For someone who is working in an industry of identification and recognition, you must know that personalizing garments and other items are very famous in the market now a day. Everyone wants to get their name or maybe their image embroidered or printed on the items that have some kind of significance to them.

But, have you ever thought that if the item they want to personalize is a tote bag, a jacket, or a sweatshirt then what? What is going to be the best way to do it? Well, there is a way called sublimation that works for fabrics of polyester, but that can’t be used for anything else. There is another process called inkjet transfer which is possible but is not reliable. As that fades away after few washes.

There is another option as well, screen printing but that requires a lot of equipment along with chemicals. Screen printing is only great for onesies or twosies. For another, we also have direct to garment printing but they have a printer with white ink technology. Besides that, they have a steep learning curve.

So, for personalizing garments along with other various items of almost any kind of fabric, we have Embroidery. It is non-toxic and a learning curve that is not very steep along with that, it is super affordable as well. Let’s look into How to Embroidery.

The handicraft of decorating fabrics or art with a needle and yarn or thread is called embroidery. It is dated back to 30,000 BC which is also known as the Cro-Magnon days. There have been several recent archaeological studies in which the remains of a fossil of heavy and hand-stitched embroidered boots, hats, and clothing were found.

Also, many pieces of drilled shells were discovered around 5000 and 6000 BC. These were stitched with such decorative designs onto animal hides. Other than that, the Chinese thread embroidery dates back to 3500 B.C. The pictures taken of them show embroidery with silk thread and other precious stone and pearl work.

Techniques of embroidery are used to display designs of names and logos for organizations and other custom artwork as well. There are different types of custom as well as machine-driven embroidery that are as follows:

Counted Thread Embroidery:

A technique that is used by counting different threads in fabric for every single stitch. This way, symmetrical stitches are generated. One of the most commonly counted thread embroideries is cross-stitch. Another famous embroidery is called blackwork.

Outline Embroider:

A technique that is designed to work with different kinds of stitches. And these include stem stitch, chain stitch, outline stitch, and backstitch. What happens in this technique is, a new pattern is formed by overlapping the backstitches.

Whitework Embroidery:

A technique where the embroidery is done by using white floss on white fabric. This is also called French laid work. It also encompasses the other types of embroidery techniques that are; broderie anglaise or shadow work, etc.

Candlewicking Embroidery:

This type of embroidery is another form of whitework embroidery technique. An unbleached heavy cotton thread is used on unbleached muslin while doing embroidery. It is also called a traditional embroidery technique. It is because this technique uses an old method that is called a colonial knot. These colonial knots are done on the design lines.

Patchwork Embroidery:

A technique in which a small pieced fabric is fabricated on another base of the fabric. They are arranged as the aesthetics are. Both hand and machine stitches are used in this technique. It is used to make more and greater effects. Along with that, any kind of stitch is used to decorate the design. This technique is commonly used to decorate quilts.

The Shadow Work:

This kind of technique has the involvement of herringbone stitches. These are commonly used as transparent or semi-transparent fabrics. By doing this, the shadow work is visible on the face of the fabric in a beautiful way. It is done on a lightweight, semi-sheer, or sheer fabric. These kinds of fabrics include organza, georgette, lawn, voile, muslin, batiste, and many more.

Fish Scale Embroidery:

It is common for using fish scales to make the designs. This is usually done on velvet. This technique includes preparing the scales of fish and then making holes in the base of each of those scales. Then they are stitched on the fabric. Mostly these fish are golden.

The most common materials used in embroidery are; a plastic hoop of 6 inches, a wooden embroidery hoop of six-inch, a pack of embroidery needles, scissors, fabric glue, iron board, lightbox, a printer, or a scanner that can scan or print the designs and also design patterns.

Other optional materials include are; an unscented soap that can be used for washing embroideries, pushpins, a large canvas that will be larger than the embroidery piece. Clothespins, ironing board, spraying bottle of water and sewing pins with clear sewing rulers, floss bobbins for embroidery, and a storage container for floss are also included.

The first step is to gather your supplies like fabric, thread, needle, a hoop, and some tracing material and set them up.

Put the thread of your choice into the needle, through the hole or eye. This thread can be folded as well along with the length.

Next, we will put a knot on the far end of the thread that away from the needle eye so that the thread may not go outside the fabric.

Now you will have to choose a design that you want to embroider on the fabric.

After choosing your design, you will make a hole in the fabric by passing the needle through it. Do the same process again but from the backside of the fabric and continue.

After that when you are done, tie a knot on the last stitch of embroidery by bringing the needle through the backside of the fabric and then to the front side. Repeat this step so your knot is secured enough.

Every craft has a special feeling to it and so has embroidery. This guide includes notes, tips, and knowledge that I wish I knew before I was starting to do embroidery. To conclude, embroidery is such a nice hobby, I find it a wondrous one that can save you a lot of money and time as well.

Other than that, you will learn brand new techniques and designs. It is a great way to be creative. With that being said, you can just take it anywhere you want as it is only a thread and needle. So it does not take a lot of space.

Interested in the Best Embroidery Machines?