I really like embroidering. I like the way it looks, I like the relaxing in-out of the needle, I like the sound of the thread going through the fabric. I love the idea of it.

But few things turn out on fabric as they appear in my head, and that bums me out. I want to be better. I think (hope?) what I do is passable right now, but there is definite room for improvement, especially when it comes to making a little flower or pattern or whatever on a bendy's outfit or what have you. I just want to improve.

Are there secrets or tips to embroidering that my great-aunt-never-existed-to-teach-me-these-things would have told me had she been around during my formative years? Is it something that can be learned, or do you just have to have that embroidery knack?

I am hopeless when it comes to trying to decipher those pictures on websites or books that show how to do a particular stitch. Danielle's link to a colonial knot helped me in that I now do *something* that makes me think of that picture she showed, and the result is a knot so I am satisfied, but I want *more.*

Who of you can help me? Please dish all your family secrets about embroidering beautifully, plus your own knowledge form experience. :D Pretty please?

doa googlesearch for "insert name of embroidery stich here" and "video" that is how I did the one french knot I successfully made, lol...

other than that.. ahem, that is why I bought an embroidery machine...

I'm flailing in the wind myself, just using the tips that others have given me and I learned to do the stitches by googling online for tips..

unfortunately, I think it's all just practice, practice practice :D

I have a few books that are dictionaries of embroidery stitches from the 70's and earlier. Try looking in your library. They are very detailed, step by step. While I like the computer for a lot of things sometimes it's nice to take a book and work outside while the kids play and practice.

:D Ah, the library *sob* hard for me to get to on a regular basis, but I'll check it out - they don't seem to have the plethora of 70s crafts books that some of you lucky women have reported finding at yours, unfortunately.

Oh! But if you have a favorite book, would you mind sharing the title? Tell me why you love it.

Selena - thanks for the idea about video. Sometimes that is better for me. I also want technique info, though, like dumb stuff that comes naturally to someone who knows what they are doing: use x pieces of thread for this project, y for that. Um ... and other tips that frankly I don't even know enough to ask for specifically.

And Meg - about those tips people told you: DISH, woman!!!!!!

:lol:

For example: when starting a blanket stitch say on a bendy dress, is there a secret to making that first stitch run parallel to the subsequent stitches? Often mine goes at a bit of an angle and it drives me bonkers I think it would look so much *prettier* if I could make them all parellel. And ending a balnket stitch - how to do it beautifully? And making daisy stitches (that what they are called?) how do I nicely change the lenght without the "petal" closing up on me? This info has got to be somewhere I am just not tapping into it...

On the blanket stitch..I usually start with the needle through only the back part of the cloth..then very close to that insert into both pieces going back toward the knot..this seems to work very well. I hope that makes sense. Then to end..I put the needle back through the last stitch and knot at the back.

I think I'd like to know how to "hide" all the darn knots, really. With knitting I can just weave ends in so you don't have hanging strings or knots..what do you do with embroidered things?

I'm still working on daisy stitching coming out nice and even :lol:

Meg - I do that to start the blanket stitch, too, and it has helped immensely. But still sometimes that first stitch gets a notion to lean and it makes me nutty! lol

For the ends I mostly do the "opposite" of what you described for the starter: I put my last stitch where I want it, then loop around (assuming it's a blanket stitch) and only pull it through one layer of fabric (assuming you are working with 2 layers) and the tie my knot there. sometimes it is too far from the edge for me to turn inside out and make a nice knot, so I separate my threads and tie them in a square knot using the two ends (make sense?), then trim that. I can get closer to the fabric that way.

No one wants to help me perfect my daisy stitch??? What about freehand designs? do you actually draw a pattern on the fabric? is that where I've gone wrong?

k, i am the first t9o admit i am not the embroidery queen, but this works for me on balnket stithc

you knwo how you haev 2 threads on yoru needle? okay i use one long peice of floss and double it, so when i put it thru the fabric i have that loop of the opposite end to pass my thread thru and it creates the first totally vertical stitch to my blanket stitch

when its time to "cast off" what is the embroidery term...lol I just use the first stitches verytical thread to be my ancor for my last sticth so it is one continous balnket stitch all teh way around and you can nto see where it starts or stops

does that make sense?

i hope so:)

the right needle can make a world of difference too. I love a small embroidery needle. Smaller is better for me...especially for bendy clothes.

I don't make a knot at the end of embroidery (I do make a small knot at the beginning though). At the end, I slide the needle back under the last few stitches...coming out just above a stitch. Then I slide the needle back in, just BELOW that same stitch...and come back out a few stitches later.

