(Part 2) Top products from r/Embroidery

FYI: I sent you lots of amazon links as I am not sure where you live or if you have access to craft stores such as Hobby Lobby or Joann Fabrics. I know for certain that I have seen most of these items cheaper at the store than what I could find online.

1. Embroidery scissors. The good ones (I.e. generally not ones that come in sewing kits) are incredibly sharp and a must. They are used exclusively for cutting embroidery floss. They make some really pretty ones that come in all sorts of colors and patterns.
   
2. A hoop or two. I personally prefer the plastic ones as they are a bit more durable and good for multiple projects. I also don't typically display my finished work inside the hoop. If she plans on making wall hangings, I would go with the wooden ones. They are typically a bit cheaper when you buy them at a craft store (I believe I have seen them from between 1-3 USD.) They have a nicer finished look and isn't that big of a deal to buy a new one when you start on your next project. I would buy her two of the wooden ones in two different sizes (a 4 inch and 6 inch one)
   
3. a box for embroidery thread. this one on Amazon that I listed is nice since it also contains the bobbins as well. These boxes usually cost about 3 USD at the craft store and are great for holding all of your different colors of embroidery floss. they often have one larger compartment which is perfectly sized to hold needles and the embroidery scissors as well. The floss bobbins are great at keeping everything organized in the box as well.
   
4. about a yard of fabric. Muslin is generally pretty cheap. For a beginner, I might also suggest Aida cloth. It it woven in a way that there is a "grid" in the cloth which makes it easier to make straight lines. It is typically used for Cross Stitch but can be used for embroidery as well. The cloth is more expensive that the muslin, and I personally don't prefer the finished look of the fabric, but it makes it easy to make straight lines and practice stitches. Someone on here also mentioned buying Fabric quarters which is a great idea. They come in a whole bunch of designs, run around 2 USD a piece, and work pretty well for embroidery.
   
5. Needles. You don't need the golden eye ones like I have listed here. Just make sure that the package says it's for embroidery as the of the needle varies depending on the type.
   
6. Now here's the hardest part of the whole thing: Embroidery floss. Most stores offer DMC brand cotton floss by the skein for about 0.48 USD. The problem is that there are literally hundreds of different colors and picking out just a few might be a bit difficult. The sets that DMC does sell are a bit pricey and aren't often set up to give you a beginner's set of colors. You could however buy an off brand set of embroidery floss that does come in a nice variety of colors and is cheaper. However, I have found that a lot of these packs have low quality thread. It often can look dull when compared to DMC brand floss. (look how Satin-y this Flower looks with the more expensive floss!) I have also heard of some people say that the colors can run when they get washed. All that said, these packs are inexpensive and great for someone just starting with embroidery as there are so many colors to choose from. Its great when you are practicing or are not 100% sure of what you are going to make yet.
   
7. transfer pen: I bought a set of those Frixion Pens that someone else mentioned in this post and I love them. They are a bit pricey. I believe that I bought my set at Target for 6 bucks. It came with 5 different colors including pink and silver which work great on dark colored fabrics. These pens are used to plan out your design on your fabric before you embroider. These pens are special in that they disappear completely with heat (such as an iron). If you don't want to go that route, they also make Water soluble markers which serve the same purpose. They don't work quite as well in my opinion as they tend to erase themselves after a few hours/days. They have the advantage of being inexpensive and work fine for small projects.
   
   I hope that all of this helps. Good luck on the shopping. I know that whatever you end up getting her she will love.

I just started as well and for my first I just made a simple geometric design and did the whole thing with the satin stitch (just looping the floss in straight lines to fill it in.) It's the most basic stitch ever but embroidery is so fun and easy that it just looks great no matter how simple it is. Seriously: it's so much easier than it even looks. Anyone can do it. Other than satin stitch, chain stitch is a great one to know. Another tip is to not work with too long of floss at a time. Shorter is faster and easier to work with. Arms length is a good rule.


