SIMPLE PATTERN TRANSFER

Pattern transfer, especially onto darker fabrics, can appear daunting, but with practice (and the right tools and tricks), anyone can become a transfer master. One of the easiest ways to transfer a pattern to fabric is to place the fabric over the pattern and simply trace over the pattern with a pencil or transfer pen.

1. Place the fabric in an embroidery frame (wooden hoop or PVC Q-Snap frame), and pull the fabric taut: tighten the frame until the fabric makes a sound when tapped (imagine tapping the head of a drum).

2. Take the frame and turn it upside down over the pattern, so that the fabric is pressing right against the pattern.

3. For darker fabrics, place the pattern and fabric-filled frame over an illuminated surface – such as a light box, a window or an electronic tablet – to make the pattern more visible through the fabric (1).

4. Using a standard pencil for lighter fabrics and a white colored pencil for darker fabrics, trace the pattern onto the fabric (1).

5. Once the pattern has been transferred, take the fabric out of the frame and then reset the fabric into the frame with the pattern facing up. Now you are ready to begin stitching.

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Tropical Patches

Transform almost anything with these tropical iron-on patches! MATERIALS Linen Wool felt Chenille 18 needle Embroidery thread Scissors: fabric and embroidery Heat n Bond Iron 1. Transfer the three patterns onto the linen fabric, leaving sufficient space in between each so that they can be individually cut out in step 3. 2. Stitch the patterns following the keys for the white lotus, the banana leaf and the African violet (see Tropical Plants in Flowers Category : White Lotus, Banana Leaf, African Violet ) . 3. Once the stitching is complete, cut around each patch leaving a little less than 1in (2.5cm) of fabric all the way around. 4. Now cut three pieces of wool felt to match the shape of the embroidered linen patches, making them just a little larger to allow for a felt ‘border’ all the way around the edge. Place the felt pieces behind each of the linen patches. 5. Using a single strand of an embroidery thread of your choice, use whipped back s...

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 l...

A - BACK STITCH

This stitch is the perfect beginner stitch as it is very versatile and easy to learn. 1. Bring the needle up through the fabric from the back to the front (1). 2. Working towards yourself, push the needle back through the fabric a short distance (about the length of a grain of rice) from the first insertion point, pulling the thread tight (2). 3. Bring the needle back up through the fabric, again about the length of a grain of rice, from the second insertion point (3). 4. Push the needle back through the second insertion point, from front to back, to join up with the first stitch (4). 5. Pull the thread tight to create a second stitch (5). Continue in this way until you have a row of stitches.

Embroidery flowers

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