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Finishing in a Hoop

The simplest way to finish your work is by framing it in an embroidery hoop and hanging it proudly on the wall. Follow these basic steps (starting on the following page).

Wooden hoops look nice natural, but it can be fun to stain or paint them with acrylic paint and apply a varnish. A framed embroidery in a small painted hoop with a cute ribbon makes a lovely handmade tree ornament. Pull out the glitter glue and sequins to create an extra-sparkly frame.

As an alternative to the standard hoop shape, you can stretch the finished work on wood canvas bars for a more elegant look in a rectangular frame. Line the wood with framer’s tape and add an additional layer of fabric to help protect your embroidery art. Use clamps to similarly center and evenly stretch the fabric across your frame. Secure with staples or use a full six strands of embroidery floss to lace the backside to secure the work.

1. Ensure the work is centered and tight in the hoop. Trim any excess fabric and use running stitch with a full six strands of floss along the entirety of the fabric edge.

2. Once you have gone all the way around the perimeter, pull on both ends of the floss to cinch the fabric closed. Alternatively, use acid-free craft glue to secure the fabric to the inner edge of the embroidery hoop.

3. Use a double knot to secure the floss and trim. The backside of the hoop can be left open, exposing the stitches, or it can be covered with fabric, felt, or cardstock for a more finished look. It’s also easy to cut the running stitches out if you decide to alter your embroidery art or reframe using another method.

Make your own wood canvas bars or buy them precut at art supply stores.

Staining your inexpensive wooden hoops creates a sophisticated frame for your hoop art. Use craft stain or even wood stain pens for an easy fix.

Embroidery on Clothes

Embroidery work can be easily modified into patches for clothes, coats, or backpacks. Make an iron-on patch (secured with extra stitches) using fusible web products found at most craft stores. I turned the Peacock Feather pattern (found on page) into a patch for a jean jacket.

MATERIALS

• Completed embroidery work

• Pen

• Iron and ironing board

• Scissors

• Fusible web (such as HeatnBond^®)

Hand stitching directly onto clothes can be more challenging than applying an embroidered patch for a number of reasons. Dark, thick fabrics can be difficult for pattern transfer, plus they may be challenging to pierce with a needle. Stitching on stretchy fabrics can result in warped and puckered designs. Also, consider the mechanics of stitching on a small or awkward part of clothing. Your embroidery hoop may not fit, and it may be challenging to reach your hand around and under some areas. So, hand embroidering a patch to be attached to clothing is a good alternative.

I stitched one of the dogs from the Dogs I’ve Known pattern (found on page) directly onto a small boy's T-shirt. I chose the garment and pattern placement with accessibility in mind. I used extra care when anchoring my floss and was sure to use colorfast thread.

Personalize your resuable totes! I want to take this one shopping with me at the farmer’s market. I added one of the bees from the Honeybee Love pattern (found on page) to this cute tote. The canvas was a little thicker to stitch through, but I was still able to transfer the design with the light tracing method.

1. Prepare your work. Mark out the shape of your patch with a pen on the underside of your completed hand embroidery work and trim any excess thread tails.

2. Apply fusible web. Cut a piece of fusible web larger than your future patch but smaller than the current size of the fabric. Place your work face down on an ironing board and iron on the fusible web, referring to the manufacturer’s instructions. Use the tip of your iron to seal any irregular edges around the entirety of your embroidery.

3. Trim patch. Once cool, cut away any excess fabric from your patch. Use small scissors if needed to help refine your final patch shape.

4. Apply to garment. Remove the paper backing and apply the patch to your jacket or other garment. Iron the patch to activate the adhesive.

5. Secure to garment. Use thread and needle to fully secure the patch to your garment using your preferred stitch. I used running stitch, but you can get more strength by using back stitch or even buttonhole stitch.

Stitch up a mini pattern and frame it in a jewelry setting for a quick handmade gift.

These mini metal framed embroideries make pretty necklaces and lovely keepsake holiday ornaments.

Making Jewelry

Shrink any design to create wearable mini hand embroidery art! I shrunk and cropped two designs from this book (Happy Tabby, page, and Hedgehog Bouquet, page) to create this jewelry using findings from Nunn Design®.

I added some fun, improvised detail to each of the designs. The cat from Happy Tabby got a flower crown repurposed from the daisies in the original design. The hedgehog bouquets are stitched using scraps of floss with a few seed beads added for sparkle. I like to keep color-sorted thread scraps on hand for small projects like these.

