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A good seam ripper is crucial. You’ll also need a pincushion and a few essential sewing tools: wash away stabilizer, embroidery scissors, and air/water soluble marking pens.
Cross Stitch
Adding a cross stitch pattern to your clothing can add a little extra personality and style. While this type of embroidery is often seen on t-shirts, it can also be added to socks and other clothing items. The most important thing to remember when doing cross stitch is to take your time and use sharp, high-quality needles.
The fabric used for this type of embroidery is typically linen or a cotton-linen mix known as aida cloth. The woven threads of this fabric are evenly spaced and can be counted, which makes it ideal for cross stitching.
Most stitchers will use a chart to create their design and then follow it using the natural gridlines of the fabric. In order to do this, a stitcher will need to know how many squares of each color are needed for their project and choose a fabric that meets that number. Once the project is complete, it’s a good idea to iron the stitches for longer-lasting results and a smoother finish.
Decorative Stitching
Decorative stitching is a fun way to use your sewing machine to create interesting embellishments for your clothing. Choose a variety of different stitches and experiment with them on scraps to determine which look you like best. It’s a good idea to use a fabric stabilizer when using decorative stitching to prevent the thread from pulling in and distorted on soft fabrics.
A decorative stitch can add value to a garment without adding the cost of beads or sequins. It can be used to create an ornamented hem line on a dress or coat, or to decorate the edge of a pillowcase or bedsheet.
One decorative stitch pattern that is useful in outlining designs, such as leaves or stems, is a zigzag stitch. This stitch is worked by first laying down the desired number of threads, and then sewing over them with a matching tying thread. This stitch can be used on both even and odd-weave fabric.
Straight Stitching
The most basic stitch of all, straight stitches form the building block for many embroidery techniques. You can work them individually, or grouped together to create a pattern. You can even fan them out and make a star shape.
A straight stitch is a strong, reliable stitch that resists stretching and is less visible than other types of stitches. It’s the perfect choice for sewing seams because it can be worked on both the face and back sides of fabric. It can also be used decoratively with different lengths, a technique called twin needle heming.
To create a straight stitch using a machine, set the machine for a straight stitch with a stitch length of 3 to 4 mm. Use a sharp sewing needle or a twin needle.
Back Stitching
The back stitch is one of the most useful hand sewing stitches for those who do not have a sewing machine. It is used to create strong seams and is also a good choice for repairing existing seams and hand sewing applique. It also looks neat on the backside of a fabric and can be used to form outlines for shapes.
To make a back stitch, insert your needle from back to front underneath the strands of the previous stitch on both sides of the fabric. Then push your needle through the front of the fabric a stitch length away on the right (if you are right-handed) from where it came up at the beginning of the line.
Repeat this process for the entire length of the back stitch line, making sure to keep the stitches close together and equal in size. This can take some practice to train the eye to do. The result is a strong, attractive line of stitches that will hold up to tugging and pulling.
