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Everyday Creative Adventures

Learn How to Embroider Simple But Pretty Designs

Hand embroidery is so challenging and tedious – oh, and it’s sooooo old school! Let me be the first to correct you on both points.

I’m the last person in the world to take on anything that’s too hard or time-consuming (case in point – my running shoes still look new and have hardly logged any hours on the pavement). I’m more of an instant gratification kind of girl.

As far as embroidery being old school, it’s making a triumphant comeback and soon you’ll see it everywhere – mark my words (you can’t see it but I’m wagging my finger at you). There’s a ton of incredible designers out there who are anything but old and stodgy. Today’s embroidery designers are cutting-edge, graphic and humorous (and often R-rated). If you’re curious, go check out Instagram and search the hashtags #hoopart, #embroideryart and #handembroidery.

I’m now positive, with every new hobby and skill I attempt, that I was an old west homesteader in a former life. My claim to fame is that I seem to be particularly adept at picking up old lady hobbies (my husband teases me constantly). You name it, crochet, soap making, pottery and now let’s add embroidery to the list. The embroidered hoop you see pictured in the photos is my second attempt at embroidery. I’m not telling you this to brag but rather to prove just how easy it is and how quickly you can learn to hand embroider simple designs. Being the instant gratification person I am, I spent all of an hour or two watching video tutorials then, I grabbed the materials, made my design and got down to it.

This particular embroidered hoop art is a birthday gift I made for my lovely mother-in-law Lynda. She’s sweet, kind, generous and caring but she’s also fierce in her beliefs, convictions, and the love she has for her friends and family. As soon as I found this little saying, I knew it was perfect for her.

How Can I Learn to do Hand Embroidery?

There are tons of tutorials and courses out there on hand embroidery. The first place I went was Craftsy where I took the amazing “Design It, Stitch It: Hand Embroidery” class by Jessica Marquez. This is a great foundation course that teaches 25 basic stitches – at this point, I still haven’t even gotten through the entire course – I was too excited with all the stitches I learned in the first 4 lessons.

If you’re looking for some free tutorials, this great YouTube playlist “Beginner Hand Embroidery: Learn Hand Embroidery with Me Series” by TLCinspirations is another great resource.

Another fun resource for learning about embroidery is my Embroidery Pinterest board where I’ve pinned hundreds of inspirational ideas as well as great photo tutorials.

Now let’s get to the floral embroidery pattern I used in the photos. Below, I’ve listed some of the specific tutorials I used to learn the stitches I chose for this project (click on each to go to the tutorial)

Embroidery Supplies

Luckily there are only a few supplies you’ll need to get started and generally, they are pretty inexpensive.

  • Embroidery needles (sizes 3-9)
  • Embroidery floss – cotton or pearl cotton
  • Embroidery hoop – there are many sizes available – I used a 7″ hoop for the hoop art in the photos
  • Fabric such as linen, cotton or muslin (great for practicing)
  • Sharp scissors
  • Fine tip marker or soluble pen (I used the Fine Water Erasable Marker by Clover)
  • Needle threader (not a requirement but it can help make threading easier)

Once you’ve gone through a few tutorials and are confident enough to start your first embroidered hoop art, feel free to download my pattern and try your hand at embroidery. Simply print it out and then trace the design onto your fabric (I held my fabric up against a window so that I could see the design behind the fabric more easily).

Get Your Free Embroidery Pattern – in two sizes

  • Download the 6″ embroidery pattern with quote here
  • Download the 6″ embroidery pattern without the quote here
  • Download the 7″ embroidery pattern with quote here
  • Download the 7″ embroidery pattern without the quote here

I can’t wait to hear what you think and how your attempt at embroidery goes. Please feel free to share your stories and photos with me… I may even (with your permission of course) showcase them with my social media community.

Click here to learn how to embroider simple but pretty designs - so sweet! Bonus FREE embroidery pattern in two sizes included!
Learn how to embroider simple but pretty designs – bonus embroidery pattern included.

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link, which means that if you visit Craftsy.com through this link and purchase this product, I’ll get a commission. Don’t worry–the price is still the same for you.

Learn How to Embroider Simple But Pretty Designs - BONUS free Embroidery pattern included! There are tons of tutorials and courses out there on hand embroidery, let me help point you in the right direction with some great online tutorials to get you started.

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