EEK! Need help with embroidery!!!

ti · Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 228

Hi All:
I am relearning to embroider again ... haven't really done it for almost ten years ... when I was a youngun. Any tips? Any books, etc. that you think are super helpful? Any opinions on using a hoop? or the stabilizers? Anything would be wonderful. Am taking an insanely crazy hard test next week and this craft really helps to calm me down ... thanks in advance!!!

lizzymahoney · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 804

If you use a hoop, you probably don't need stabilizers. If you are doing beaded embroidery or couched threads you might want stabilizer or interfacing, though.

Keep your floss short. Saves the headache of smoothing out the knotty wrinkles.

What sorts of things will you work on? Types of fabric, use of fabric, motif, etc.?

There are lots of little tricks like taking tinier stitches at the narrow ends of curves, or using spit or beeswax to keep the tail of your thread together.

felt · Joined: 09 Jul 2004 Posts: 236 Location: New York City

One thing I learned that the nuns from my 1st grade home economics class taught me wrong was, to never start your embroidery with a knot. Start with a tail of thread and embroider it into the wrong side of the fabric. Embroider about 2-4cm and cut off the excess thread. Finish off doing the same technique in reverse.

I have a great embroidery bible I recently found at Waterstones Books. But it's past midnight and just got home and wanna sleep. I'll let you know tomorrow. Blah.. I'm tired.

ti · Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 228

I am re-embroidering printed fabric in squares and making small quilts with them and some freehand embroidery. I want to do more on tshirts and a shirts.

I found this cool one step transfer pen from japan where the ink washes off with water. I heard that "hard-core" embroiderers don't use a ring and that the stabilizers are a better bet since they hold the fabric flatter, don;t distort fabric, etc.

I did get a beewax thing to help with the floss ...

BUT having a hard time separating the threads, I generally use two of the 6 threads but after I separate the two, I end up losing some of the other strands. I tried doing only one thread at a time but no dice -- still had issues with wasted thread. ACKK! [/i]

lizzymahoney · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 804

I have hoops, but seldom use them. My tension is in my hands usually. I don't use stabilizer ever. It has good uses, but i learned without it and still don't use it. I have access to all that I want though.

If you use a ring, you should be aware of the warp and weft of the fabric. Embroidering on a t-shirt knit for example: it will stretch unevenly. You would have to place the hoop very carefully.

I don't understand what you mean about losing the threads. The pieces shouldn't be so short that the remaining strands scatter. Maybe twelve inches, probably somewhere between six and eighteen max. And I'd never try and twist floss back together.

When you divide the floss, you hold it up so both cut ends are free. Separate slowly at one end into your two or three strands. If you use two, don't separate the remaining four until ready to use them.

It's like sewing clothing. There will be wasted thread. There will be wasted material. It just happens. I used to satin stitch the long cut pieces left over on the plackets of my shirts or hems of my jeans.

On t-shirts, I tended to embroider around necklines. I like a more stable fabric for a sizable motif. Gad, I did lots of army surplus shirts and stuff back in my hippie days.

melissa s. · Joined: 02 Aug 2004 Posts: 21 Location: detroit

dover publications has a great embroidery stitch encyclopedia. it has very detailed illustrations of just about every stitch. and it's pretty cheap for its wealth of info, about $12.
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felt · Joined: 09 Jul 2004 Posts: 236 Location: New York City

Hm, looking at Melissa's book suggestion, this is probably not the cheap option (very much the same, detailed illustrations/photos, etc.). Anyway, it's called The Embroidery Stitch Bible. On sale for $20 at Amazon.

ti · Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 228

Thank you for all of your help! I am learning about tension in my hands, not unlike crocheting (or am I imagining it?) I kinda like the softer stabilizer for my cotton fabrics, beeswax is a great addition, longer needles for my tiny fingers are better (umm not so tiny but certainly small!!) they help me navigate with the floss so much better ... As with anything, I think practice opens up new doors to me.

Candice and Melissa S. -- I think I will go to my friendly bookstore and see if they have that book in stock. :)

btw - for some odd reason I use thread and floss interchangeably - bad habit. I meant, I was losing so much floss when I was trying to separate the floss into two piece section ... it seemed such a waste and was thinking there had to be a better way!

Anyone have some embroidery picts they want to share??

deborahthecraft · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 364 Location: California

Just wanted to chime in and say that for begining embroiderers the Klutz series has a lovely kit with really fun patterns and tips.

I'll be posting photos soon of some really fun pieces.

melissa s. · Joined: 02 Aug 2004 Posts: 21 Location: detroit

just to be more helpful, the book I mentioned is...

encyclopedia of embroidery stitches, including crewel/marion nichols
dover publications/$12.95

hope you can find it!

melissa
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ti · Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 228

thanx melissa s. !!
that book looks v. cool and is in my budget! here is the link if anyone wants to look @ it, unfortunately the publisher didn't pick the "look inside" option.
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ti · Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 228

oops, had a crazy test on sat., not in my right mind yet! here is the link http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/04
86229297/qid=1095656576/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-19925
94-3302262?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
_________________
"Yes ... we've all got acute ghetto-itus."
Beneatha, "A Raisin in the Sun"

ti · Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 228

BTW - really like this book!! It was pretty inexpensive but packed full of so many stitches!

It shows you exactly where to put your needle and how the stitch will look from the front and the back ... it is black and white which actually makes it easier to learn from ....THANKS melissa s. !!

Am experimenting with some vintage-y iron transfers on old sweaters ... :)

sun bear · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 443

I'd recommend the hoop, but as said, with a tee shirt, it can stretch weird, so i used a hoop bigger than my design. I've also done an entire tee shirt sans hoop with 'craft floss' which is the WRONG type of thread for embroidering, but i'm stubborn and i guess i like a challenge :-P

my only advice is to practice on waste fabric first and then dive in on your project, it would suck to ruin a whole tee shirt just b/c you haven't done a test run or two :)

jt

deborahthecraft · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 364 Location: California