MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT

THREAD

The embroideries have all been stitched with DMC six-strand embroidery floss (stranded cotton), but there are many other thread choices available, as well as yarns, cords and ribbons. Anything is possible, although some options are trickier than others!

NEEDLES

Your threading medium determines needle choice: e.g., DMC gold embroidery needles (sizes 1, 3, 5) have smaller eyes for single strands of floss, while the DMC chenille needle (size 18) has a larger eye for thicker thread types, such as cord or yarn, or for stitching with all six strands of floss. A chenille needle (size 18) was used to work all the embroideries here. Explore the options but choose a needle that has a pointed tip, rather than a blunt-tip tapestry needle.

FABRIC

Anything (and everything) can be embroidered onto: from linen to burlap, to silk, to paper. A favorite for modern hand embroidery, and the fabric used in this book, is a linen-look/linen-blend fabric, which can either be a combination of linen/rayon or linen/cotton, such as Charles Craft® Carolina linen. Experiment with fabrics to find the type that works best for you.

HOOPS & FRAMES

The best frame for your work depends on what type of fabric you are embroidering. Sometimes an item is sturdy enough to not need a frame (such as a baseball cap or a shirt collar), but most often, a frame of some kind is required. A wooden embroidery hoop or a PVC Q-Snap frame is best for these embroideries.

SCISSORS

The tool you will use the most besides your needle will be your scissors, to clip thread lengths and cut off excess fibers, and very sharp, pointed embroidery scissors or snips are best. I use DMC peacock embroidery scissors, but as long as the scissors you choose are sharp and small enough to get into the hard-to-reach places, you will have found the perfect pair. A larger pair of fabric-cutting scissors is also useful.

TRANSFER PENS & PENCILS

Before stitching, you need to transfer the pattern to your fabric (see Transferring Patterns: Simple Pattern Transfer). My preferred method is to use a standard pencil, a white colored pencil or a ballpoint pen, depending on the color and the thickness of the fabric; there are many types of transfer pens and pencils for you to try; whichever you choose, remember it is important to ensure the pattern sticks to the fabric and doesn’t rub off when stitching.

TRANSFER PAPER

This is a good option for transferring patterns to dark or thick fabrics (see Transferring Patterns: Complex Pattern Transfer). I use DMC carbon tracing paper, which comes in two colors: yellow for dark and blue for light fabrics. Using transfer paper can get messy, but your technique will improve with practice.