's so soft and dreamy to stitch on. But honestly, you can embroider on almost anything, denim jackets, canvas toed bags, even old t shirts. Let your imagination run wild. Next, let's talk needles. I love using tapestry needles for most of my stitching. They have a blunt tip so they won't pierce your fabric. Tapestry needles have a blunt point and a large eye. They are commonly used for needle point, cross stitch, and other embroidery techniques where you need to pass the needle through closely woven fabric or canvas. Chenille needles have a large elongated eye and a sharp point. They are ideal for creating textured stitches such as henle embroidery or tufted effects. Embroidery needles are versatile and come in different sizes. They have a sharp point and a slightly larger eye allowing for easy threading. These needles work well with various embroidery techniques and thread weights. Milliners needles, also known as straw needles are long thin needles with round eyes. They are perfect for creating decorative stitches, such as French knots or boolean knots. Bading needles are very fine and have a long narrow eye. They are specifically designed for adding beads and sequins to embroidery projects. These needles make it easier to thread through small bead holes. Let's talk about embroidery hoops. These handy tools keep your fabric taut while you stitch, making it easier to create neat and even stitches. I'm a big fan of wooden hoops. They're sturdy. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they have a classic look that I love. Here are a few of my favorites, a round hoop which is perfect for most projects, an oval hoop which is great for longer designs, and a square hoop which can add a modern touch. Next up, embroidery scissors. These small sharp scissors are designed for snipping threads close to the fabric. They're essential for keeping your work neat and tidy. Now let's talk about thread. I love using stranded cotton floss for my embroidery. It's soft. It comes in a huge range of colors, and it's easy to separate into strands to get the perfect thickness for your stitches. Two of my favorite brands are anchor and DMC. They both offer high quality floss with vibrant colors that won't fade. Look at this gorgeous array of colors. From soft pastels to bold jewel tones, there's a shade for every project. To keep my floss collection organized, I use a floss organizer box like this one. It has compartments for each color and I wind my floss onto bobbins to keep it from tangling. This makes it easy to find the perfect shade when I need it. Those are a few of my essential embroidery tools. With these supplies, you'll be well on your way to creating beautiful hand embroidery. There are countless different types of hand embroidery, each with its own unique characteristics. If you're just starting out, grab yourself a beginner's kit. It'll have all the essentials to get you stitching right away. Don't worry about fancy tools just yet. Focus on the basics and have fun. 3. Preparing to Stitch Getting Your Tools and Materials Ready: Before we dive into our 20 essential stitches, let's get familiar with our embroidery floss and some basic techniques. Here's a skein of stranded cotton floss. It's made up of six individual strands that are loosely twisted together. When you start, it's best to pull out an arm's length of floss about 18 to 20 ". This prevents tangles and knots as you stitch. You can use one or more strands depending on the thickness you need for your stitch. For delicate lines, a single strand might be perfect. For bolder outlines or filling in areas, you might use two or three strands, experiment and see what works best for your project. To separate a strand, gently pull it away from the others. You can use one or more strands depending on the thickness you need for your stitch. Now let's thread our needle. Take the end of the floss and pass it through the eye of the needle. If you find it difficult to thread the needle, you can use a needle threader. It's a small tool that helps you get the thread through the eye of the needle. To secure the thread, we'll tie a simple knot at the end. Next, let's attach our fabric to the embroidery hoop. Place the fabric over the smaller inner hoop, then push the outer hoop over it. Three. Now tighten the screw a bit more. You might need to repeat this process a few times as you stitch, especially with larger projects because the fabric can loosen up a bit as you work. Work your way around the hoop, gently pulling the fabric at the edges. This helps to evenly distribute the tension and make sure the fabric in the center is really taut. Make sure the fabric is taut and wrinkle free. To finish the backside of the hoop, you can trim the excess fabric or fold it over and secure it with a running stitch. All right. Now we're all set to start stitching almost. Before we jump into those stitches, I want to show you something that can make your embroidery life a whole lot easier, especially if you like to get comfy while you stitch. It's a hoop stand. Basically, it holds your hoop for you so you can have both hands free for stitching. Now we're ready to get stitching. Grab your fabric, hoop needle and threads, and let's dive into those 20 essential stitches. 