Embroidery is the art of embellishment with hand-stitched designs. Primarily decorative rather than structural, it evolved from utilitarian sewing and emerged independently in cultures worldwide.


Traditionally, embroidery was a domestic task and a leisure pastime. It offered a way to ornament textiles and tell stories with readily available materials, even for those who could not read or write. Today, embroidery thrives as a medium for personal expression and cultural identity.

Materials and Tools:

  • Fabric is the base for embroidery and can be anything from your high-top sneakers and jeans to the fabrics listed below. Click here to learn more about often-used embroidery fabrics.
  • Aida is an evenweave fabric available in various stitch counts.
  • Canvas is a very open, even mesh fabric.
  • Muslin is a plain-weave cotton fabric available in various thread counts.
  • Linen is also a plain-weave fabric, often with slubs that add texture.
  • A hoop (frame) stabilizes and stretches your fabric to help ensure even stitch tension. Optional, but useful. Here’s a guide to choosing and using embroidery hoops.
  • Needles come in various lengths, diameters, point profiles, and eye shapes (needles guide). Common options include:
  • Chenille needles: Basically, tapestry needles with sharp points.
  • Crewel (embroidery) needles have larger eyes, making threading multiple strands easier.
  • Milliner (straw) needles have an eye and shaft that are equal in thickness, and are often used for French knots and bullion knots.
  • Sharps are general-purpose hand-sewing needles.
  • Tapestry needles have a blunt point and are used to avoid splitting yarn when stitching.
  • Scissors: Small, sharp scissors or snips designed to cut threads, often stork-shaped.
  • Thread or yarn is available in a wide variety of fiber types and weights (guide to embroidery thread). Common options include:
  • Crewel yarn: A fine two-ply wool yarn.
  • Embroidery floss: Loosely twisted, slightly glossy six-strand thread. Usually cotton, but also available in silk, linen, and rayon.
  • Perle (pearl) cotton: A two-ply cotton thread with high sheen, sold in five sizes from No. 3 (thickest) to No. 12 (finest).
  • Silk thread: Available in spun silk or filament silk and plied or stranded. 
  • Tapestry yarn: Tightly twisted four-ply yarn that is similar in weight to worsted yarn. 

Terminology:

Click here for the Embroiderers’ Guild of America’s Glossary of Embroidery Terms. 

Process:

  • Prepare Your Fabric: Transfer a design onto your fabric using a washable marker or tracing paper, as needed. Place your fabric in a hoop or frame to keep it taut. 
  • Thread your needle: Cut a length of thread about 18–24 inches long and thread it through the eye of the needle. Knot the end if required by your technique.
  • Stitching: Start from the back of your fabric and follow your design. Keep your tension even and avoid knots or pulling too tight. To end a thread, secure it at the back of your work with a small knot or by weaving it under other stitches. Easy basic stitches include running stitch, backstitch, and cross-stitch.
  • Finishing: Remove your fabric from the hoop, and press it face down on a towel to protect the stitches.

Variations:

Click here for a list of embroidery techniques from the Royal School of Needlework. Common techniques are listed below:


  • Appliqué: Small, shaped fabric pieces are sewn to base fabric to form a picture or pattern. 
  • Bargello (Florentine) is based on a single vertical stitch called the Florentine stitch and is characterized by wave-like bands. 
  • Bead embroidery is stitching beads to a surface for embellishment.
  • Blackwork is a monochromatic form of embroidery, usually worked with black thread on even-weave fabric.
  • Canvas work is embroidery worked on a stiff, open-weave canvas, most often in a simple diagonal or 'half cross' stitch. Designs usually cover the canvas completely.
  • Counted thread work is any embroidery technique where you count the number of vertical or horizontal threads and insert your needle between the threads, rather than piercing them. It is usually worked on even-weave fabric. 
  • Crewelwork uses crewel wool thread and is traditionally worked on a strong, tightly-woven fabric.
  • Cross-stitch embroidery utilizes two short diagonal stitches that overlap to form a cross. 
  • Cutwork refers to a variety of techniques in which small sections of the ground fabric are cut away, and the open area is edged with stitches. Broderie Anglaise and other cutwork techniques are distinguished by the amount of fabric removed, the complexity of the decorative stitching, and their regional origins. 
  • Drawn thread work is a counted-thread form of whitework where specific backing fabric threads are cut and drawn out. The remaining threads are then stitched together to create intricate patterns. 
  • Freestyle (surface) embroidery refers to any technique worked independently of the weave of the ground fabric. 
  • Needlepoint: Yarn is stitched onto a rigid, open-weave canvas using a variety of stitches, including tent, continental, and basket weave.
  • Pulled thread (drawn fabric) embroidery is worked on loosely-woven fabric. Patterns of holes are created by using tight stitches to bundle threads and pull the fabric apart.
  • Smocking uses parallel stitches in ornamental patterns to hold sections of material gathered into tight pleats.
  • Stumpwork uses a variety of techniques to raise stitches above the canvas, creating three-dimensional embroidery. 
  • Whitework embroidery is defined by the use of white thread on white fabric and includes a variety of techniques.

FAQ's:

  • What type of fabric should I use? It will depend on the kind of embroidery you will be doing. Patterns offen suggest specific fabrics for optimal results. In general, though, counted forms of embroidery require Aida or canvas fabrics, while plain weave cotton muslin or linen is a good choice for non-counted embroidery. 
  • How do I prevent my fabric from fraying? 
  • No-sew options include deliberately fraying the edges by pulling out a couple of threads from each edge, trimming the edges with pinking shears, taping the edges with painter's tape, and applying a seam sealant/anti-fray product.
  • Sewn options include using a sewing machine to zigzag the edges, using a serger to overlock the edges, or hand-stitcheding the edges with a whipstitch or blanket stitch. You can also fold, press, and stitch the edges to hem them.
  • How do I transfer my pattern to my fabric? There are many ways. Here are a few:
  • Tracing: Use a light box or sunny window to tape down first your design and then your fabric. Trace the design onto your fabric with a light pencil line or a water-soluble ink pen.
  • Carbon paper: Tape your fabric down first, then your carbon paper (carbon side down) and your design. Trace over the design with a stylus or pen.
  • Iron-on transfers: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for ironing a design onto your fabric.
  • Water-soluble stabilizer: Trace your design onto the stabilizer, then place your stabilizer on top of your fabric and place both layers into your hoop. Stitch over the stabilizer and then dissolve it when you are finished.
  • How many embroidery stitches are there? Over 300! They can be categorized based on:
  • their feature - straight stitches, looped stitches, knots, and woven stitches.
  • their characteristics - line stitches, filling stitches, and stand-alone stitches.
  • their stitch family, a group of stitches that follow the same working technique - straight stitch family, running stitch family, back stitch family, satin stitch family, …
  • What basic embroidery stitches should I learn first? Running stitch, cross stitch, back stitch, satin stitch, chain stitch, blanket stitch, stem stitch, and French knot.
  • How do I start and end threads? With or without knots, that is the question. Here’s a tutorial.
  • How do I keep my stitches even? Practice! Using counted fabrics or patterns can help.
  • How do I fix mistakes? Gently unpick stitches with a seam ripper or small scissors and re-stitch.
  • How do I wash finished needlework? Generally, you can handwash embroideries in cool water with a mild detergent. After rinsing, roll wet pieces into a towel to remove excess water (don’t wring!) and then air dry. Press pieces face down on a towel to protect the stitches.

Online Resources: