We will use six-stranded cotton floss for the projects in this book. It comes in skeins, balls, and spools. Wrap yours on bobbins to help stay organized.
Jazz up any project by introducing specialty threads. We will be using variegated cotton and some metallic threads in our projects. Also pictured are metallic blends, satin threads, and silk threads.
• Wind your floss on bobbins to help keep it organized and free of tangles.
• Be familiar with the colorfastness of your thread to avoid any bleeding of colors if you plan to get your work wet. Red colors and overdyed threads are especially notorious. Wash these fibers before working with them, or plan to keep your work dry.
A NOTE ABOUT GENERIC COLOR NAMES
I used more than 175 different floss colors to make the projects in this book! Each floss has an exact DMC product color code, but, as mentioned on page, you can use any brand of floss (or color of floss, for that matter) to make your projects. The color codes for each design are assigned project-specific generic color names. These generic names are unique to the design and do not apply universally to the product codes throughout the book. For example, “medium blue” may refer to different product codes for different designs. And a single product code may have different generic names in different designs. Remember, you always have the exact product color code available if you really want to match my project to a T(hread).
I organize my needles on a labeled pincushion. Here we see (from left to right) a large size 1 embroidery needle next to sizes 3, 5, and 9.
Embroidery Needles
Embroidery needles have a sharp tip for piercing fabric and a streamlined eye. I recommend grabbing a variety pack of hand embroidery needles with a few different sizes. Embroidery needles come in sizes 1 through 10, with 1 having the largest eye (to be used with many strands of floss and with thick flosses) and 10 having the smallest eye (to be used with only one strand of very thin floss). Your needle size will depend on your design, what stitches you are using, how thick your threads are, and your own personal preference. Play and see what feels good in your hands. A large needle will make a bigger hole in your fabric and reduce accuracy. Use the smallest needle you can to help with precision. If you can’t get your strands of floss through the eye, it’s okay to move up a size (or two)! I would rather you use a bigger needle than give up in needle-threading frustration.
Tip: If you can’t find a large enough eye for working with all six strands of cotton, try this trick. Cut a double length of floss and pull out three strands. Thread these strands through your needle’s eye and stitch with the doubled-over length, now six strands thick!
Other Embroidery Tools
Tiny embroidery scissors with small, sharp blades are important for cutting lengths of floss and for trimming threads from your work. Larger fabric scissors are great to have for prepping your fabric. Tweezers are useful for removing stitches (mistakes will happen!), and I also like silicone thimbles to protect my fingers during marathon stitching sessions. Pincushions and needle minders (see tip below) can help keep your needles organized and save you from discovering misplaced needles the painful way. Needle threaders are useful tools to help you squeeze floss through miniscule needle eyes.
Needle minders are tiny magnets that sandwich your embroidery fabric. Rest your needle on the cute magnet whenever you take a break so your needle doesn’t roll away! Practical and adorable.
A “3/9” variety pack of hand embroidery needles may come with sizes 3, 5, 7, and 9 needles. This is a perfect variety pack to purchase, as you will be able to handle one through six strands of embroidery floss with the included needle sizes.
Your scissors don’t have to be beautiful, but it sure is more fun to cut out mistakes if they are!
Don’t forget to pack your travel embroidery kit! We are lucky that our supplies are small and lightweight. Use a magnetic needle minder so you don’t misplace your needles.
Chapter 2
Pattern Transfer Techniques
The key to a successful project is a neatly transferred embroidery design on fabric. The best technique for you is going to depend on a number of factors, all of which are touched upon in the following chart. Ultimately, there may be multiple solutions to your pattern transfer “problem,” and it will be up to you to decide which method works best for you. Fabric and sewing shops are full of the helpful tools and products mentioned in this chapter, but using a pen from your junk drawer and a bright window to trace your design can work just as well as any of them. Just remember to test your transfer method and its permanence before you begin.
For a printable PDF of the patterns used in this book, please contact Fox Chapel Publishing at [email protected], quoting the ISBN and title of this book, as well as the pattern or patterns required.
Options in bold are generally permanent, but there are always exceptions. TEST FIRST.
It can be tempting to rush this somewhat boring step, but I encourage you to take the time to do it correctly before picking up your needle and thread. Be sure to read the instructions for your transfer method thoroughly and test all products first. Hand embroidery is a long process, and you will surely regret rushing this important step if you discover an incompatibility after you’ve completed your stitching.
To purchase fabric stamped with the designs from this book, please visit www.JessicaLongEmbroidery.com.
Light Tracing Transfer
I utilized this transfer method for every design you see in this book. Simply use the light from a bright window, lamp, or light board to trace your design to the fabric. Here are the steps:
1. Print and trim the appropriately sized design so it fits on the backside of the embroidery hoop.
2. Hoop up the fabric (see Hoop Up on page for details) and tape the design to the back of the fabric, within the inner embroidery hoop. The fabric needs to be as tight as a drum.
3. Hold up your hoop to a bright light and trace the design. Trace slowly and take breaks when transferring large designs.
Alternatively, tape the design and unhooped fabric directly to a window or light board for tracing. The traced design can warp slightly after hooping up the fabric, so I prefer hooping up first.
Water-soluble fabric markers are great for this tracing method, but remember that your embroidery will need to be rinsed upon completion to remove the guidelines. You can trace using any permanent marker (or pencil) if your guidelines