How to Embroider Letters by Hand: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

I am often asked "how do you embroider letters", so as I wanted to add my initials to the crazy quilt block I am working on, I thought I would bring you along with me.

I picked a large dark blue patch to work on. My disappearing ink pen would not work directly on this colour, and I wanted to play with the letters to make sure they fitted in the space.

Start by drawing your letters on washaway stabilizer.

Preparing to Stitch

I decided to use washaway embroidery stabilizer to draw my letters out on first. As it is translucent, I could lay it on the block to see if it was the right size. Both the stabilizer and the pen marks wash away, leaving no evidence behind.

I put the block in an embroidery hoop and set it up in my stand so it didn't move while I stitched. I advise pinning the stabilizer in place so it doesn't move. As you can see from the photo, I only had a spare needle on hand, so I used that.

Materials Used

The patch I am working on is a blue velveteen fabric, and the crazy quilt block is backed with a thin cotton for support. I wrote a full page on choosing fabrics suitable for surface embroidery.

I used DMC stranded embroidery floss in colour numbers 827, 156 and 161 for the first letter. I threaded two strands in the embroidery needle at a time.

Choosing Embroidery Stitches

I decided to fill in the letter C with rows of split stitch. This versatile stitch works both for filling and for outlining. I also use it to outline shapes I am going to fill with satin stitch, as I did on the raised initial I stitched for my Mum's birthday. You can also see a tulip picture worked in split stitch, stem stitch and french knots here.

Starting the split stitch. Make a medium-length stitch, beginning at the point of the C, then bring the needle back up through the middle of that stitch, between the two strands. Move along the outline, taking the needle down through the fabric and back up through the stitch, which is how it gets the name split stitch.

When working on a stand, I knot my threads and leave them on the front of the work while stitching, then snip them off and take the thread to the back when finished. This helps avoid tangles on the back and saves me turning the hoop over every time I start a new thread.

The first round of split stitch completed.

After working around the letter in pale blue, I changed to the medium mauve thread and worked another round inside, keeping the rows close together. Then I put my embroidery down for the night, as the light was fading.

Up early the next morning, I soaked the piece in water to remove the stabilizer.

The finished letter C in split stitch.

Embroidering a Letter in Backstitch

I decided to use backstitch to outline the letter A in my initials. Backstitch is an ideal choice for outlining shapes or letters because it creates a clean, crisp line that's easy to control. Its simplicity also makes it a great stitch for beginners.

Start with a small straight stitch, then bring the needle back to the front a stitch length ahead. The next movement is backwards, taking the needle down in the same hole you came up from for the previous stitch.

I changed to the darker thread for part of the letter, to keep the shaded effect going.

Decision Making

I felt the L was a little too far from the other two letters, so I cut it away from the stabilizer to reposition it. As you work on your own design, don't be afraid to make adjustments as needed. Repositioning the L gave a better balance overall.

I soaked the stabilizer behind the first two letters and rubbed it away with a soft cloth to reveal the work so far. As the sun was shining, I left the work outside for a while to dry.

Rubbing away the wet washaway stabiliser.

The first two letters finished.

As you can see from the photo above I decided to whip stitch around the pale blue letter A to make it stand out a little more once the stabiliser had gone.

The Final Letter

I repositioned the stabiliser for the last letter and decided to simplify it a little from my original sketch. That's easy to do when the sketch is on the stabiliser.

The stitch I used for this was coral knot, which added a bit of texture. I used a pale blue Perlé in DMC 800 for this. I'll likely add some flowers around the letters to fill the blank space, but I hadn't finalised that when I took the photo.

By bringing these stitches and considerations together, you can create a unique, personalised piece that reflects your own style. The same three stitches work just as well for embroidered numbers, initials and monograms, so once you've tried them on a letter you can stitch any name, date or set of initials you like. Happy stitching!

More to explore

Keep Stitching