How to Design Redwork Embroidery
Redwork is a type of embroidery that uses line art and red floss to embellish fabric. You might choose to do redwork on a themed quilt with each block a different flower, bird or dog. Or, you might choose just one design for a kitchen towel, pillowcase or sofa pillow. You can find many free patterns on Web sites or create your own design. Redwork is an easy project for those with some embroidery experience, as you use only one type of stitch -- backstitch, outline stitch or split stitch -- throughout the project.
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Things You'll Need
- Fabric Red embroidery floss Embroidery pattern (or your own design) Embroidery hoop Dressmaker's tracing paper Needles Scissors
Instructions
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Choose the background fabric. White or off-white cotton or muslin have traditionally been the most commonly used fabrics. However, redwork can be done on any solid background fabric. You may use any hue of red floss that appeals to you.
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2
Decide on an embroidery pattern. There are many free patterns on the Internet (see resources for some Web sites) that you can print out. You can also purchase iron-on embroidery patterns or design your own. If you are creating a set of items that will be used together, consider designing your redwork around a theme, such as pets, trees or the alphabet.
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Use dressmaker's tracing paper to transfer the pattern, or your own drawing, onto the background fabric. Lay the background fabric on a hard surface, place the tracing paper face down and your pattern face up, then use a pencil to draw over the pattern lines. This will transfer the pattern onto the fabric.
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Center your redwork design in the embroidery hoop. Cut off a 2-foot-long length of red embroidery floss. Pull the strands apart (embroidery floss has six strands worked together) and divide into thirds; you'll end up with three pairs of strands. Thread your needle with one pair.
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Start at the end of any outside line of your redwork design. Bring your needle up through the underside. Pull until you have about a 1/4 inch of floss left on the underside. Hold this small bit of floss with your thumb on top of the fabric and your other fingers on the underside, so it does not get away.
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Work the thread end, on the underside of the cloth, into the next few stitches until it no longer shows. Continue until you have embroidered the whole picture. Remove the embroidery hoop. Iron the fabric piece on the wrong side. You have completed your first redwork embroidery.
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Tips & Warnings
You can design redwork in any color embroidery floss, it just has to be all one color.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit lovestitches at Flickr