When embroidering on a single layer of felt I do the same...I just slide my needle inside the felt.

LMK if that doesn't make sense...I can take a pic

isn't it fun? I love love love hand embroidery now.

To get a nice daisy loop, I loop the thread first, then start the stitch. Sort of "throwing" the thread into a c-shape before I begin the stitch. That way the thread follows its own memory or path, rather than me forcing it into shape.

I don't know if that makes sense.

I was teaching Madison some stitches yesterday and I had to remind her to draw her fabric taunt in the hoop several times as she was "puckering" her work. She has very young hands and it's a huge leap to keep mine out of her work. lol. But she's getting it.

I sketch all of my pictures on paper first. Then I sort of "squint" at the paper to pick out the "important" lines. Then trace over those with a sharpie. finally, tracing the work onto fabric with a tailers marking marker or pencil. Obviously this works for pillowcases and dishtowels, not wool felt. lol

I find that even my best efforts need a little adjusting at sew time, but I'm getting closer to the original picture with practice.

Do you have french knots down? (plug your ears, Dannielle. lol) I can do those in my sleep and can help if you need it.

LOL! I just decided that french knots are for right handed people. If you're left handed, I don't need to know :p

I love hand embroidery too! And I'm finding (plug your ears, Selena) that I'm getting kinda snobby about it. When I see embroidered things that have a hand embroidered look but are obviously done by machine when I look close... well, I won't buy those kitchen towels. LOL!

hahaha..one of the "perils" of doing all this lovely embroidery or any crafting..is that now you see something in a store or whatever and your first thought is..Oh, I can make that..why should I buy it? Especially for me with knitting and sewing..now I'm gonna be spoiled for embroidery and crappy toys hahahaha

Y'all are cracking me up!

Katie - I think I understand the theory behind the French Knots, but in execution I only get maybe 1 of 10 finished that don't have one edge of the knot starting to come up and fold over the rest of the knot and look ratty. That is, it won't lie flat like a lovely knot (in my mind!) should! I think this may in part be due to technique and somehow not holding the knot down well when I pull the thread through on its way to the back of the fabric? Or maybe as Danielle pointed out I should use a smaller needle?

Then you bring up the subject of HOOPS - oh my that's fancy! Maybe I'm hapless due to being hoopless and that's why my FKs aren't lovely? See how I'm ready to blame my troubles on anything else but general user error? Hehhehe it's all part of my fantasy that the problem can be fixed ;)

So what do you think? Why do my FKs not lie flat? Or are they supposed to be wonky?

For me, the secret to french knots is to work close to the tip of the needle. I wrap the tip and pull that tight, then hold the thread close to the tip and put the needle through - clear as mud?

When stitching, I almost always use one strand and then fold it to double it, that gives you a loop to catch instead of making a knot. It does really make a great first stitch for blanket stitch, but I use it for all my stitching. When ending, I weave my ends in to avoid knots (though I tend to knot with stuffed items rather than weave because no one will see the back :)

I draw designs on my felt. It took me a long time to find a good marker. What I use is a quilting pen that will disappear when you wet the fabric. I have one in white and one in purple. I found it does fade on its own after awhile, but its good for me to draw the designs with. I was using a marker that fades away after 24 hours without the water, but I found on the felt, it faded away within several minutes. The water disolving stays for several days.

Oh, you definately need a hoop. You'll find life MUCH easier with a hoop. You can pick up a wood hoop for like a buck at Jo's.

Just like Melinda, I work close to the needle tip. Hold thread tight, wrap tip of needle around the thread....as opposed to wrapping the thread around the needle. You'll know the difference when you do it. Then, making sure thread is still tight around needle (you don't want loose, loopy thread around the needle), drop the needle through the fabric close to the original hole.

Hmm..hoops are great, but I can't see using them with tiny bendy clothing..felt is thick and strong and the hoops are too big :D

Katie, do you use a hoop with felt? I use a hoop (well, actually a q-snap...again with the snobbery lol) for pillowcases and dish towels, etc...but it never occurred to me to use on with felt.

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Oops, forgot we were talking about felt again. Nope, no hoop on felt.

So on felt how many threads would you advise for making designs on bendy shirts (for example) or for sewing up shirts on bendies? Right now I use 3 but it sounds like some of you are using 2? I hadn't tried that in a while, maybe I should, esp for smaller folk...

I almost always use 2.

it depends..if I want a strong thick line I use 3, if my bendy is tiny and i need less of a thick line I use two. Listen to me..I've been making bendies for what...3 weeks? :lol: