Step by Step Guides

Wildflower

Welcome to our step by step guide for your Wildflower embroidery kit! I'm so grateful that you've chosen to try embroidery with one of our kits.

This step-by-step guide can be used in addition to or instead of your paper instructions. The benefit of this guide is that each stitch tutorial is listed below, making it even easier to complete your piece without stress!

If you find yourself having any trouble with stitches, reach out to me at hello@craftclubco.com to book a one-on-one 'help me!' session.

Without further ado, LETS GET STITCHING! 

 

Prepping Your Hoop & Thread

Before beginning your kit, you'll be setting up your hoop and threading your needle.

Setting Up Your Hoop

  • To put your fabric into your hoop, separate the inner and outer hoop by loosening the metal screw at the top. 
  • Place your inner hoop (the one without the metal piece) under your fabric, roughly centering your design in the middle. Then place your outer ring on top of the fabric.
  • Use the screw to tighten the hoop until the fabric is taut like a drum. This can take a bit of time. Start by screwing it a little tighter, then adjust the fabric, then screw again before finally pulling the fabric so it's nice and tight in the hoop.
  • Don't worry if the design isn't perfectly in the middle of the hoop, as you'll be able to adjust it after you've completed!

Threading Your Needle

  • Your thread comes as six individual strands combined to make one string. When stitching we will often split the string and used the desired number of strands for the stitch.
  • Cut approximately 60cm (or roughly an arms length) of thread then separate the number of strands you'll need for the following stitch.
  • This whole piece only uses 3 strands of thread, meaning that every time you change colour you'll be splitting the thread in half so you have two sections with 3x strands of thread.

  • Use one of your pink needle threaders to thread your needle, pulling the thread partially through the needle. Don't pull the thread all the way through to the middle, just enough so it feels secure and your needle won't slide away.
  • Then tie a knot at the end of your thread. You can do a double knot if you like, but just a single knot is usually enough for the type of linen included in your kit.

 

Beginning Your Wildflower Kit

For this piece you'll only be using 5x stitches - all of which are great foundation stitches that you'll use again and again in embroidery. While this design might appear complex, it's actually the same few stitches used again and again. This makes it perfect for building your confidence as a newbie stitcher or mastering your skills if you're experienced!

Stitches Included:

  • Back Stitch
  • Satin Stitch
  • Whip Stitch (aka. Whipped Back Stitch)
  • Straight Stitch
  • French Knots

 

Step 1

This first simple stem with leaves is a great place to start! Begin by using your #936 (mid green) thread to BACK STITCH the stem. Then use a SATIN STITCH and #934 (dark green) thread to fill in your small leaf shapes.

When filling in a leaf with satin stitch, you can change the look of your leaf depending on which direction you make your stitches. For this leaf, we've used a simple vertical direction for your stitches.

Back Stitch Video Tutorial - by Mary Corbet

 

Satin Stitch Video Tutorial - by Cutesy Craft

 

Step 2

Next we'll stitch this pink daisy. Using #3054 (sage green) thread, BACK STITCH the stem. Then use SATIN STITCH to fill in the four leaves, just as you did with the previous leaves but a little larger. Next you'll use SATIN STITCH for your flower. Fill in each petal with #3778 (dark pink) thread and the middle of your flower with #3774 (light pink) thread.

For the Back Stitch & Satin Stitch Tutorials, see Step 1.

 

Step 3

We'll be using #934 (dark green) thread for this entire leafy stem. Start by using a WHIP STITCH to create the stem. Then use a SATIN STITCH to create each leaf. The centre of these triangular leaves will all meet at the same point just like this illustration. Use as many stitches as you like to fill in the space.

Whip Stitch (aka Whipped Back Stitch) Video Tutorial - by Cutesy Craft 

For the Satin Stitch Tutorial, see Step 1.

 

Step 4

For your next flower, use #936 (mid green) thread to create your stem with a WHIP STITCH, then use a SATIN STITCH to create the green base of the flower. Use a SATIN STITCH again to create the leaves in #3052 (sage green) thread, and finally use SATIN STITCH to stitch your flowers using #3778 (dark pink) thread.

For the Whip Stitch Tutorial, see Step 3.

For the Satin Stitch Tutorial, see Step 2.

 

Step 5

These pink buds use similar stitches to your previous flowers, so you should be starting to get the hang of these stitches. Use #936 (mid green) thread to WHIP STITCH the stem. Then use a SATIN STITCH to fill in the bottom section of your flowers and your leaves.

For these leaves, each half of the leaf will be satin stitched going inwards, towards the centre line of the leaf. Use as many stitches as you need to fill up the space. You'll then stitch a single STRAIGHT STITCH to cover the centre line of the leaf.

Straight Stitch Video Tutorial - by American Quilting

For the Whip Stitch Tutorial, see Step 3.

