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General Techniques

Tempting as it may be to start stitching straightaway, it is well worth preparing and mounting the background fabric properly before you get down to work: time invested at the outset will always result in a professional finish. Almost all embroidery will benefit from being worked within a frame: the even tension prevents puckered fabric and distorted stitches, and you will quickly get used to sewing in this way. Protect your work in progress by pinning a clean handkerchief over the embroidery, then store the frame in a cotton pillowcase or wrap a larger piece with sheeting.

Lucinda Ganderton

PREPARING THE FABRIC

When cutting out the background, add on a margin of at least 3 in (8 cm) all around the design area to allow for mounting. If necessary, wash and press linen or cotton, to prevent any later color run or shrinkage. Some cloth, and most canvas, will fray along the cut edges, so hem or zigzag loosely woven fabrics and bind canvas with masking tape.

Always mark the center of the fabric. Lightly press it in half length-and widthwise, then work a line of contrasting running stitch along each crease, following the weave carefully. This will assist accurate placement of the design and help establish a good tension when the fabric is mounted.

Silks, satin and lawns will need to be reinforced with a second layer of fabric to support the weight of the stitches. Cut a piece of muslin 3 in (8 cm) larger all around and baste the finer fabric centrally onto the backing, diagonally from corner to corner, across the center lines and around the edge. Where the embroidery is a small part of a larger piece for, say, a garment, trim away the surplus muslin, so that it only backs the embroidery.

MOUNTING THE FABRIC

Lightweight wooden hoops are portable and ideal for small-scale work. To mount the cloth, loosen the screw and separate the two rings. The inner ring may be wrapped with bias or seam binding to protect the fabric and prevent it from slipping. Place the fabric over the inner ring and slip the outer ring in place. Stretch gently until it is taut like a drum, check that the guidelines are straight, then tighten the screw.

Using a scroll frame

Needlepoint and larger embroidery projects are worked on a scroll or “slate” frame. Hand-sew the top and bottom of the fabric to the webbing on the two roller bars. Adjust the bars to tighten the fabric, then secure the nuts. Lace the edges to the side bars with thick thread to keep the horizontal tension. For a long piece of work, the fabric will need to be rolled upwards as each section is completed and the sides re-laced.

Canvas mounted on a scroll frame

Using a stretcher frame

These simple frames are made from four lengths of wood. Canvas should be cut to the same size and anchored onto the top with thumbtacks: starting from the center top and bottom, then center sides, stretch it across the frame and work out towards the corners. Fabric can be wrapped over the edges and pinned to the back. To prevent snagging, the pins should be covered with masking tape.

Fabric mounted on a stretcher frame

WORKING ON EVENWEAVE FABRICS

Evenweave fabrics – linen, canvas and Aida cloth – are used for needlepoint, cross stitch and other techniques where the stitches need to be evenly spaced and of regular length. They are woven with the same number of threads in each direction to give an even grid across the surface. The thicker these threads, the greater the “count” or number of threads per inch (or 2.5 cm). This can vary from fine 24-count linen down to chunky 7-count canvas: high count fabrics necessitate small stitches in delicate threads, while the low count cloths require bolder stitches in thick thread.

Use a blunt needle and count the threads carefully to produce regular stitches. For horizontal stitches, count across the vertical threads; for upright stitches, count across the horizontal threads.

Working horizontal stitches on evenweave fabric

For diagonal stitches, count the intersections where the two sets of thread cross.

Working diagonal stitches on evenweave fabric

Following charts

Counted thread patterns are charted in colored squares or symbols across a fine grid, which resembles the mesh of evenweave fabric or canvas. Each square represents a single tent or cross stitch and the color or symbol corresponds to one of the thread shades. An identification key is given. Start stitching at the center of the design and work out. Make each stitch over the given number of threads or thread intersections.

TRANSFERRING THE DESIGN

Whether you follow a project or create your own pattern, the outline of a free embroidery design has to be transferred onto the background fabric. This can be done in various ways; the most appropriate method depends on the type of stitch, threads and fabric being used. Bear in mind that the outline must be accurate and that none of the marked lines should be visible on the completed embroidery. Enlarge or reduce the design to the size required using a photocopier. To make sure the design will be central, draw a horizontal and a vertical line to divide it into quarters and match these guidelines to the basted cross on the background fabric.

