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9.24.2023
Fall is here, temperatures are dropping and fireplaces are finally being lit after a long summer. One of our favorite fall activities is to cozy up and enjoy the season of Embroidery!
To help you get started with embroidery – whether you’re new to the craft or a seasoned stitcher in need of some new supplies – we’ve created a list of our favorite notions. Embroidery is a delicate venture that requires patience, time and, above all, very good supplies! Here at Connecting Threads, we’ve curated the best of the best to help you excel.
Let’s start with BOOKS:
One of the tells that a book is worth its salt: the entire Connecting Threads’ staff fights over who gets to borrow it next!
Simply Sweet is absolutely delightful with 64 teeny designs that can be stitched solo or combined into a stunning sampler. Looking to practice your skills? Scmitz includes some super sweet mini projects, like an adorable hexie pin cushion, using just one embroidery design.
As this book gets passed around our offices, more and more of us are getting hooked onto embroidery! A true testament to how beloved Simply Sweet has already become here at CT.
Creative Embroidery by Christen Brown
If you’re brand new to embroidery (or a little rusty after not picking up a project for a decade!), Creative Embroidery is the perfect book to get your feet wet. The stitch library is massive with over 100 options, all of which are illustrated throughout stunning projects.
This book offers so much more than just embroidery, though! Beyond just basic stitches, you’ll learn how to embellish projects with buttons, ribbons, wires, beads and so much more. It is truly a treasure trove of stitchy-goodness!
Now that you’ve got your books, you’re probably ready to get stitching! Here are our favorite EMBROIDERY NOTIONS to enhance your sewing stash:
Sue Spargo 100% Wool Bundles in Nature & Brown
These wool bundles are the most luxurious embroidery backings we’ve ever used, unbelievably soft and ideal for stitching. Each bundle comes with 6 pieces, measuring 7″ x 9″, all dyed to perfection using highly saturated colors.
Sold in custom color packs, find the set that best suits your project and get to sewing!
(PS. They all have matching thread sets, which we link below!)
Felted Wool by Local Farm Girl (13″ x 16″) in Dark Red & Light Purple
These hand dyed wool pieces are stunning, sold individually in a gorgeous array of colors. Larger than Sue Spargo’s wool, these felted rectangles are fabulous for bigger projects!
Local Farm Girl has an incredible range of wool, from textured samplers to mini color packs. No matter what you choose, you can’t go wrong!
Sue Spargo Ellana Wool Thread Pack in Orange
If you’re already obsessed with Sue Spargo – trust us, we get it! – and plan to buy her wool bundles, don’t forget the matching thread! These Wool Thread Packs color coordinate perfectly, a must for smaller projects like pin cushions.
If you’re planning to stitch more creative embroidery, wool loves to work with wool. If you’re using a wool backing, using wool thread isn’t required, but it will create a seamless stitching experience that you just can’t beat!
Presencia Finca Perle Cotton in Holly – Size 8
Looking for the shiniest, sleekest cotton thread for embroidery? Perle Cotton is about to become your latest love!
These Egyptian cotton spools are mercerized for strength, don’t shrink in the wash and come in splendid color packs for any project on your list. Plus, they glide through any textile like a dream, making for a deluxe stitching experience!
If you haven’t used Thread Magic, let us just say: you’re welcome!
This thread conditioner, which comes in a handy little package with an attached thread cutter, is an embroidery must. Before stitching, run your thread effortlessly through the pliable material. Once you start sewing, you’ll be blown away: no more thread knotting, no more yanking, no more fraying edges.
Oh, and did we mention that it doesn’t leave any gunky residue? Just clean, finished embroidery!
You’ve probably used a basic, wooden embroidery hoop before – it’s a common starting hoop. Trust us though, once you use these Clover Hoops, you’ll never go back!
Our Content Creator Liz is obsessed: “These are like the Cadillacs of embroidery hoops, I can’t get over how amazing they are!” Made of a thick plastic for better durability, these have a large inner lip to help keep your projects in place and a sleek, covered tension adjustment to keep your threads from catching. It may seem wild to love an embroidery hoop, but these truly are game changers when you’re stitching as much as we do!
Sue Spargo Creative Stitching Needle Pack
When you’re working with thicker fabrics, like wool, needles are an incredibly important part of the sewing process. Using the wrong needle can result in wonky stitches and larger-than-intended holes in your fabric – yikes!
This needle pack is expensive, but if you’re a hand stitcher, it’s worth every penny. With an incredible array of needles at your disposal, you’ll never need to hunt down a special size. Attach them all onto a loop (using the handy dandy hole in each lid!) and hang them from your project board, available any time you need one!
Floral Applique & Embroidery Scissors
Just like needles, anything sharp involved in your embroidery practice needs to be sharp.
These scissors are curved for cleaning thread snipping, perfect for any embroidery or applique project. Plus, with a bright pink floral on the handle, they’ll be tough to lose!
Embroidery Stencils by Christen Brown
Finally, you’re going to want a fun add-on to your embroidery supply bin that can be used for all different types of projects:
Enter these adorable Embroidery Stencils!
Durable plastic stencils that are incredibly easy to use, these designs were intended for classic crazy quilt seams. However, who says you can’t use them for hoop embroidery?
Pull out these gorgeous stencils for any project in need of a border, from mini quilts to embroidery wall hangings. Have something on your sewing table that needs a finishing touch? Try out some border embroidery!
We hope you enjoyed this foray into embroidery supplies! Re-learning an old craft can feel intimidating, but we hope that finding the right supplies can help you pick up that needle and thread once more!
Happy stitching!