MATERIALS

• Jewelry or ornament kits for embroidery (these are from Nunn Design)

• Embroidery design or pattern, resized as needed to fit jewelry kit

• Washable fabric pen or other erasable pattern transfer method

• Heavy-duty craft adhesive (such as E6000^®) and method for application (wooden stick, etc.)

• Craft clamps

TIP

Before you begin, use a fabric pen to trace the edges of your metal tags onto the hooped fabric. Be sure to leave at least ¾" (2cm) between the tags if you will be stitching more than one design on this piece of fabric.

1. Trace the design. Print and trim your embroidery design (shrink if needed) and tape it behind your fabric, lining it up within a tracing of the shape of your jewelry item. Hold your hoop up to a bright window or light and trace your design onto the fabric. Remove the taped design when complete.

2. Stitch the pattern. Stitch up the design, referring to the pattern instructions. When shrinking a pattern like I did, you may need to skip some details to adapt it for the small format. Keep the back of your work tidy and trimmed.

3. Trim the fabric. Remove your fabric from the embroidery hoop and use scissors to trim the design(s). Leave about ¼" (0.6cm) of excess fabric around your traced circles. Remove your guidelines.

4. Cinch the back. With three strands of any color floss, use running stitch along the perimeter of your circle. Be sure to leave about 3" (7.6cm)–long tails at either end; you will pull these to cinch your work onto the metal tag. If you are using a light-colored or thin fabric, you can add an extra layer at this stage to add extra padding and to prevent the shine of the metal tag from showing through the fabric.

5. Secure the metal tag. Turn your embroidery upside down and center the appropriate metal tag on the back of your work. Hold the tag in place while pulling the two tails of your running stitch. If you find your fabric is warping and not being pulled tight enough over the tag, you may need to experiment with the amount of excess fabric and the distance between your running stitches. Confirm that your design is centered before double knotting your tails together to secure your fabric over the tag. Trim the tails and any fabric frays.

6. Attach the bezel. Apply heavy-duty craft adhesive using a cotton swab or similar to your empty bezel. Line up your pendant and press it firmly in the center. Use clamps to keep the pendant evenly secured during the drying process.

Double Hoop Assembly

The final project featured in this chapter teaches you a unique framing technique using two wooden embroidery hoops to create a wreath. For this project, be sure to assemble the hoops prior to the pattern transfer. The pattern tracing and the stitching can be challenging in this format. Match the tension of your stitches with the tension of the fabric to avoid puckering.

Double hoop wreaths can be made in other sizes than the one featured here; just be sure there is at least a difference of 2" (5cm) between the hoops. Fabric type is important as well. I have not had success pulling out all of the wrinkles when using 100% cotton.

MATERIALS

• 4" (10.2cm) embroidery hoop

• 9" (22.9cm) embroidery hoop

• 12" (30.5cm) square of linen blend fabric

• Embroidery pattern, printed and trimmed

• Fabric scissors

• Needle and thread

• Acid-free glue and toothpick (optional)

TIP

For a more archival finish, do not trim the fabric; use lengths of embroidery floss to lace back the fabric. Using thread to secure the fabric may be more time-consuming, but the effect is secure and stunning.

TIP

If the front of the fabric is puckering near the screw on the small center hoop, apply a small amount of glue to hold it down. Use a toothpick to apply and secure the fabric with a clamp while it dries.

1. Secure the inner hoop. Hoop up using the smaller hoop first, centered on the fabric. Pull the fabric drum tight.

2. Hoop up the outer hoop. Flip your fabric upside down so the smaller hoop is face down. Now hoop up the larger hoop, centering the smaller hoop. Pull your fabric drum tight. Try pulling at odd and unexpected angles to remove all of the creases. This step can take time and patience.

3. Apply the pattern. Tape the trimmed pattern to the back of the hoop. Position the pattern so the small hoop’s screw will not interfere with the design, as you will not easily be able to stitch behind it. For an easier transfer method, print or trace the design on stabilizer; just be sure to test removal of the stabilizer first.

4. Trace and stitch the design. Trace the design. Then proceed to the stitching steps. When working with a full-coverage design, you can slightly loosen and spin the small outer hoop to access and stitch the area behind the screw.

5. Trim the fabric. After stitching the entire design, trim the fabric from the outer and inner hoop, leaving about 1" (2.5 cm) of excess. Be sure your work is tight and centered in the hoops. Cut notches into the trimmed fabric in the center hoop. This step will make it easier to fold the fabric back.

6. Secure with glue. Apply acid-free craft glue to the fabric edges and secure with small clamps until dry.