embroidery

Tools of the Trade

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In my Artist’s Q&A post, I shared the tools I couldn’t live without. I thought it would be good to write about these tools in a separate post so you can find out more about them and how and why I use them.

Good to Know: As you become a more experienced embroiderer you will find tools and equipment that work well for you and your craft. The best tools for you might not be what people would recommend and this is okay as it works for you.

Pfaff Creative 3.0 Embroidery Machine

During my MA in textiles I was lucky to have access to digital embroidery machines. They changed my practice, and in 2013 I was able to buy one for myself. Working in conjunction with mySewnet Embroidery software, this machine allows me to stitch my photographs and drawings and bring my ideas into being.

I love working with the machine at every stage and it definitely needs to be watched rather than left to its own devices in my opinion. I like to ensure I’m using the right colour of bobbin thread and making sure that the colours are working well together as the design progresses.

If you’re visiting a big crafting event like Festival of Quilts or the Knitting & Stitching Show I recommend watching them in action. They can do a lot more than stitching traditional florals and monogramming.

Elbesee Table Clamp

A few years ago I was struggling with a neck and shoulder injury. Embroidering was really tough because of the way I was sitting and holding the hoop. When I started to feel my shoulder hurting again I bought myself an Elbesee table clamp and hoop, it’s like a holiday for my shoulders.

I use the clamp when I’m sitting at my desk or on the sofa with a folding table. It keeps both my hands free for stitching and I don’t get tired holding the hoop. You can get a universal hoop holder which works with your existing collection or they offer a range of hoops with the attachment built in which I prefer.

Rayon Thread

Used in my digital embroidery work, rayon thread comes in a vast array of colours. I use 40 weight which gives me the best results, as with other threads, the higher the number the thinner the thread. You can also use rayon threads for free motion embroidery, they are strong and have a great finished when used densely.

The brands I use the most are Gutermann Sulky, Madeira Rayon 40 and Mettler Poly 40 but there are lots of other great brands too.

Good to know: Barnyarns are a great supplier for embroidery threads. They have a great range and do multibuy offers too. I use them for lots of my supplies and they are really knowledgeable about all the products they sell.

Wash Away Stabiliser

There are a few different names and products that fall under this category of wash away fabric, I use them for my digitally embroidered projects. I prefer the type that feels more like a fabric than a sheet of plastic. This is usually called Aquasol or Solufleece. I find this feels nicer and is easier to work with, I use two or three layers depending on how dense the embroidery will be.

Top Tip: This is supposed to be cold water soluble but I’ve found that it washes away much quicker with slightly warmer water, I use my mixer tap in the central position. To keep your embroidery flat when you wash away the fabric you can tack it to a polystyrene printing tile, this works well for very lacey designs.

Embroidery Scissors

I love my curved embroidery scissors, they are great for trimming loose threads on my digital embroidery and unpicking stitches. They are great for getting right on the surface of the fabric and cutting away loose threads as the blades are sharp right to the end. These are my go to scissors for any hand or machine embroidery project.

Top Tip: Be careful when handling these scissors, the pointed blades can stab you if you leave them in the bottom of a box or bag.

Cotton Perle Thread

Cotton Perle thread is 100% cotton, it has a distinctive twist and a slight sheen which gives it a lovely finish. This thread doesn’t get fluffy easily and is suitable for many types of hand embroidery. The heavier weight of this thread will give your project a raised texture and great definition. I started using cotton perle when I was given a ball in a mixed bag of vintage threads. I love to use it to add texture to my hand embroidered pieces and recently I’ve been experimenting with the different colours to build up layers.

Glue Pen

I’m a big fan of the Sewline or Prym glue pen, it’s really handy for temporary fixing of seams before you sew them and I use mine to secure paper hexagons to the fabric when I’m doing English paper piecing or adding small scraps for a stitchscape. The refills come in a variety of colours but dries clear. I use the fluorescent yellow as it’s easily visible on both light and dark fabrics.

Vintage Fabrics

My favourite type of fabric has to be vintage, in particular vintage cotton like tray cloths and bed sheets. The smooth worn surface makes it perfect for hand embroidery, dyeing and printing. I like to make use of the features on the fabric too, like printed designs for embroidery or labels and laundry marks. You can pick up some great vintage pieces with prices starting at around £1.00 per item in charity shops. It’s great to think about reusing rather than buying new for every project.

You can freeze vintage fabrics for a couple of weeks to get rid of anything like clothes moths and gently hand wash them to remove any strange smells!

Pilot Frixion Pens

I’m often asked about the best way to transfer designs onto fabric ready to embroider, I use a variety of different pens for my work. These heat erasable pens are my go to for speedy projects, it disappears with the heat of an iron or hairdryer.

Good to know: Make sure you check that the pen will hear erase by testing an area of the fabric. These pens can mark vintage fabrics and the marks can return if the fabric gets very cold. I have to be mindful of this is my work is being archival frozen for a museum collection.

