What Is Embroidery?

By Author: Rob Thomas
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Embroidery is a craft in where a needle and thread are used to create a shape on a piece of textile. It is a very popular craft that people enjoy as their hobby. Embroidery has been around for decades as it formerly indicate riches and prosperity when worn in Europe. Nowadays, embroidery patterns can be seen on bed linens, clothing and decorative housewares. Technology has enhanced the art of embroidery, where, sewing machines are now capable of doing embroidery. There are also companies in the trade of logo design using embroidery. Persons still enjoy doing embroidery by hand. There are 5 stitches that characterize hand embroidery. They are:
1. Outline - this is a running stitch that outlines the decoration on the fabric.
2. Satin - this is when stitches are done closely to fill in a gap to resemble satin.
3. Lazy Daisy - this type of stitch is mostly used for flower petals.
4. Cross stitch - this is also used for filling open areas.
5. French - this stitch is used to make small dots like eyes.
For someone who is experienced in sewing, outline stitching which is the simplest type ...
... of embroidery should be quite simple to master.

EMBROIDERY KITS
Embroidery kits are very popular these days and they are very efficient in assisting even apprentices to successfully embroider. These kits comprise all the required things to get you started. The main contents of a typical embroidery kit are:
Fabric
Embroidery needle (these usually have bigger eyes than the normal needles to enable the embroidery yard)
Embroidery yarn or thread
Pattern
Directions
Embroidery hoop - this is very essential in embroidery. It is a round wooden frame that consists of two rings of wood that fit together. It is used to stretch the fabric and keep it firm and flat to facilitate neat embroidery.

HOW TO EMBROIDER
Materials:
A plain piece of fabric (100% cotton or calico are the easiest to embroider).
Sharp lead pencil or washable marker
Embroidery pattern you desire
Embroidery needle
Embroidery thread
Embroidery hoop
Scissors

Steps:
1. Choose your preferred fabric and use pencil or washable marker to draw a simple pattern on it. The pattern is easily seen under light-coloured cloth. If you are using a dark coloured textile, tape the pattern to a well lit window pane and tape the fabric over it to make it easily seen.
2. Fix your embroidery hoop onto your cloth ensuring that the cloth is rigid.
3. Use scissors and cut about 25 inches of the yarn.
4. Embroidery threads are normally made up of 6 strands. Separate the strands and use 2 or 3 strands and make a knot at the end.
5. Thread the embroidery needle.
6. Thrust the needle through the fabric from the back. From here onward, make stitches to create the sketch of the design on the cloth. Repeat until the entire pattern is complete.
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Please visit this link for more information on: Embroidery Site and this link for an interesting article on Embroidery Kits.