How to Border With Embroidery

Embroidery around the edge of a garment adds interest and style

Adding an embroidered border to clothing can make the difference between ordinary and special. Mastering the buttonhole or blanket stitch will inspire you to transform ready-made clothing with your creative flair.

Things You'll Need

• Clothing
• Embroidery floss
• Embroidery needle
• Small crochet hook
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Thread the embroidery needle with an 18 inch length of embroidery floss.

2. Pull the needle through the fabric, from the wrong side to the right side as close to the edge as possible. Leave 1 inch of floss on the wrong side.

3. Put the needle in the fabric to the right and away from the edge. The distance from the edge will mark the width of the border. Pull the needle through to the back of the fabric and through the loop that forms at the edge. With the right side on top, the needle will be over the floss loop. Pull the floss through until it lies snugly against the edge of the fabric. Continue stitching, keeping the stitches evenly spaced from each other and equidistant from the edge.

4. After using up the floss, pull the end through to the back, remove the needle and use the crochet hook to weave floss ends through the back of the stitches. Continue with a new piece of thread.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice on a scrap piece of fabric first if you haven't done buttonhole stitch before.

• To edge stretchy material such as t-shirt cotton, stabilize it first with lightweight fusible interfacing.

• Stitches that are very close together create a solid edge for cut-work embroidery.

• At every few stitches, take a look at your work and make sure that the stitches are even and the edge lies flat.

• Uneven tension can spoil the way the fabric lies. Aim for a firm, flat finish.

References

• inaminuteago
• needlework-tips-and-techniques
• "50 Free Style Embroidery Stitches"; J and P Coates Limited; 1977