Hey buddy!!! I have a few embroidery hoops, needles and thread, but aside from YouTube, nobody I know nearby does it often enough to give firsthand experience. I embroidered a thatch of lavender and a little bee on one of my battlejacket pockets, but it was with regular thread and a regular needle. Can you offer any insight when it comes to the actual hoops themselves, what material works best, any insider tips?
So I’m not a regular embroiderer because it hurts my hands really easy, but I AM a moron who does everything the hard way first so I do have some tips:
If you’re using regular thread, it will help the design if you a) use an embroidery needle [I think you can get them separate from other sewing supplies for like a buck or two, and I recommend getting some kind of needle polisher as well bc then it will last 538463936472 years] and double up the thread 2-3 times to bulk it up and 2) use a smaaaalll bit of glue mixed with water [or spit, I’ve done that too] to twist together the threads along their length. It just helps them go through smoother and lay flatter with less overall fiddling, and if you use School glue or spit it will wash out 👍
If you’re using bulk dollar store quality embroidery thread, you have to be *gentle as fuck* with it while youre working the design. So, work patiently in small sections and try not to yank it too much, just generally be aware that its not gonna stand much abuse until it’s actually stitched in. Also, it’s totally possible to take a pulled end, tie more on, and keep on a-truckin - just make sure you pull a few previous stitches to get to a more sturdy bit, and tie it real close so you’re not trying to pull the knot thru. It’s strength when pulled on leaves something to be desired, but it IS infinitely cheaper than buying every color ever individually for a few bucks each, so pick your poison on that one. If you wanna use good thread basically you need to have planning skills and the patience to wait till stores are open to drive out and go get shit, neither of which I have :D
As for hoops, they are So, So helpful oh my god. You can use them for darning, you can use them for embroidery, you can use them for cross-stitch, you can use scrap fabric to make patches, you can even use them to hold fabric taut to hand-stitch on patches if you need to.
Basically, If you need fabric to stay where the fuck you put it while you work, an embroidery hoop is a godsend. Most are also pretty adjustable - though you may have trouble using them with really really thick or stiff fabrics like fur or denim seams. in those cases you can always use scrap fabric to embroider your design, and then iron on or sew on your new patch.
In order to use one, you just need a bit of fabric that can reach to every curve of the hoop. you place your inner hoop under the fabric, plop your untightened outer hoop over it, and then tighten it up. in order to make the fabric taut, you can leave the hoop a liiiitle loose, and then pull at the fabric till it feels kind of like a drum. then tighten the outer hoop as far as it'll go :D Once youve done that, youre good to go.
I'd advise sketching your design in chalk/charcoal/pencil/washable marker before starting, and if you feel like it you can also mark out a grid pattern of dots using a ruler to keep your stitches the same length, but thats not super necessary.
As for fabrics that work best for embroidery, tight-woven felt is a nice backing for patches but you will struggle to get a clear sketch of your design. Cotton is gonna be easiest to use for a sketch, but its gonna be flimsier. If you can layer both inside the hoop, that would probably work out pretty well, tbh. I wouldnt use stretchy fabrics if you can help it- the resulting patch will likely shrink and the fabric itself is going to be difficult to work with especially if you arent using more expensive thread or a sharp, polished needle.
TLDR: Bulk up your normal thread and smooth it with watery glue, use an embroidery needle and make sure it stays polished, embroidery hoops are lovely, make any threadwork easier, and work best on non-stretchy fabric like denim, cotton, non-spandex poly blend, plastic leather, and probably natural leather if its thin enough.
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