4. Essential Stitches Part 1: Remember how we prepped our fabric and thread. Now it's time to put those skills to work. First up is the back stitch. This is a strong stitch that's perfect for outlines and creating solid lines. Bring your needle up through the fabric. Then take a small stitch backward. Now bring the needle up a stitch length ahead and insert it back down where your previous stitch ended. See how it creates that unbroken line. A versatile stitch that creates a solid, continuous line. It's perfect for outlining designs or adding fine details. Keep practicing and you'll soon be backstitching like a pro. Remember, consistency is key. Take your time, keep those stitches even, and don't pull your thread too tight. Bring your needle to the backside of your fabric. Make a small loop with the thread. Insert the needle through the loop you just created. Gently pull the thread to tighten the knot against the fabric. Carefully trim any remaining thread close to the knot. Next, we have the running stitch. This is a simple stitch that's great for creating dashed lines or filling in areas quickly. You bring the needle up through the fabric, then insert the needle a short distance away. Use your finger to gently push the point of the needle back up to the surface. Then just pull the needle and thread all the way through. See, it's like magic. You've created a stitch without having to go to the back of the fabric each time. Just keep going, insert the needle, pop it up with your finger and pull it through. Easy, right? You can vary the stitch length to create different effects, play around with it and see what you can come up with. It's like weaving the needle in and out of the fabric. Let's get those needles moving with the running stitch. This simple stitch creates a dash line, perfect for adding texture or outlining shapes. And there you have it. The running stitch. It's perfect for outlines for creating texture or for filling in large areas. Give it a try. Now, let's add some texture with the split stitch. It creates a lovely slightly raised line, perfect for outlining or adding dimension. Bring your needle up, then take a small stitch forward. Now, bring the needle up again in the middle of that previous stitch, splitting it in half. See how it creates that texture defect. The split stitch is a bit like magic, simple, but with beautiful results. So The stem stitch is another great one for outlines and curves. It creates a smooth, rope like line. Bring the needle up through the fabric at your starting point. Then insert the needle a short distance away, just like we did with the running stitch. Instead of going all the way to the back of the fabric, use your finger to gently push the point of the needle back up to the surface. Now, here's the key difference with the stem stitch. As you're bringing the needle up, angle it slightly to the side. This creates that slanted rope like effect that makes the stem stitch so special. Then just pull the needle and thread all the way through. Keep going, remembering to angle the needle to the same side each time. This creates a beautiful flowing line that's perfect for outlines, stems, and all sorts of delicate details. And there you have it the stem stitch. It takes a little practice to get the hang of angling the needle. But once you do, you'll love how versatile and elegant this stitch is. This is a really versatile stitch that's perfect for creating smooth flowing lines like stems and outlines. It has a slightly textured look that adds a bit of dimension to your work. The stem stitch takes a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, you'll love the elegant lines it creates. Let's add some decorative lines with the couching stitch. It's perfect for attaching thicker threads or yarns to your fabric, creating beautiful accents. I've chosen a contrasting color so it really pops. Now I'm going to hold it in place with my fingers and use a different thread to couch it down. Lay your thicker thread or yarn on the fabric. Now use a contrasting thread and small stitches to secure the thicker thread in place. You can space these stitches closer together or further apart depending on the look you want. The couching stitch is all about adding texture and visual interest. You can get creative with different thread combinations. It's basically like attaching a thread or cord to the surface of your fabric. It's also a great way to add interesting textures to your embroidery, like using thicker yarns or even metallic threads. So we've learned five amazing stitches today. Give yourselves a pat on the back. Now grab your practice fabric and give these stitches a try. The more you practice, the more confident you'll become. Get ready for the next five stitches in our next lesson. I'll see you there. 