Also I highly recommend you get a needle threader like this (makes threading a needle SO much simpler):


https://www.embroidery.com/product.ec?productID=151811&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlIXfBRCpARIsAKvManypdM2D16hoTntOhDOklO4PNEHBQhwyaVM1VCya7THaoc7xm7uMKEEaAnHCEALw_wcB&productID=151811&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlIXfBRCpARIsAKvManypdM2D16hoTntOhDOklO4PNEHBQhwyaVM1VCya7THaoc7xm7uMKEEaAnHCEALw_wcB


And I like to keep this thimble handy in case I have trouble poking the needle through or if my finger gets sore:


Clover 614C Leather Coin Thimble https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YZ8PE4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_APB4BbFMSRFM1


This book has a handy section of stitches with names I flip through sometimes that you can mostly figure out from looking at them, but otherwise you can just Google them for more info. Other than that it had some tips on mounting, framing, other little things you wouldnt think of like how to prevent fraying of fabric edges and even some starter ideas in the back. I like it just for the section of pictured stitches with names alone that I bookmarked for my future convenience:


Stitch-opedia: The Only Embroidery Reference You'll Ever Need https://www.amazon.com/dp/0312611595/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_h0B4BbBE49BDQ


Other than that just buy a cheap embroidery starter kit off of Amazon and draw your design straight on your fabric (they make temporary markers that can be rinsed off with water when done.) You can also use a light board to trace a drawing onto fabric after fleshing it out on paper, or even just buy transfer patterns to set onto your fabric if you don't like to draw.

I have been using the Brother SE400 for several year now , It's a sewing/embroidery machine combo that I got for under $400 (now new at $282.49). It is limited to a 4 inch by 4 inch area but it has worked great.

They now have the same embroidery features the SE400 has it an Embroidery only machine, Brother HE-1. The sale price seems to be around $299.00.

Watch Craigslist and other used places , I have seen a lot of software from women getting out of the home embroidery business and they are unloading it relatively cheap.

I lucked out and was able to get PE 7 from a relative upgrading to something else and while its older program, it works great for what I need/use it for. I have used the embird free trial and it was good for small adjustments, resizing etc, I much preferred the PE 7.

I thought this book provided great information on what is needed to digitize a design. Talks all about planning out the design & standards for choosing underlay to support the design http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0896894924/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Go on facebook & look up "Machine Embroidery Free designs" group - they post lots of freebies from a variety of online embroidery shops.

There is also a facebook group called "Brother PE Embroidery" that can help her thru software or machine questions...

If you search for machine embroidery - there are tons of groups on facebook. All are pretty helpful.

I purchased one and I cannot recommend it. It's on polyester fabric, which I find incredibly hard to work with for surface embroidery, it doesn't hold tension very well and you can't pick out mistakes without leaving holes in the fabric. You'd also have to purchase floss, needles, and a hoop, which are generally provided in many other kits.

I'd recommend something like a Studio MME kit or Penguin & Fish kit, which are both inexpensive, include all you need but scissors, and can give you a feeling on whether you like surface embroidery techniques.

If you really do want to do the mandalas, I would recommend buying an even-weave linen and tracing a pattern from a coloring book as /u/DanikaMoffatt suggested. While this is far more elaborate than any beginner would do, for some ideas on how this kind of project can work, you might want to look at Mary Corbet's Secret Garden embroidery project.

For a first project, I would do running stitch, back stitch, stem stitch, satin stitch, and maybe the occasional French knot. However, there are no embroidery police and you should do whatever you want.

My favorite all-purpose beginners' embroidery stitch guide is the Leisure Arts' Embroidery Pocket Guide which is a plasticized fold-in, much like old auto maps in the pre-GPS era. I always carry it in my workbox, because whenever I get confused about a stitch, it's just a source of great diagrams on how all the major stitches are supposed to work, and being laminated means that I don't have to worry about ruining it.

