Whether you're trying embroidery as a new hobby, or are a bit more serious but not quite ready to buy a new embroidery machine yet, embroidering by hand is a challenge, and will need a lot of practice to master.

Before you get started, you need to determine what you want to get out of the embroidery project. If this is your first time doing hand embroidery, you should honestly expect it to come out ugly. But don't be disheartened! As with anything, hand embroidery takes practice. With these tips, you'll be a master hand embroiderer in no time.

Tip 1: Use the right embroidery floss

A common mistake of people who are just starting to embroider is to use the wrong string/floss. With embroidery, you don't want to use ordinary sewing thread for a few reasons. First, it is generally lower quality, and the colors tend to bleed. For this reason, make sure you purchase the correct type of embroidery floss for your project.

Related Content: https://justsewn.com/best-embroidery-machine-for-home-business/

Tip 2: Use a basic white cloth to practice your embroidery

When you're just starting with hand embroidery, use the most basic white cloth you can find. The material should be a thin, flat, and white. This gives you the best starting point for learning hand embroidery.

Tip 3: Pick a design, and start with the background

When you start embroidering, you want to follow a design that's already been stenciled onto the cloth you're working on. As a good rule of thumb, you should start embroidering the background and work your way forward. This allows you to embroider the foreground over the background if needed, providing more depth.

Tip 4: Focus on consistent stitch size

When most people do their first hand embroidery project, they tend to focus too much on the design, and not enough on technique. When you start adding stitches, concentrate on making them all a consistent length, and tightly packed. This will create the most natural look for your embroidery.

Tip 5: Don't skip the embroidery hoop

It can be tempting not to put your fabric into an embroidery loop. However, if you're just starting out, embroidery hoops can make a night and day difference in your ability to implement the design effectively.

Make sure to keep your embroidery hoop tightly secured. This makes it easier to thread the floss and helps create a consistent pattern.

Bonus Tip! 

As a general rule, the smaller and tighter your embroidery stitches are, the better your embroidery will look. With this being said, make sure to try to minimize the size of your embroidery stitches as you practice more.

In time, you'll get a feel for embroidering by hand. Eventually, if you want to do bigger projects, you'll likely have to invest in an embroidery machine to help bring your designs to life.

Now It's Your Turn!

Did we miss anything? Let us know some of your tips for effective hand embroidery techniques in the comments section below!