How to Embroider on a Water Bottle Holder

A little time and needlework can personalize some of your most basic accessories.

Any fabric can become a canvas for beautiful cross stitch or embroidery patterns by using waste canvas instead of aida cloth or linen. Even cloth water bottle holders can be transformed into beautiful works of art with some careful stitching. Depending on the complexity of your pattern, you can brighten a cloth water bottle cover within a few hours to a weekend and bring a bit of whimsy and color to your kitchen cabinet.

Things You'll Need

• Cloth water bottle holder or cover
• Laundry soap
• Waste canvas
• Embroidery pattern
• Embroidery floss in assorted colors
• Embroidery needle
• Thread
• Scissors
• Washcloth
• Blunt tipped tweezers

Instructions

1. Wash the cloth water bottle cover and let it dry thoroughly.

2. Select your cross stitch or embroidery pattern. You can use the materials from a cross stitch or embroidery kit, so long as you cross stitch the actual pattern on the waste canvas instead of the aida cloth.

3. Cut out the waste canvas, making sure that it is approximately three inches larger on all sides than the desired pattern.

4. Tack the corners of the waste canvas onto the water bottle to secure it. Use a thread that stands out plainly against the water bottle cover, such as red against white or yellow against green.

5. Smooth the waste canvas out. If you have difficulty keeping the fabric taut, you may use a small hoop, but, depending on the water bottle cover, it may be too difficult to maneuver a hoop inside. To keep it taut without the hoop, smooth the fabric and waste canvas out after every few stitches

6. Stitch the design from the pattern onto the water bottle holder, using the waste canvas as a grid.

7. Check and double check to make sure that you are stitching the correct pattern. Actual fabric is far less forgiving than aida cloth, and if the cloth water bottle holder is made of a stiffer fabric, the removed stitches will be painfully apparent.

8. Weave in all loose threads and clip them so that no threads are dangling.

9. Remove the tacking threads and then moisten the waste canvas with a clean washcloth.

10. Remove the waste canvas piece by piece. Barbara Madison, a crafting specialist, suggests using blunt tipped tweezers if you cannot get a good grip.

Tips & Warnings

• Waste canvas can be found in most craft stores.

• Use an even pressure when removing the waste canvas to avoid distorting your work.

• Wash the embroidered water bottle holder by hand and always let it air dry. A gentle rubbing with some laundry soap and a soft toothbrush should remove most spills if you do not let the spills sit too long.

• Do not create holes in the waste canvas or else you may distort the pattern when you remove the waste canvas later.

• Do not moisten the waste canvas with a washcloth that might stain your pattern. White, cream, or previously washed washcloths are best.

References

• Barbara Madison, Crafting Specialist, Ft. Wayne, Indiana

Resources

• Free Embroidery Designs
• Jenny's Free Cross Stitch Pattern Links