Oh I have the book this pattern came from! It's on my list of things to stitch! Yours came out super pretty, nice work! The book is called Embroidered Mandalas - 25 Iron-On Mandala Designs to Stitch, Color, and Share, I found it on Amazon, here is the link for anyone who wants it, some very nice designs in there! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Embroidered-Mandalas-Iron-Mandala-Designs/dp/1454710411

I love Karen Shaughnessy's books. I've done a lot of the patterns from her New Crewel Motifs book and they are great if you are just getting back into embroidery.

Books!

Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Needlework

Embroidery Techniques and Patterns

A-Z of Embroidery Stitches

A-Z of Embroidery Stitches 2

Color Confidence in Embroidery

Needle Painting Embroidery: Fresh Ideas for Beginners

This is nothing close to an exhaustive list of all my needlework books, but I think these are the relevant ones for you. =)

Definitely look into her work. She’s a true genius. I recommend these books the most, https://www.amazon.com/Needle-Painting-Embroidery-Beginners-Milner/dp/1863514201/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=trish+burr+embroidery+books&qid=1565936902&s=gateway&sprefix=trish+bu&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/Colour-Confidence-Embroidery-Milner-Craft/dp/1863514260/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=trish+burr+embroidery+books&qid=1565936918&s=gateway&sprefix=trish+bu&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Short-Stitch-Embroidery-Collection/dp/1863513523/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=trish+burr+embroidery+books&qid=1565936918&s=gateway&sprefix=trish+bu&sr=8-5

Here’s her website, https://trishbembroidery.com

Consider ordering a kit such as this one. I really like this reference book. It's great for beginners and I still consult it!

So here’s a link to the one I have, although it’s now unavailable on Amazon.

Brother SE400 Combination Computerized Sewing and 4x4 Embroidery Machine With 67 Built-in Stitches, 70 Built-in Designs, 5 Lettering Fonts https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003AVMZA4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Rl4ODb267FEG5

This one is a very similar model though!

Brother Sewing Machine, SE600, Computerized Sewing and Embroidery Machine with 4" x 4" Embroidery Area, 80 Embroidery Designs, 103 Built-In Sewing Stitches, White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074F8TZNH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mm4ODb6NEEZZB

I’ve had this machine for about a year but I also work professionally in the embroidery industry and have been doing that as my day job for almost four years! :)

The Stitch Bible by Haxell is my go-to book. The pictures are clear and in color. The only downside is it isn't spiral bound, so that sucks.

I also use the Mary Thomas Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches [Amazon link] (http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Thomass-Dictionary-Embroidery-Stitches/dp/1570761183/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420482775&sr=8-1&keywords=embroidery+book), as well as The Stich-O-Pedia other Amazon link. The Stitch-O-Pedia is spiral bound and is fantastic, if terribly organized.

My real recommendation is to go to your local library. Check online for a book you're thinking of getting, then see if your library has it. Get the book first from the library to see if it's worth spending the money on. I've saved myself several disappointments by doing this (the Doodle Stitching books for example).

I have this edition. It is fantastic.

Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches https://www.amazon.com/dp/1570761183/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_UH2JDbC9Q85PP

Also check out your library. I've always found that no matter where I live, there are always lots of good embroidery books to peruse when you are getting started.

Saw this and remembered this post. This might work but you’d have to take some of the details out to make the pattern easier.

Yes, it was this pattern from Amazon: Full Range of Embroidery Starter... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WHMZ8RD?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

The Royal School of Needlework Book of Embroidery is my favorite

This is the book if anyone is interested: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Wars-Stitch-Patterns-Episodes/dp/0760353166

You could look at Michaels to see if they have fabric swatch packs (they might for quilting). Or a pack of blanks, like this. I also saw a starter pack that included blank swatches, and a fabric pen for sketching out designs: http://i.imgur.com/AtNj0Aa.jpg

Hi, the pattern is from the book called: Embroidered Mandalas: 25 Iron-On Mandala Designs to Stitch, Color, and Share

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1454710411/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_PaOQCbZTWAAC9

There is one with dogs!

I found this book, which is about tiny embroidery:

https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Stitches-Buttons-Patches-Embroider/dp/1611806631

Pattern source