For the Satin Stitch Tutorial, see Step 2.

 

Step 6

Use a WHIP STITCH to stitch the stems of this flower in #936 (mid green), leave the very top of the flowers as a BACK STITCH without the whips. Fill in your leaves with SATIN STITCH and finally use FRENCH KNOTS to make your flower blossoms in #3041 (lavender) and #783 (yellow). If you're finding french knots tricky, leave them til last.

French Knot Video Tutorial - by River Birch Threads

For the Whip Stitch Tutorial, see Step 3.

For the Satin Stitch Tutorial, see Step 1.

 

Step 7

Time for your big daisies! Use your #3052 (sage green) thread to WHIP STITCH your stems and SATIN STITCH your leaves. Then using your #3774 (light pink) thread, SATIN STITCH your petals. Finally fill in the centre of the flowers with #783 (yellow).

For the Whip Stitch Tutorial, see Step 3.

For the Satin Stitch Tutorial, see Step 1.

 

Step 8

To create your bell flowers, you'll use a WHIP STITCH and SATIN STITCH in #934 (dark green) to make your stem and leaves. Use a STRAIGHT STITCH to create the small chevron-like lines at the top of the stem.

Next use a SATIN STITCH in #3041 (lavender) to fill in each bell flower. Stitch the top of each flower in a vertical direction first, then finish each small flower with the horizontal stitches at the bottom. Finally, stitch the FRENCH KNOTS in #783 (yellow) below the bell flowers.

For the Whip Stitch Tutorial, see Step 3.

For the Satin Stitch Tutorial, see Step 1.

For the Straight Stitch Tutorial, see Step 5.

For the French Knot Tutorial, see Step 6.

 

Step 9

You're onto the home stretch! Use a BACK STITCH to make the stems of this flower in #934 (dark green), using 2-3 STRAIGHT STITCH lines at the top of each stem. Next, fill in the small leaves with SATIN STITCH in #3052 (sage green). Finally, using your #783 (yellow) thread, fill in each circle with FRENCH KNOTS. We recommend filling these from the bottom up, adding as many as you feel looks right. There's no right or wrong way to fill in this section!

Finish off your piece by using STRAIGHT STITCH to stitch the #3774 (light pink) starbursts in between each of your finished blooms. TA DA! You're all done!

For the Whip Stitch Tutorial, see Step 3.

For the Satin Stitch Tutorial, see Step 1.

For the Straight Stitch Tutorial, see Step 5.

For the French Knot Tutorial, see Step 6.

 

You've Finished Your Masterpiece!

Washing Your Piece

If there are blue lines from the pattern still visible when you've finished your piece, it's time to give it a rinse. If you can't see any blue lines (or they're small enough not to be noticeable) skip this step and go straight to backing your hoop!

To wash your lines off, take your fabric out of the hoop and rinse under warm water. You can gently rub the ink with your fingers to remove it. If the ink is being stubborn you can even rinse your fabric with a mild soap.

Once it's clean, leave your piece to dry on a flat on a hand towel away from direct sunlight. You can also press another hand towel gently on top of it to soak up excess water.

 

Ironing Your Piece

If your piece is very wrinkled, you may want to iron it. Generally, you won't need to do this unless it's very creased because the action of tightening the fabric in your hoop will remove small wrinkles.

Place your embroidered piece upside down on a towel on top of your ironing board. You want the back of your embroidery facing upwards. Next place a tea towel on top of your embroidered piece, to protect it from the direct heat of the iron.

Iron your piece on a medium setting, checking your piece as you go. If the creases are stubborn you can increase the setting of your iron, as linen and cotton are okay with higher temperatures. I always suggest doing this gradually, rather than going in straight away with full heat, as the last thing you want to do is burn your piece!

 

Backing Your Hoop

  • When you've finished your design, it's time to back your hoop so it's ready to display! Before backing, make sure your design is centred in the hoop.
  • With your hoop facing down, cut off your excess fabric, leaving approx. 1.5cm around the edge of your hoop.
  • Using approx. 70cm of any thread colour, thread your needle and tie a knot at the end.
  • Starting at the top of the hoop, we are going to use a running stitch around the hoop, across the excess fabric. When you've reached the top again, you can pull the thread firmly to pull the fabric towards the middle. This will stop it from showing at the front.

  • Once it's tight, secure your thread at the top with a knot. You can even knot the two ends of the thread together - just make sure they're as tight as possible so that the fabric at the back lies flat.
  • If you find the fabric is bunching up a bit, simply sit your embroidery piece under something heavy like a book for a few hours. This will flatten the fabric at the back, and make your hoop sit flush when you want to display it.

 

And you're done! Congratulations on finishing your Wildflower embroidery piece. I hope you had a fantastic experience stitching it! 

Nakisah x

Craft Club's Founder

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