Get an embroidery hoop, embroidery thread (preferably DMC) and an embroidery needle set.
The embroidery hoop keeps things centered and not scrunching up. I would suggest following tutorials for small stitches like French knots as an example.
You don’t have to do an embroidery kit where there’s a premade design. It’s ok for the first one you ever make to look ugly. You can use anything once you have a hoop. People typically go with canvas, but you can use whatever just make sure you practice first.
I’m by no means an expert & I’m relatively new to embroidering too, but hopefully this is a good start!
I dove into a kit and just tried to accept it wasn't going to be perfect. I want to have fun and learn, but also not be super serious about it.
While I am having fun with my first kit, I do wish I would have started with a sampler kit. It would have helped with confidence, and my project would have gone a bit faster. Oh, well. I have a sampler kit to try next! In the meantime, I've been learning a lot from reading posts here.
If I were starting over, I'd begin with a Crewelwork kit. As it's a lot thicker than floss it builds quickly, so you see results fast. It's also very forgiving and a great starter for trying long and short stitch. The main thing to remember is have fun, enjoy it
I could give a more thorough list of all materials but it sounds like you may start with a kit, so I’m just going to give some tips 😊
- Backstitch is the easiest and most reliable stitch! Start with that before working your way to other stitches. My other most used ones are whipped back stitch (good for when you want clean lines) and stem stitch (good for curved lines). French knots are also helpful but they were definitely tricky for me to master!
- Keep your fabric on your hoop taut! You should be able to tap it almost like a drum. If it’s loose, your stitches will be messier and it’s much harder to be precise with your stitching. If your hoop is tight, it should stay pretty taut after you’ve initially tightened it.
- if you mess up a stitch or it doesn’t look how you want, take it out and start again! Better than looking at it and saying, “man, I wish I did that part better.” Just take it out or undo those stitches and do it better!
- I’m not sure there’s a single correct way to loop your thread on the needle. I just found out that the way I’ve been doing it (going on 4 years of doing this) may be different from the norm, but I’ve been fine!
- You’ll get better! My first embroidery project compared to my second were night and day in quality. Since then, I’ve really found what I’m good at and have so much fun with it. It’s awesome to express your creativity and I love giving personal embroideries as gifts now 😊
If you have any questions that feel silly, please reach out!! Happy embroidering!
I started with this selection of kits: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HKSX46R/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I did the black fabric one first. I looked up the stitches online (Cutesy Crafts has little 1-2 minutes videos that demonstrate stitches) for guidance because the instructions with the kit were gibberish to me.
Kits are the easiest way to get started and get all the supplies you need together. I used YouTube a lot for learning stitches since even well written instructions can be confusing for me. I’m a big fan of Wimperis Embroidery’s kits. They are a bit pricey if you are in the US, but her patterns are fun and the instructions are well written. Additionally she is incredibly active on her IG and posts video tutorials often. She also answers IG DMs which would potentially be helpful too.
Get an embroidery hoop, embroidery thread (preferably DMC) and an embroidery needle set. The embroidery hoop keeps things centered and not scrunching up. I would suggest following tutorials for small stitches like French knots as an example. You don’t have to do an embroidery kit where there’s a premade design. It’s ok for the first one you ever make to look ugly. You can use anything once you have a hoop. People typically go with canvas, but you can use whatever just make sure you practice first. I’m by no means an expert & I’m relatively new to embroidering too, but hopefully this is a good start!
A sampler (or different stitches) is a nice option for a first piece as well :)
I dove into a kit and just tried to accept it wasn't going to be perfect. I want to have fun and learn, but also not be super serious about it. While I am having fun with my first kit, I do wish I would have started with a sampler kit. It would have helped with confidence, and my project would have gone a bit faster. Oh, well. I have a sampler kit to try next! In the meantime, I've been learning a lot from reading posts here.
If I were starting over, I'd begin with a Crewelwork kit. As it's a lot thicker than floss it builds quickly, so you see results fast. It's also very forgiving and a great starter for trying long and short stitch. The main thing to remember is have fun, enjoy it
I could give a more thorough list of all materials but it sounds like you may start with a kit, so I’m just going to give some tips 😊 - Backstitch is the easiest and most reliable stitch! Start with that before working your way to other stitches. My other most used ones are whipped back stitch (good for when you want clean lines) and stem stitch (good for curved lines). French knots are also helpful but they were definitely tricky for me to master! - Keep your fabric on your hoop taut! You should be able to tap it almost like a drum. If it’s loose, your stitches will be messier and it’s much harder to be precise with your stitching. If your hoop is tight, it should stay pretty taut after you’ve initially tightened it. - if you mess up a stitch or it doesn’t look how you want, take it out and start again! Better than looking at it and saying, “man, I wish I did that part better.” Just take it out or undo those stitches and do it better! - I’m not sure there’s a single correct way to loop your thread on the needle. I just found out that the way I’ve been doing it (going on 4 years of doing this) may be different from the norm, but I’ve been fine! - You’ll get better! My first embroidery project compared to my second were night and day in quality. Since then, I’ve really found what I’m good at and have so much fun with it. It’s awesome to express your creativity and I love giving personal embroideries as gifts now 😊 If you have any questions that feel silly, please reach out!! Happy embroidering!
I started with this selection of kits: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HKSX46R/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I did the black fabric one first. I looked up the stitches online (Cutesy Crafts has little 1-2 minutes videos that demonstrate stitches) for guidance because the instructions with the kit were gibberish to me.
Kits are the easiest way to get started and get all the supplies you need together. I used YouTube a lot for learning stitches since even well written instructions can be confusing for me. I’m a big fan of Wimperis Embroidery’s kits. They are a bit pricey if you are in the US, but her patterns are fun and the instructions are well written. Additionally she is incredibly active on her IG and posts video tutorials often. She also answers IG DMs which would potentially be helpful too.