5. Assignment One : 5 Stitches challenge: Hey, everyone. It's time for your first assignment, and I'm so excited to see what you create. I've got my fabric secured in my trusty eight inch wooden hoop. Remember how we talked about getting that fabric nice and tight? Make sure yours is drum tight too. We are going to be stitching this beautiful woman bird and moon design, putting those first five stitches we learned to good use. If you have a darker fabric, just use the backlight from your phone to see the pattern through it. Easy, Ps. I've already transferred the pattern onto my fabric. I chose a light colored cotton fabric so I could easily trace the design. All right, let's start stitching. I'm going to use split stitch for the outline of this circle. Remember how we do that? Bring the needle up, take a stitch forward, then come up through the middle of that last stitch to split the thread. It creates such a lovely textured line. I'm using this gorgeous brown floss for this part. And remember to hold your needle lightly. No need to grip it too tightly, relax your hands and enjoy the process. And there's our split stitch outline. Don't forget to finish your thread neatly at the back. Bring your needle to the backside of your fabric. Make a small loop with the thread. Insert the needle through the loop you just created. Gently pull the thread to tighten the knot against the fabric. Next, I'm going to use the running stitch for the outline of the hand. This is a quick and easy stitch that's perfect for longer lines. Just weave the needle in and out of the fabric, keeping your stitches nice and even. I'm using a vibrant purple thread for this. Um, Now, for the bottom line of the hand, I'm going to use the stem stitch. Remember how we angle the needle slightly to create that rope like effect? It's perfect for adding a bit of dimension. I'm sticking with the purple floss for this part. Time to add our cute little bird. I'm going to use the couching stitch for the outline. This is where we use two threads, one for the couching thread, and one to stitch it down. I'm using this vibrant green for the couching thread and a contrasting orange to secure it. Remember to keep those couching stitches nice and even. S It's a strong stitch that will give our bird a nice solid shape. And there's our couched outline. Now for the bird's body, I'm going back to the backstitch. Now, as you're stitching, it's really important to follow each step carefully, keep a close eye on where the needle goes down and comes up. This will help you create the stitch correctly and keep your tension even. If you're ever unsure, don't hesitate to rewind the video and watch the demonstration again. You can also pause the video at each step to make sure you're following along correctly. So finish off our bird, I'm adding a little bead for the eye. Isn't it cute? And there you have it, our woman bird and moon design complete with all five stitches. Now it's your turn. Download the pattern, choose your colors and get stitching. Don't be afraid to change things up a bit. Maybe use a different stitch for the outline or add some extra details. Once you're finished, take a photo of your work and attach it below this video. I can't wait to see your creations. O 6. Essential Stitches Part 2: Welcome back, stitchers. I'm excited to continue our stitch exploration with five more essential stitches. Remember, practice makes perfect. So grab your needle, thread, and hoop, and let's stitch together. First up is the chain stitch. This versatile stitch creates a lovely chain like line that's perfect for outlines, borders, and filling in areas. Bring the needle up through the fabric, then hold the thread down with your thumb and insert the needle back down at the same point where it came up. Bring the needle up again a short distance away, creating a loop. Continue this with each new stitch coming up through the loop of the previous stitch. Insert the needle back down where it came up, keeping the loop on top. Now bring the needle up again inside the loop and repeat. A few things to keep in mind, try to keep an even distance or gap between your stitches. This will help create a neat and consistent look. Time to link things up with the chain stitch. It creates a lovely chain like line, perfect for outlines or decorative borders. It's like creating a chain of connected stitches. The chain stitch is fun and adds a playful touch to your designs. Next, we have the classic cross stitch. This stitch is worked on an even weave fabric, creating small Xs that form a design. Bring the needle up through the fabric, then diagonally across to create a slanted stitch. Come up again below the end of the first stitch and cross over to complete the X. Bring your needle up, then take a diagonal stitch. Now, bring the needle up again crossing over the first stitch to create an X. Cross stitch is like painting with thread. You can create intricate designs or keep it simple. It's a fun and relaxing stitch. A few things to keep in mind, try to keep an even distance or gap between your stitches. This will help create a neat and consistent look. Let's dive into the world of pixels with cross stitch. It's all about creating patterns with tiny egg shaped stitches. Now for the French knots, these little knots add a lovely textured touch to your embroidery. Bring the needle up through the fabric, then wrap the thread around the needle once or twice. Hold the thread taut and insert the needle very close to where it came up. Pull the needle through to the back, creating a small raised knot. Bring your needle up, then wrap the thread around the needle once or twice. Now hold the thread taut and insert the needle back down close to where it came up. It's great for adding details like flower centers or creating a sprinkled effect. I might feel a bit fiddly at first, but with practice, you'll be making perfect French knots in no time. The twisted chain stitch is a variation of the chain stitch that adds a beautiful twist to your lines. It's worked just like the chain stitch. But as you bring the needle up for the next stitch, you twist it slightly, creating a spiral effect. The twisted chain stitch is great for creating outlines, borders, and