How to Hand Embroider a Snowman
A snowman is a simple figure and easy to embroider with back stitch and straight stitches. Bright colors for a hat and scarf and a cheeky smile add to the appeal of this popular symbol of winter. Real snowmen are made from two or three balls of snow and can be any size. The world record for the largest snowman (or snowwoman) was set in Bethel, Maine, U.S.A. in February 2008. It is officially 122 feet 1 inch tall.
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Things You'll Need
- Fabric
- Tracing pencil
- Embroidery floss
- Needle
- Three or four small buttons or beads
- Scissors
Instructions
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1
Sketch your snowman design using the transfer pencil or trace a snowman e from a book or magazine onto tracing paper. Pin the paper face down on the fabric.
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2
Press the design onto the fabric using a hot iron and no steam. Lift the corner of the tracing paper every few seconds to see how the marks are transferring.
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3
Thread the needle with black embroidery floss. Take the the floss from the back of the fabric to the front anywhere along the outline of the snowman. Leave one inch of floss at the back.
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4
Take the needle a short distance to the right, and down through the fabric on the snowman outline. Bring the needle back to the front a short distance to the left of the original stitch, catching the tail from the beginning under the stitch.
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5
Take the needle down through the fabric at the beginning of the first stitch. Continue stitching the outline with back stitch as described. The stitches on the back of the fabric are longer than the ones on the front. Using the same stitch, outline the eyes and mouth in black.
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6
Thread the needle with orange or red embroidery floss and make three stitches that form a triangle in the center of the snowman's face for the nose.
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7
Thread the needle with black floss and outline the snowman's hat. Fill in the hat with small straight stitches scattered in any direction.
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8
Thread the needle with any brightly colored floss and outline the snowman's scarf. Fill in the scarf with small straight stitches in different colors. Add a series of long straight stitches at the scarf ends to simulate a fringe.
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9
Sew three or four small buttons or beads down the front of the snowman.
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Tips & Warnings
If you do not want the snowman image reversed, flip the tracing paper over, use the transfer pencil to copy the design on the back of the tracing paper and use the back of the original drawing to transfer the design to the fabric.
Put a sheet of light-grained sandpaper under the fabric to stop it moving around as you trace the design.
Add items of background interest to complete the scene. Trees, a sled, a house will add interest.
Substitute beads for buttons and eyes.
Be careful not to scorch the fabric when transferring the design.
References
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
