How to Create an Embroidery Design
Creating your own embroidery design will allow your ideas to surface. Haute couture runway collections are filled with lavish embroidered styles. Taking a stroll through your local malls and boutiques can inspire your embroidery design process. By selecting embroidery thread textures and embroidery decorative stitches, you can transform any basic top or pant from your everyday wardrobe into an updated trendy ensemble.
Things You'll Need
- Embroidery design
- Embroidery thread
- Embroidery hoop
- Sketch pad
- Tracing paper
- Pencil/erasers
- Tape measure
- Embroidery machine (optional)
- Embroidery digitizing machine (optional)
- Garment for embroidery
Instructions
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Look through embroidery design books and fashion magazines for inspiration and ideas. Keep in mind how you will be stitching your embroidery, the embroidery size and selected garment for embroidery. You can opt to stitch your embroidery by hand, use your embroidery machine or create a digitized embroidery pattern on an embroidery digitizing machine. For example, your design will be limited by your embroidery machine set parameters. Your embroidery hoop attachment will dicate how small or large your embroidery design will be.
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Create and sketch your embroidery design. Select the embroidery thread texture such as rayon or polyester. Make several copies of your sketch in order to color different versions. For example, try alternating embroidery decorative stitches and change embroidery thread colors and types for interest.
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Measure the selected area on your garment. Measure the length and width in the area where your embroidery will be set. It is also best to trace the embroidery design onto your tracing paper and cut it out. Lay your tracing onto your selected garment and make any necessary sizing adjustments to your design.
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Select the right embroidery stabilizer for your fabric. Setting and selecting the correct stabilizer weight will ensure that your embroidery has body and will avoid skipped stitches and puckering. Change your needles according to the type of embroidery thread and weight of your fabric.
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Select the right embroidery hoop for your fabric. It is important to have a hoop that will ensure your fabric to remain taut. For example, if you are working with a hand embroidery design, your hoop must keep your fabric as tight as possible to ensure even hand embroidery stitches.
Practice your embroidery design pattern and stitches on a piece of fabric scrap similar to your project fabric prior to applying your embroidery. Select a small section of your embroidery pattern to stitch and practice. For example, if your design is incorporating a change in embroidery stitch and color, it is best to choose the area where the stitch change will occur.
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