Welcome Embroidery Club!

Embroidery Step By Step

Prepare the Fabric

1. Decide which cloth or clothing to embroider. Hankie, Shirt, Collar, - something woven and not too stretchy. If you can see the threads, that is good. Cut a larger than hoop size if using a fabric swatch. Today fabric is chosen for  you.
2. Check out a hoop.
3. Place it on the embroidery hoop.
   1. Loosen screw.
   2. Place white inner hoop underneath fabric
   3. Lay colored outer hoop on top of it and push them together.
   4. Tighten screw keeping fabric taut.
4. Cut it out - leave a little extra but don't waste fabric
5. Find a design - you can use google or draw your own
6. Get a Pencil
7. Trace or draw the design with light pencil where you want it to go on the fabric

Prepare the Needle

1. Choose thread. Decide on how many and which colors will be in your final design but work with one color at a time. We will not run out so please don’t take a bunch at once because it just winds up on the floor.
2. Pull an arms length of one color and cut it.
3. Check out a needle.
4. Thread the needle by placing the thread through the hole and pulling it halfway through. Tie a knot or knot it on your first stitch.

Choose your stitch(es)

1. Sew. --Embroidering is just sewing colored thread in a shape. You don’t HAVE to do any specific stitch - you can just go in and out but you can learn a basic stitch first. This one is the most basic: the Running Stitch https://youtu.be/kKnBUa4l2k4
2. If you’re ready to try the next step, it’s the BackStitch https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-work-the-back-stitch-1177546
3. Get Fancy? You can get very fancy  as you get better. There are many stitches to chose from as you learn. Some are fancy knots.  Chose the stitch you like. In and out through the fabric is easy and basic. Here are some sites that show you step by step the basic stitches.
   1. https://www.scribd.com/doc/13598305/99-Embroidery-Stitches
   2. http://www.molliemakes.com/craft-2/library-embroidery-stitches/
   3. https://www.thespruce.com/surface-embroidery-stitches-1177584
4. When you run out of thread or design, tie a knot then cut the needle off,and get another color. When you are finished, remove it from the hoop.

Finish.

1. Remove your work from the hoop
2. Check in the needle
3. Check in the hoop
4. If keeping a sampler, place your finished work in the plastic display hoop (made from the takeout soup containers)

When you are done practicing,  “Find Inspiration” for your next project. Google Easy Embroidery templates, Easy First Embroidery, etc or Watch YouTube How To Embroider, etc.