decorative lines. It adds a touch of elegance and texture to your embroidery. Have fun experimenting with it. And remember to hold your needle lightly. No need to grip it too tightly, relax your hands and enjoy the process. Finally, let's try the blanket stitch. This stitch is perfect for finishing edges and creating decorative borders. Bring the needle up through the fabric. Then hold the thread down with your thumb and insert the needle a short distance away. As you pull the needle through, make sure the loop of thread stays under the needle. Then loop the thread under the needle and pull it through. Continue making these looped stitches along the edge of your fabric. The blanket stitch is both functional and decorative. It's a great way to add a finishing touch to your projects. How are those stitches coming along? Remember, it's all about practice and finding your rhythm. Okay. It's perfect for creating a neat and decorative border around your embroidery. Don't be afraid to experiment and try these stitches on different fabrics and with different threads. And there we have it, another five stitches mastered. Can you believe we've already covered ten essential embroidery stitches? You're well on your way to becoming an embroidery pro. Keep practicing, explore different ways to use these stitches, and I'll see you in the next lesson where we'll dive into five more exciting stitches. Happy stitching. 7. Essential Stitches Part 3: Hi again. Let's learn five more stitches in our embroidery journey. Grab your supplies and let's get started. First, we'll do the satin stitch. This stitch is perfect for filling in shapes and creating a smooth, satiny finish. Bring the needle up through the fabric at one edge of the shape, then down at the opposite edge. Keep your stitches close together and parallel to each other. A smooth and elegant stitch perfect for filling in shapes and creating smooth, satin like surfaces. Simply bring your needle up through the fabric, make a straight stitch and then bring the needle back down next to the starting point. Repeat this process, keeping your stitches close together for a seamless finish. Next, we have the Herring bone stitch. This stitch creates a beautiful textured line that's perfect for borders and decorative edges. See how I've drawn two parallel lines here with dots marked at equal distances. This will help us keep our stitches even and create a nice balanced look. Bring the needle up through the fabric, then take a small stitch to the right. Bring the needle up again to the left of the first stitch and cross over to create a slanted stitch. Continue this pattern alternating sides. Try to keep an even distance or gap between your stitches. And remember to hold your needle lightly. No need to grip it too tightly, relax your hands and enjoy the process. Now for the fly stitch, this stitch creates small V shaped stitches that resemble flying birds. Bring the needle up through the fabric, then hold the thread down with your thumb and insert the needle a short distance away. As you pull the needle through, make sure the loop of thread stays under the needle. Mm. Try to keep an even distance or gap between your stitches. This stitch lets you create delicate leaves, petals, and even playful accents. Let your needle take flight with the fly stitch. And remember to hold your needle lightly. No need to grip it too tightly, relax your hands and enjoy the process. The Chevron stitch is a fun stitch that creates a zig zag pattern. Bring the needle up through the fabric, then take a small stitch to the right. Now, as you're stitching, it's really important to follow each step carefully. Keep a close eye on where the needle goes down and comes up. This will help you create the stitch correctly and keep your tension even. Continue this pattern, alternating sides and creating a mirrored effect. Just keep repeating this process up down, up, down to create a line of stitches. Try to keep your stitches an even length and distance apart. This will help create a neat and consistent look. Again, if you're not comfortable with the shortcut method we used for the running stitch, you can absolutely stitch this way, completing each stitch fully. Try to keep an even distance or gap between your stitches. If you're ever unsure, don't hesitate to rewind the video and watch the demonstration again. You can also pause the video at each step to make sure you're following along correctly. And remember to hold your needle lightly. No need to grip it too tightly, relax your hands and enjoy the process. Finally, let's try the feather stitch. This stitch creates a beautiful open work pattern that's perfect for borders and decorative edges. We'll begin our feather stitch from the middle. Bring the needle up through the fabric at the top of the third line. Then take a small stitch diagonally across to the first line. Bring the needle up again, angle downwards to the second line, making sure the thread loops around the needle. Now we'll work outwards. Take a small stitch diagonally across to the fourth line. Bring the needle up again at the third line, angle downwards, and again, make sure the thread loops around the needle. Continue this pattern, alternating sides and working outwards to create a series of connected loops that resemble a feather. The feather stitch is quite versatile. You can adjust the length and spacing of your stitches to create different effects. Experiment with different threads and colours to add even more dimension to your feather stitch designs. Don't be afraid to experiment and try these stitches on different fabrics and with different threads. And there we have it, another five stitches down. We've now covered 15 essential embroidery stitches. You're making fantastic progress. Remember, the key to mastering these stitches is practice. The more you practice, the more confident you'll become. 