Embroidery is a craft that’s portable, relaxing and quite easy to get started with.
If you’re ready to have an embroidery project ready to pick up when you’ve got free time or at hand to tuck in your bag as you head out for a long car ride or an appointment that might keep you waiting, let’s get you started with embroidery.
Check out the details below on 3 embroidery kits we think are perfect for the beginning stitcher. Not only do they include everything you need to get rolling, their design makes them a perfect starting place for new stitchers (young and old) as well as rusty returning stitchers, and those who simply love this craft.
KIT #1: Bessie’s Blossoms: a great embroidery kit for a beginner
trendy (yet timeless) imagery and natural motifs for stitching
This cow motif in this kit takes its cue from the currently popular cow-head art and leverages the easy possibilities that exist for rendering flowers and greenery in classic embroidery stitches.
The bold colors and collaged design provide discrete areas to stitch: you can choose one color and one motif to work at a time, mastering it in a controlled area before moving onto the next stitch. There’s not a lot of overlap or intersection in the stitching.
start with the straight stitch in fun combinations
When you embroider Bessie’s Blossoms, you’ll start with the easiest stitch–the Straight Stitch–and get anything but straight and boring results.
The straight stitch is the easiest to do, and that means you can get comfortable with running the needle and thread through the fabric, understanding just how much to tug, making sure you pulled the thread all the way through and just feeling comfortable.
What’s fun about this design is that you see how many different effects you can get with a simple stitch like the Straight stitch: the orange bursts, the blue stars, the green grasses and the leaves on a curving branch are all done with this first stitch.
master two important outlining stitches
A common task in embroidery is the outlining of shapes. Here’s you can start with the most common and useful, the Outline stitch and the Back stitch.
Stitch the big lines of Bessie, herself, with the Outline stitch. Render the longer shading lines within her body using the Back stitch.
Through this stitching you’ll master these two important stitches
finish with three fun and more advanced stitches
Now that you’re confidently threading your needle and stitching basic flowers and the cow shape, it’s time to get fancy.
First with the Lazy Daisy Stitch that you’ll use for the leaves on the red flowers.
Next with the French Knot Stitches for the red flowers with small buds,
And, finally, with the chain stitches for the small green bushes.
You always have a detailed guide to this work with the 4-page stitching booklet that’s included with the kit.
PATTERN #2: Rogues’ Gallery: start here for an easy-to-complete first embroidery project
Rogues’ Gallery is another design that’s a great choice for anyone who wants to get started learning embroidery–and moving forward with more advanced stitches.
start with straight stitches. As with Bessie’s Blossoms, you’d start with Straight stitches to get your comfort level established. The “v” lines around the owl frame, the wallpaper behind the deer, and straight lines around the rabbit’s frame are your starting spots.
master important outline stitches. Again, this is a kit that teaching you the Outline and Back stitches that are fundamental to embroidery work.
you’ll learn fun stitches, too. As your confidence grows, you’ll try your hand at Lazy Daisies, French Knots, the Whipped Back stitch and even the Wagon Wheel.
“new stitchers” section in the guide. Every Stitched Stories Kit includes a 4-page stitching guide. Within it, there is always a “new stitchers, start here” section so that you can take this craft step by step, mastering new stitches in an order that feels comfortable and just makes sense.
KIT #3: No Place Like Home: an embroidery kit that has you mastering 12 classic embroidery stitches
One more kit I love recommending to a new embroiderer who is looking for guidance on where to start is No Place Like Home.
Just as with the kits described above, you’ll start with the easy stitches, working in discrete areas.
You’ll keep moving foward to learn more advanced stitches–but always in one section that makes it easy to stay clear on what you’re doing.
With this kit you’ll use 12 different stitches–but it always feels manageable–and you come out the other side with a design reminiscent of the samplers of old, but with updated motifs and colors.
Ready to get started with an embroidery design well suited to a beginner?
Any of the kits in our shop include detailed stitching guides including a “new stitchers, start here” section. These three are my favorite recommendations for a beginning embroiderer.
