How to Embroider a Design on a Half-Double Crocheted Piece

Use a satin stitch to embroider over half-double crochet stitching.

Half-double crochet offers the embroidery aficionado an opportunity to use the stitching as a grid. The half-double crochet stitches lend themselves to embroidery stitches such as the cross stitch, chain stitch and satin stitch. The trick to obtaining professional-looking results is to embroider loosely over the crochet stitching. Pulling the embroidery thread or yarn too tightly will make the piece pucker. It is not advisable to use a hoop with crocheted items. The hoop can crush and distort crocheted stitching.

Things You'll Need

• Graph paper
• Colored pencils
• Large-eye needle
• Yarn, pearl cotton or embroidery thread
• Straight pin
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Draw your design on the graph paper. Use colored pencils or markers to make the design realistic. Allow one square on the graph paper for each half-double crochet stitch.

2. Mark the center of the design on the crochet piece with a straight pin. This is the starting point for your embroidery. Work from the center point out toward the edges.

3. Thread the large-eye needle with thread, floss or yarn. Make an overhand knot in one end of the thread.

4. Bring the needle from the wrong side of the crocheted item to the front, catching the knot in the crochet stitching. Start your embroidery stitching, following the design you created on the graph paper.

5. Pull all loose threads to the wrong side of the crocheted piece. Weave the loose threads through the stitching to secure them.

Tips & Warnings

• Test all embroidery yarn, floss and threads for colorfastness prior to using them on the crocheted item. Reds, in particular tend to bleed. Run a sample of the thread under warm water and blot dry on a clean, white cloth. If any color appears on the cloth, the thread is not colorfast and the color will run when it is washed.