8. Essential Stitches Part 4: Welcome to our final lesson on essential stitches. I'm so excited to guide you through these last five techniques. Let's gather our materials and get ready to stitch together. First up is the long and short stitch. This stitch is fantastic for creating smooth shading and blending colors in your embroidery. See how I've drawn four parallel lines here. This will help us keep our stitches organized and create a gradual blend of colors. We'll start with a long stitch, then a short stitch and continue alternating. The beauty and effectiveness of the stitch come from the variation in the stitch lengths. It's not about making all the short stitches the same length or all the long stitches the same length. It's about strategically varying the lengths to create a smooth transition of color or tone. Remember, the key to mastering these stitches is practice. So keep stitching, explore different ways to use these stitches, and don't be afraid to experiment and develop your own style. I'm using two colors of thread to demonstrate the shading effect. Continue alternating between long and short stitches, filling the space between the lines. Imagine you're shading a drawing. You wouldn't use just one shade of pencil, right? You'd use a variety of shades to create depth and dimension. The long and short stitch works in a similar way. Mix it up. Use some really long stitches, some medium length stitches, and some short stitches to create a gradual blend. Next, we have the fish bone stitch. This stitch is perfect for filling in leaf shapes and creating a textured almost woven effect. I've drawn a leaf shape here and we'll fill it in with the fish bone stitch. Follow along carefully as we create this intricate stitch. Bring your needle up from the back of the fabric at the far tip of the shape. Now do a short straight stitch down the spine. Now, bring your needle up again, just to the right of your stitch at the top. Bring your needle back down again on the center line just below the bottom of the first stitch. Bring your needle up again at the top, but this time on the left side of the top stitch and once again, poke it down on the center line underneath the last stitch. Keep doing this on alternate sides to fill your shape. Continue alternating sides, creating a series of stitches that resemble a fishbone. Yeah. Now for the lazy daisy stitch, this stitch is ideal for creating flower petals and other delicate curved shapes. Bring the needle up through the fabric at the base of the petal shape. Hold the thread down with your thumb and insert the needle a short distance away, creating a loop. Bring the needle up again at the same point where it first came up, securing the loop. Take a small stitch over the end of the loop to hold it in place. Repeat for each petal. I'm stitching five lazy daisy stitches here to form a flower. It's a simple stitch that adds a touch of whimsy to your embroidery. The bullion stitch creates beautiful textured knots that add dimension to your work. Bring the needle up through the fabric at your starting point. Wrap the thread around the needle several times, creating a long coiled stitch. Gently pull the needle through the coils, keeping them close together. Repeat for each bullion knot. I'm stitching four Bullion knots here, and you'll see how they create a lovely raised effect. Finally, let's try the cast on stitch. This stitch is perfect for creating delicate lines and adding a touch of elegance to your embroidery. Bring the needle out from one location. Go in a little back and come out from the first location as shown. Place the thread over your finger. Twist the thread with your finger. This creates a twisted loop. Take it closer to the tip of the needle. Touch the tip of the needle lightly with your index finger and slip the loop onto the needle. Keep making more loops in the same way and build up the wraps on the needle. The wraps should be at least as much as the space created by the needle. Now, hold the wraps between your fingers and pull out the needle completely. Take the needle in through the point closer to the earlier stitch point to finish the stitch. Don't be afraid to experiment and try these stitches on different fabrics and with different threads. I'm stitching three cast on stitches here, and you'll see how they create a beautiful flowing line. Now, let's stitch together and explore the wonderful world of embroidery. And there we have it. We've reached the end of our 20 essential embroidery stitches. Congratulations on completing this beginner's journey. I'm so proud of your progress. Congratulations on making it this far. You've now learned a fantastic range of embroidery stitches. To put your skills to the test, it's time to start thinking about your final assignment. In the next video, I'll be walking you through the project in detail. So make sure you watch it carefully. Get ready to create something amazing. Journey. Happy stitching.