Tracing

Drawing straight onto the fabric is quick and straightforward. Sheer fabrics can be placed directly over the design, but for denser cloth a light box is necessary. This can be improvised by resting a sheet of glass on two stacks of books and setting up a lamp or flashlight in the space below. Tape the design to the glass, then secure the fabric over the paper. Alternatively the design and fabric can be taped onto a window or blank computer screen.

The outline can then be traced. On cotton or linen, this may be done with a sharp pencil if the stitches are not too delicate, but a water-soluble felt-tip pen will give a line that disappears completely. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions and test a sample piece first: not all fabrics are suitable. Fading pens are useful for non-colorfast materials, but you may have to re-draw the lines (or sew very quickly!). A chalk pencil is ideal for simple outlines.

An improvised light box

Dressmaker’s Carbon

This method is useful if a light box is not available. Use a light paper for dark fabrics and vice versa. Tape the fabric onto a flat surface, then place the paper facedown over it. Tape the design on top, then trace over the outline with a ballpoint pen. Brush any visible carbon away when the stitching is complete.

Hot Iron Transfer

Embroidery transfer pencils contain a heat-reactive permanent pigment, so remember that the outline will be indelible. If you iron lightly, the transfer can be used more than once, so this method is suitable for a repeat motif. Trace the design onto thin paper using an ordinary pencil. Turn the paper and draw over the pencil lines with the transfer pencil. Pin the paper facedown onto the fabric (i.e., so that the side with the transfer pencil is against the fabric) and press with a cool iron. For a symmetrical shape, omit the first step and trace directly with the transfer pencil.

Tissue Basting

This method is used for transferring patterns onto dark or textured fabrics, such as velvet and satin, where a drawn line would not show up. It is also traditionally used for metallic thread work. Trace the outline onto tissue paper using a waterproof pen, then baste the paper to the right side of the fabric. Using a contrasting thread, sew through both the paper and the fabric, following the lines carefully. Work in a neat running stitch and use smaller stitches over more detailed areas. When the design is finished, gently tear away the paper, leaving the design “drawn” in thread. Most of the sewing thread will be concealed with stitches: snip away any that is left exposed.

Stitching the design through the tissue paper and the fabric

Image Transfer

Advances in printing technology are creating exciting new ways to embroider. Iron-on image transfer paper can be used to put photographic images or drawings directly onto fabrics. Fine white needlepoint canvas, heavy cotton or linen all work well, although the process will stiffen the fabric slightly.

Blocking a Canvas

A piece of needlepoint which contains diagonal stitches will inevitably end up sloping at an angle, so restore its true shape by “blocking” the canvas. Dampen both sides with a water spray to moisten the canvas stiffener. Place a piece of plastic on a board, then pin down one corner of the canvas. Stretch diagonally and secure the opposite corner, then pull in the opposite direction and pin the other two corners. Use a set square and ruler to check that the sides are straight, then pin the edges to the board. Leave to dry away from any direct heat source.

Blocking the canvas

Lacing over cardboard

Mount a project in this way before framing. Cut a piece of acid-free board to size and draw two lines to divide it into quarters. Trim the border around the embroidery to 1½ in (3 cm) larger than the cardboard on each side and mark the center of each side. Lay the cardboard centrally on the wrong side of the fabric and pin the middle of one side to the board, placing the pin into the edge of the board. Pull and pin the opposite side. Check that the grain of the fabric is square to the board, then pin the fabric at regular intervals down the sides of the cardboard. Starting from the center and using a strong thread, lace the edges together across the cardboard. Fold, pin and lace the top and bottom in the same way.

Lacing over cardboard

Mitering corners

Table linen and samplers are traditionally hemmed with mitered corners. Press under a double hem along each edge, then undo the second fold. Turn and press the corner so that the creases meet to form a square and clip off a triangle of fabric, ¼ in (5 mm) in from the diagonal crease. Refold the hem, then tack in place and stitch down. Slipstitch the miter.

The mitered corner ready for trimming