Embroidery Supplies

Embroidery isn't just for little old ladies anymore. This traditional craft has blossomed into a hobby for all ages. Depending on how "serious" an embroiderer you are, you'll need to stock up on the supplies you need to create embroidered gifts and decorations that never fail to impress.

Sew Far, Sew Good

You can't do good work without the right tools. These are some of the basic tools used in traditional embroidery:

Thread: Thread comes in a huge variety of sizes, colors and compositions. Usually the pattern you're going to work on will specify the type of threads you need to use.

Hoops in various sizes: Good quality wooden hoops will have brass screws that can be tightened if necessary. A set of three hoops in 3", 6" and 9" sizes should be sufficient for most home embroidery projects.

Needles: Crewel and tapestry needles are numbered, and a finer needle will have a higher number. Crewel needles have fine pointed ends while tapestry needles have rounded ends that push the threads aside rather then piercing them. A small variety packet of each type is recommended for your basic Tool Kit.

Scissors: You should have a large pair of scissors for cutting fabric and a smaller pair with pointed tips for snipping thread. Don't use your scissors for any other purpose.

Pencil & Pen: These are used to mark fabrics. Don't use a Gel pen, as the ink can permanently mark fabric.

Ruler: Use a ruler to measure fabric lengths and stitch counts. There are specialized rulers designed for use in embroidery but you can get by with a basic "school" ruler.

Scrap fabric: You can use 2 pieces of fabric (calico and evenweave) to practice new stitches and complex patterns.

Tool box: Keep yourself organized by using a multi-compartment tool box. You can buy an inexpensive plastic box at any department store, or pamper yourself with an antique sewing box.

Once you've stocked the basics, you can expand depending on your needs and what kind of embroidery you're doing. Sooner or later you may want to stock up on stabilizers and adhesives, thimbles, patterns, backing, and books. For those who do a lot of embroidering and have built it into a business, an embroidery machine will take care of most of the "grunt work". Embroidery machines are available in all sizes, from small single-needle machines for the home up to feature-packed commercial versions.

Deborah Sexton, formerly the editor of Impressions magazine, has written a great article (From a Hobby to a Business: How To Choose Your First Commercial Embroidery Machine) on how to take your embroidery hobby to the next level. Her basic advice is to "Know your needs before you start shopping and ask lots of questions so you can make equal comparisons from machine to machine."

Needles and the Net

The Internet is a wonderful resource for supplies, whether you're in a small town or a large city. Many full-featured web sites provide a complete illustrated listing of their stock, along with prices and shipping information. A wide variety of software is also available for programming your home embroidery machine. Patterns can be downloaded and stored in your own pattern library for future reference and for trading with friends.

Yes, embroidery's no longer just for little old ladies... but little old ladies never had it so good!

By Steve Levenstein

Embroidery Supplies

Related Links: