Getting started embroidering - Beginner's Guide

Embroidering, is it too difficult?

One of the most frequently asked questions by those who want to start embroidering is the following: - How difficult is it to embroider? But this does not only happen in embroidery. In all other activities of life, when we are beginners, we find everything very difficult. So this question is understandable. We often stop doing things because we are afraid to start them. The human being, throughout his life, is always afraid of the unknown, since he doubts his resilience and adaptability.

The purpose of this article is to reassure all people who are new to embroidery, encouraging them to try to learn and develop the techniques of this wonderful art. After a few weeks of training, if you ask us about the difficulty of the embroideries, we will tell you that they are easy to work with. In general, the act of embroidering is nothing more than pushing the needle and thread on one side of the fabric and pulling it on the other and doing it in continuous movements. This is a simple and easy way to understand what embroidery really is.
However, despite being easy, it has its tricks and quality embroidery can only be achieved with a lot of experience and many years of practice. As with all other arts related to crafting in general, there are several variables at play. With that being said, below I am going to cover the top five things to keep in mind to make embroidery a much easier process to understand:

What points do you use?
What designs do you want to embroider?
What tools do you have?
What colors do you choose?
Do you have experience in Cross Stitch?

In this video of "Carli Lo", see how to do embroidery for beginners:

What points do you use?

Different embroidery stitches have different levels of difficulty. For example, the basic level of backstitch is different from daisy point, lockstitch is different from the french knots. What matters though is that there will always be a choice available for all levels of embroiderers, among several hundred types of embroidery stitches. What is always advised is that you start at a point where you feel comfortable giving yourself value and go from there.
It is very rewarding when we help people learn something new and progress in their jobs. We are also happy when we see them create and develop their beautiful designs.

What designs do you want to embroider?

The embroidery designs They mainly differ from each other mainly due to their size and the complexity they present. Is it different if you are starting to embroider a giant tapestry or a small embroidery hoop? What is the difference between embroidering a realistic portrait of your pet or a simple outline image? In both of these cases, the points may seem easy and obvious, but it's important to think in terms of context and perspective!

To overcome the fear of embroidering difficult designs, start by embroidering small, simple designs and then venture into something more complicated as you learn and improve.
A good way to start is with a sample embroidery pattern. These basic patterns are very easy to embroider and are already designed for practicing sewing and matching thread colors.

What tools do you have?

The tools They help improve the speed and development of learning. Therefore, you need to think about how easy it is to find the best tools, their cost of acquisition, and whether they are easy to use. In this case, since we are talking about hand embroidery, there is a big advantage, since all the basic embroidery equipment is generally very affordable. To embroider by hand we do not need sophisticated or expensive machines. The art of embroidery is done with a hoop, a needle, threads of the same or different colors and a little fabric. If you don't have the right fabric or don't want to spend money, you can even try embroidering on old clothes or other fabrics you have at home.
To buy your supplies, you can use the Internet or any physical craft store in your neighborhood. As you can see, it is not difficult to get all the materials you need to embroider!
To facilitate the task of embroidering, there are several tools that make embroidery more comfortable. Needle threaders and ring holders are some of these tools. Most embroiderers use an embroidery hoop holder which helps them a lot in their daily work. With this support it is possible to have both hands free and facilitates posture and relieves joint pain or back problems.

What colors do you choose to embroider?

Whenever we think about making a new embroidery, the choice of thread color must also be taken into account, with many options to consider. It is very easy to change the colors of the lines. You just need to know how to start and then learn how to tie the ropes. However, if you only use one color, your embroidery work is easier. With just one color, there's no risk of missing a specific color for your job or confusing the colors used.

Another situation to take into account has to do with supply cuts, that is, that the lines you are using are no longer for sale, especially when they are limited editions, and you may run the risk of keeping half of the construction site. due to lack of material. No one is happy if they run out of material to continue working. Therefore, it is very important that you are prepared for this situation, having a large reserve of thread before starting to embroider. Ideally, choose yarn that you know has a guaranteed supply, without running out.

Do you have experience in Ponto de Cruz?

When someone wants to start embroidering by hand, they ask if the experience in embroidery in cross-stitch Helps get started in embroidery. The answer to this question is: yes, it helps. Since, although they use different techniques, these two crafts have many similarities between each other. These are the advantages of the cross stitch experience:

Points Experience

You already have experience pushing the needle from side to side. Any experience you have already gained with hand embroidery tools and materials will be very important in experimenting with slight variations in the way the threads are worked.

Pattern Knowledge

Basic knowledge of patterns is very important to start embroidering by hand. From your experience with cross stitches, you know that they follow a strict standard. So you know how to count the stitches, their position on the fabric and the color code.

Embroidery allows more freedom than cross stitch

Most cross stitch projects are done on grid-shaped fabrics which makes the job much easier by allowing you to create even cross stitches. On the other hand, embroidery fabrics are much tighter and less evenly woven. Once you master the technique, embroidery allows you more freedom in embroidering your stitches.
Embroidery allows you to adopt your own style, allowing you to develop your creativity, although with cross stitch you can also be very creative. Embroidery creations give rise to very different results, with fantastic abstract designs. Try all the possibilities and see which one best suits your creativity. However, if you want a more structured embroidery pattern, the choice is yours.

Fault tolerance

Unlike cross-stitch, where a single mistake can ruin the whole job, there is a margin of error in embroidery, allowing some freedom in this regard. There is greater tolerance in embroidery, both in adaptation to the design and in the ease of undoing the work and starting over. In cross stitch, if you need to make a lot of corrections, your final work can be distorted.
We hope that these tips have been useful to you and have helped you set yourself up for success and that you believe that it is possible to learn to embroider competently. Regardless of your knowledge and experience, there will always be a project that suits your skills and taste.

Good work!