Choosing Your Thread

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I’m often asked about the best type of thread to use for different hand embroidery projects so I thought I would share some of the threads that I regularly use in my work. The thread I use often depends on that fabric I’m working with (and what I remembered to take with me!). Here are a few of the different types I have in my stash.

Good to Know… When using any thread it’s good to know what type of finish you want on the work, for example a thicker thread can produce really nice texture. You can also experiment with different types of thread to see how they will look against your chosen fabric. When you’re buying threads, where possible you should look at a single strand of the thread against your fabric, this is the best way to colour match as the whole reel looks different.

DMC Cotton Perle

Cotton Perle No 8 thread is 100% cotton, it has a distinctive twist and a slight sheen which gives it a lovely finish. This thread doesn’t get fluffy easily and is suitable for many types of hand embroidery. The heavier weight of this thread will give your project a raised texture and great definition. This comes in 80m balls and there are so many colours to choose from.

I started using this thread when I was given a ball in a mixed bag of vintage threads. I love to use it to add texture to my hand embroidered pieces and recently I’ve been experimenting with the different colours to build up layers.

DMC Stranded Cotton Embroidery Thread

DMC Stranded Cotton is made from long staple cotton which is mercerised twice to give the thread a lovely sheen. It’s made up of 6 strands which you can divide into different thicknesses depending on the finish you want for your project. It comes in huge variety of colours too.

I use this thread for my cross stitch and hand embroidery samples for my classes as the finish is great and I can get lots of different colours. Take care when separating the threads as it can get twisted if you cut off a really long piece. I tend to use it lengths of around 30cm.

Gutermann Hand Quilting Thread

I came across this 100% cotton thread a few years ago, I was looking for a thicker thread for some of my hand stitched projects. Gutermann Hand Quilting thread is a fine but strong 40 weight cotton. The thread has a special waxed finish which gives it added strength and it’s not prone to tangling like some other threads. There a 50 colours to choose from on 200m spools and a few years ago I was lucky enough to complete my collection.

I use this thread for all my tacking and utility sewing because of it’s durability. It’s also great for adding details like beading to a project. I recently started using it to stitch the maps from my daily exercise too and it’s becoming my thread of choice for lots of projects.

Anything Goes

I’e recommended some of the big brands of thread because I stitch every day but you can find a huge variety of threads in shops like The Works and from your local charity shop. Be bold and experiment with the threads you find to see what type of line they create and how you can use them in your projects.

If you want to wash the piece you’re making I do recommend getting the thread wet first to see if it’s colour fast, I’ve been burned by this a few times. Take care when storing vintage threads too, if they’ve been kept in a dirty environment they may contaminate your other threads.

I recommend trying lots of different types to find the best one for you and making notes in your sketchbook or journal to remember what you used for a particular project.

How To Transfer Designs

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In these posts I like to share some tips and tricks with you to make your embroidery projects easier. In this post I’m responding to a question I get asked about my work

“How do you transfer your design onto fabric?”

I get asked this question a lot, especially when I’m stitching in a cafe or showing a sample in a workshop. When I’m creating a design I think about the fabrics, threads and the original image I’m using and this informs how I transfer a design.

I like to create my design on paper first, this might be drawing a completely new design or printing a photograph out. I find this helps me to get the design right before I start adding it to fabric, especially if I’m using vintage fabrics that I can’t replace.

Pilot Frixion Pens

For this technique, once I’m happy with my design, I place my fabric in the embroidery hoop to keep it nice and flat. I then place the paper underneath the fabric and trace the lines using the pen. If my design uses lines, I always use a ruler to keep them straight.

If you want a design to grow organically, you can draw straight onto the fabric with the pen too, I often do this when I’m working on a stitchscape and want a guideline to stitch to. The design you create on paper doesn’t have to be followed exactly either, it can change as you start to stitch and want to make changes.

Pilot Frixion Pens are heat erasable, this means when you have completed the embroidery you can remove them with the heat from a dry iron or hairdryer. Make sure that you test the pen on the edge of the fabric first, it doesn’t always fully disappear on vintage fabrics and can come back if the fabric gets very cold.

Tissue Paper Transfer

When I’m working on private commissions and with intricate text, I like to use the tissue paper method to transfer my designs. This method might sound a bit strange but I find it really useful.

I trace the hand writing from a client onto the paper with a mechanical pencil. I then cut around leaving a border and stick the paper to the fabric temporarily with my Sewline Glue Pen. The tissue paper is easy to stitch through and when that area of the design is complete, I tear away the tissue paper with fine papercraft tweezers.

This technique can be fiddly but it doesn’t leave residue on the fabric and I don’t have to wash or iron away the transfer method.

Wash Away Interfacing

Recently, I tried using self adhesive wash away interfacing to print a design I created on my laptop. You can read more about that technique in my recent post Learning New Tricks.

