Hand Embroidery for Beginners - Embroidering a Name or Initial

As a teacher of hand embroidery for beginners, my students often ask me if it's hard to embroider letters. I can sense their eagerness to personalize their belongings.

It's a desire that has been passed down through generations, from the days when girls were taught to stitch before they could even read. Back then, embroidery was seen as a necessary skill for running a household, and young girls would spend hours perfecting their samplers, which always included at least one alphabet.

Embroidering letters may seem like a daunting task, but it's actually quite simple.

With just a few basic embroidery stitches, you can create your own personalized items that are both practical and beautiful. And the possibilities are endless…

But it's not just about creating something unique and personal.

Embroidery is also a way to connect with the past and honor the traditions of those who came before us. By continuing to practice this art form, even in a limited way, we keep alive a tradition that has been passed down through generations. And in doing so, we find a sense of connection and belonging that is all too rare in our fast-paced, modern world.

Transferring your text to smooth cloth

The feeling of creating something beautiful with your own hands is truly priceless.

But where do you start? How do you transfer that design onto your fabric? Don't worry, it's easier than you think.

The first step is to choose the right fabric for your project.

If you're just starting out, I recommend using cotton, calico, or polycotton materials. These fabrics are easy to work with and will give you great results. Once you have your fabric, it's time to transfer your design onto it.

There are many methods for transferring your design, but the best one depends on the type of fabric you're using.

Method One - making an iron on transfer

Start by writing, or tracing, your letters onto tracing paper. Then lay that over your garment to check the size. If it looks good, turn over your paper and retrace with a transfer pencil or pen. This will ensure your writing is the right way round once you iron it onto the fabric. 

Iron on transfers often don't wash out, so you will need to cover the lines with your stitches. For this reason try to keep your drawn lines as thin as possible. You can use a ruler to ensure straight lines and plates or cups as a template for curves.

Method Two - Use a Light Box or Window

A light box is a smooth surface with a light behind it. When you place your template and garment on top, you will be able to see through the fabric. You can then trace the lettering with a disappearing ink pen or a sharp-pointed graphite pencil. 

Don't have a light box? During the daylight hours you could use a window instead.

Transferring to fabrics with a "nap"

The methods above won't work on textured fabrics such as baby's blankets or toweling.  The deep pile, or nap, does not lie flat enough to get a good result.

A good method to use here involves tissue paper and tacking stitches. 

You would first write the letters onto the paper, with care! Then position the paper over the garment. Using contrasting colored thread, stitch over the lines with a straight stitch. You can then tear away the tissue to leave a guide to follow for your embroidery. 

How to embroider letters on knitting

This is a different technique entirely, and does not require transferring a pattern onto the garment. Instead the stitches are worked from a chart, in a similar way to cross stitch, only this time you use what is known as duplicate stitch which resembles the knitted stocking stitches. 

Hand embroidery for beginners - stitches to use for lettering

The best stitches to use for embroidered letters will depend on the size.

Small words look great just outlined. You might like to get more creative with thicker letters or monograms. There is a variety of filling stitches that work well for these.

Back stitch and stem stitch

When tackling hand embroidery for beginners I suggest you start with outline stitches.

Backstitch and stem stitch work well for the name shown in the photograph. 

Stem stitch gives a thicker line for the first letter and the line underneath. Full instructions for this stitch and variations are given in my stem stitch tutorial. 

Split Stitch

If you want to create letters that vary in width, split stitch is a good choice. You can work a single row in the thinner sections, and add extra in the wider parts.

This stitch is an ideal introduction to hand embroidery.

I recommend using an embroidery hoop and sit-on stand when working split stitch. You then have both hands free.

Thread your needle with an even number of strands of embroidery floss.

Start by bringing the needle up through the fabric from the back. 

Take it down a stitch length away. You don't want to make each stitch too big - half a centimeter is large enough. 

Bring the needle back up through the center of the previous stitch. Try to have the same number of strands on each side of where you split the stitch. This will give the neatest result.

Take the needle down half a centimeter away from its current position. 

Repeat this, splitting the center of the previous stitch each time. You can achieve a similar effect with chain stitch. 

Satin stitch

Split stitch can also be used to outline a letter which is then covered with satin stitch. This helps give a neat edge.

Keeping the satin stitches laying smooth can take practice, but it is worth persevering. You might like to try out a laying tool to help here. 

Try to avoid making your stitches too long, as they are liable to catch or snag.

In the photo I am laying the stitches on the diagonal to fill the letter L.

Padded Satin Stitch

Padded satin stitch consists of two layers, often worked in different directions. It gives more dimension to your hand embroidery. For beginners, I would stick to just the first layer.

With more practice you can work over a cut out shape to create a raised letter, as shown here. Felt or a stiff interfacing work well for this technique.

I was lucky enough to find vintage letter shapes in a mixed box of transfers that were given to me. They were all the letter S but as my mother's name is Shirley I used one to make her a birthday card.

When working a curved letter ensure that you keep the stitches tight together on the inner curve and slightly spaced on the outside. This will help to create a smooth finished result without gaps or bumps in your work.

Taking it further

These are just a few stitches that you can consider when learning how to embroider letters. To learn more stitches do check out my basic embroidery stitches page. 

  

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