Introduction
I’m so excited that you’ve decided to pick up my book and delve into the relaxing craft of hand embroidery. Stitching entered my life after the birth of my son as I was looking for a way to slow down, connect with my hands, and reduce anxiety. I had always found peace through art, but I found that the slow, meditative, and tactile experience of using needle and thread to create beauty was especially satisfying. Plus, tossing a hoop and thread in the diaper bag for some stitching at the park proved easier than packing an easel and oil paints. My goal is for my students to find the same joy and relaxation that I find when I am creating art through hand embroidery. I also hope that they have a lot of fun.
In college I wanted to be a natural history illustrator. Ultimately, I began a more traditional career working in a biotech lab, but my love of our natural world never faded. My doodles and paintings always heavily featured flora and fauna, and I never passed up an opportunity to visit a natural history museum or zoo. Thanks to life’s many surprises, I have become a full-time hand embroidery instructor and pattern designer. Now I can draw (and then stitch) all of my favorite creatures! Somehow my two loves have magically merged, and so I can delightfully present to you a book of hand embroidery animal patterns.
If you are new to hand embroidery, I suggest you begin with a small, simple pattern (found toward the front of the book) to help you gain confidence. You will get to practice my favorite hand embroidery stitches as you move through the book. The second half of the book utilizes long and short stitch (the name for a certain kind of stitch) to create thread paintings of animals. I tried to create some easy thread painting designs to again help you ease into the process so you can confidently tackle the projects near the end of the book.
I try to make designs that make people smile, and I only offer my suggestions here based on my personal experience. I hope you enjoy stitching the patterns included in this book and that you give yourself the time and space to make changes in order to have a more pleasant experience. I was terrified into paralysis when I first picked up hand embroidery. I was afraid that I was going to use the wrong materials, the wrong stitches, etc. Remember: it’s just cotton—what’s the worst that can happen? Our medium is forgiving and cheap, so don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Let go of any old ideas you have about hand embroidery. Try new things, experiment, and take a break if you get frustrated. Ultimately, with time and patience you will find a style and solutions that work for you. Hand embroidery is a slow art, and it teaches us to take it easy and be in the moment.
Part 1
Starting Your Menagerie
Whether you’re totally new to embroidery or already experienced, you’ll want to take a look at the following few chapters. In them, you’ll learn about the tools and materials you’ll need to create the projects in this book, how to transfer your patterns to your work, and how to get a new embroidery project started. You’ll also get to explore some fun ideas for ways to finish your work, including turning it into patches or jewelry. Finally, we’ll review all the basic stitches you will want to use and experiment with to stitch your animals. Take some time to review these pages before diving into your first project!
Chapter 1
Materials and Supplies
Hoops come in many different sizes and materials. From bottom: yellow plastic, beechwood, wood with the inner hoop bound with fabric, thick beechwood hoop with adjustable screw, small wood.
A neat stack of colored fabrics used for the projects in Part 2 of this book (see page). Notice the difference in texture between the smooth basic cotton versus the cotton-linen blend. The light purple and the mixed teal/navy samples are the two blended fabrics.
Embroidery Hoops
Keeping your fabric tight will make your hand embroidery experience easier and will produce a more pleasing finished handwork. The cheapest and easiest option is a hand embroidery hoop. Hoops are available in many different-sizes and materials. I prefer working in wooden hoops, but plastic or metal options may work best for you. An embroidery design may specify what size of hoop to work in, but sometimes a different-sized hoop can be easier to hold, depending on the size of your hands. Smaller hoops may also give you better tension, but you can always bind a larger hoop to give it more grip on your fabric. Simply wind a long strip of fabric or bias tape around the inner hoop, securing it with a safety pin or a couple of stitches. Repeat with the outer hoop if needed. Working with good tension will prevent puckering and creasing of your fabric and give you a more stable surface to stitch through. For stitching, I’ve invested in high-quality beechwood hoops with brass fittings and a notch for tightening, and then I use the cheaper wood hoops for framing the finished results.
Embroidery Fabric
I enjoy stitching on 100% cotton (such as Kona® brand cotton, available in many colors and very affordable), but please experiment with different weaves, blends, and colors to see what you enjoy working with. Other fabric options include linen, silk, felt, and tulle. Give yourself time to wander through a fabric store and see what you like. Avoid stretchy fabrics, as they will only lead to heartache and pattern warping unless paired with fabric stabilizer. Double-up thin or light-colored fabrics if you prefer a thicker feel and want to avoid seeing the back of the stitches through the front of your work.
Embroidery Floss
The patterns in this book call for six-stranded cotton embroidery floss. This thread is made of six individual strands of cotton and can be split into one or more strands or worked as a full six strands. It comes in hundreds of colors, including some variegated varieties that are utilized in a handful of patterns in this book. I personally like using DMC® brand floss, and so I have provided the exact color numbers of the DMC threads I used throughout this book, in case you want to recreate the projects using the exact colors I did. But, if you prefer, you can use any brands you like and any colors you like. The DMC color number is printed on the plastic wrapper binding the skein together. There are lots of other floss brands (Lecien Cosmo, Anchor®) and other fun floss materials (silk, wool, linen) to experiment with. A few other tips and notes:
• We will get an opportunity to use metallic floss in a few projects. Metallic floss is usually made with polyester or a polyester blend, so it will feel stiffer and be a little more challenging to work with. Use short lengths and be sure to anchor it well.