I’ve been using Madeira Avalon as I had a roll in my cupboard that I bought about 10 years ago. I created a design on my laptop and printed this out on my inkjet printer. Once the design dried I stuck the interfacing to my fabric.

A word of warning, I recently completed an autumnal design and when I washed away the interfacing the colours in some of my threads bled and stained the fabric. I recommend testing your threads to check if they are colourfast before you start stitching using this method. I usually use DMC threads as they are colourfast when washed.

I recommend trying a few different methods for your projects to see what works best for you and the fabric and threads you’re using.

How To Keep Costs Down

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In these posts I like to share some tips and tricks with you to make your embroidery projects easier. In this post I’m responding to a question I get asked at my workshops

“Do I need to buy expensive materials and equipment for embroidery?”

Starting a new hobby can be expensive, especially when you have lots of ideas but don’t know where to start. In this post I will talk about the areas where you can save money and what you need to spend a bit more money on. There are lots of ways to save money and if you have any top tips I’d love to hear them.

Embroidery Threads

Embroidery threads vary quite dramatically in price. In my stash I have DMC threads like Cotton Perle and stranded cotton that are great to stitch with but prices start at £1.25 for a skein of stranded cotton and up to £3.50 for a ball of perle thread. My stranded cotton boxes of thread also contain bargains from the pound shop that cost £1.00 for 20 skeins. I’ve used these threads on commission pieces and for workshops and I’m happy with the results.Your local charity shop, vintage shop or car boot sale is a great place to find good quality second hand threads. I’ve picked up expensive brands like Coats and Gutermann for less than £1.00 for a reel. I usually wind off a bit of the outside layer as it can be faded, although the colour faded reels create an interesting variegated thread to work with.

Scissors

Because of the amount of embroidery I do, I have an expensive pair of curved tip scissors that retail for about £15.00. For years and all through my degree I used nail scissors from Home Bargains that cost around £3.00 a pair. If you do a lot of stitching, I would use small scissors as cutting thread with a larger pair can damage the blades.

For larger scissors, you can pick up a pair from shops like B&M and IKEA. Make sure you keep them for fabric only, they will stay sharp enough to use for ages. Prices start from as little as £1.50 a pair.

Needles

Needles are one of the areas I don’t like to skimp on, I’ve had frustrating experiences with cheap needles. They are made of poor quality metal and can easily break, the eye is also badly punched out. A poorly punched out eye can damage your threads and be hard to get threaded in the first place.

I like to use needles by John James or Prym, they can be picked up online and in haberdashery shops. Prices start at £2.75 for an assorted pack of needles. You don’t have to buy the specialist embroidery needles either, an assorted pack will have something that works for embroidery. Once you’ve decided that embroidery is the craft for you, pick up a pack of the type of needle you find best to use.

Remember…

You can use calico tote bag freebies to embroiderer onto, I know you have a stash of them in the bottom of the wardrobe. I’ve also picked up fabric from charity shops and used worn clothes and bedding for fabric. The charity shop is your friend for bargains like threads and embroidery hoops too. You can get embroidery kits from shops like Aldi and The Works that have good quality bamboo embroidery hoops in them. An embroidery hoop will last a lifetime if you take good care of it. You can sand away rough edges of a hoop using a emery board, this will prevent it from snagging your fabric.

Hello 2025

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A new year is here and I’m looking forward to seeing what 2025 has in store. Last year was intentionally a very quiet one for me. After the busiest year of my career in 2023, I was tired and needed time to relax and evaluate what I want to do as I move forward in my freelance career.

I taught some wonderful courses and workshops with Leeds Central Library in 2024 and worked on a big commission for Polite Rebellion which tapped into my own work, telling stories and sharing personal narratives. Perhaps the most important achievement in 2024 was learning to relax and take time out for selfcare.

In December, I turned 45 and celebrated 12 years of freelance life. Things have changed since those early days as an artist and tutor and I’ve worked with some incredible people and organisations. I was sad to say goodbye to Artlink West Yorkshire who I’ve worked with since 2018. Their closure was a hard time for the participants, who explored creativity and came together through their projects.

During my winter break, I’ve been reflecting on the last year and spending more time in the studio. I didn’t create much work in the second half of the year, instead I focussed on marketing and finding the balance between creating work and creating content, which was a big change for me.

I don’t enjoy resolutions but I do like to do some goal setting for the year ahead so here is my list for 2025…

  1. Embroider or sew every day, this doesn’t have to be the same piece but I want to make sure I take time to do what I love each day
  2. Plan ahead more for my social media content so it doesn’t become a stressful chore
  3. Enjoy being in the studio, this is something I lost which impacted my creativity
  4. Focus on what I want to achieve and make sure I prioritise myself
  5. I would like to start more projects sharing the skills I love here in Scarborough

I’m looking forward creating new work in 2025 for exhibitions and sharing my skills in workshops and courses across Yorkshire. For regular updates about upcoming workshops and events you can sign up to my monthly newsletter, and for cat pictures, work in progress and general weirdness follow me on Instagram.