Back to: Jss3 Cultural and Creative Art (C.C.A)

Introduction to Embroidery

Needles and threads are used in the craft of embroidery, which is the skill of adorning fabric in a decorative manner. Embroidery may either be done by hand or with the assistance of a machine that uses automated swing needles.

Materials/Tools for Embroidery

1. Needle

2. Threads for embroidery are available in a variety of colours

3. Embroidery machine with automatic swing needles 

4. Tracing paper of lightweight weight 

3. Embroidery machine with automatic swing needles 

6. Tracing wheel

7. Embroidery hoops 

Sources of Embroidery Design

1. Elements of nature, such as trees, flowers, and other items found in the surrounding environment.

2. Pictures

3. Gifts wrappers

4. Geometry

5. Abstract

6. Flowers

Methods of Transferring Embroidery Designer

There are a few different techniques that may be used to transfer or mark an embroidered pattern onto a cloth. The preference of the designer, as well as the weight or colour of the fabric that will be used for the embroidery, will play a role in the decision of which methods to utilize.

The following is a list of some of the procedures and approaches.

1. The Carbon Paper Method: First, you will need to print the pattern out on standard paper. After you have placed the carbon paper with the carbon side down onto the cloth, lay the printed pattern on top of the carbon paper. It is important to keep in mind while positioning an image that there must be sufficient space around it in order to be able to bind the fabric, and one should avoid positioning the picture too near to the edge of the cloth. To trace the pattern, you may make use of a pencil, a stylus, or anything else that is quite pointed and stiff. When tracing a pattern, one should exercise extreme caution to prevent the design from shifting and refrain from using anything that is excessively pointed, as this might result in the cloth being pierced.

2. Light Method: Simple to use and requires little effort. After taping the fabric over the design in the appropriate location, gently trace the pattern onto the cloth using the design as a guide. Although it is most effective for thinner textiles, this technique may also be utilized with thicker materials. When you are going to trace anything, you need to make sure that the layers are secured with tape so that they do not move about.

3. Heat Transfer Pencil or Pen Method: This method works by tracing the pattern onto the cloth using ink. When everything is finished, the next step is to activate the ink by applying heat, such as with an iron. They are effective for use on cloth of both light and heavy weights. On the other hand, the lines are permanent and won’t disappear with time. Before tracing the pattern, it has to be flipped horizontally and vertically in a mirror image so that it may be transferred onto the cloth in the correct orientation.

4. TAILOR’S TACKING: The tailor’s tack is a kind of stitch with a loose loop that is used to transmit the markings for darts and other details from a pattern to the cloth. Markings are transferred from a pattern onto a piece of cloth in order to complete the process. Following the formation of a loose stitch between the fabric and the pattern piece, the stitches are then snipped, leaving a line of loose threads to serve as your markers.

5. Pricking: This strategy is also known as ‘prick and pounce,’ and it is a kind of “pricking.” It is a method for transferring an embroidery design by using a pattern piece that is pricked with tiny holes, placing the pattern piece on the fabric, and then poking it all over with powder that filters through the tiny holes and leaves tiny dots on the fabric. This is known as the “prick and pounce” method.

6. Tracing Method: The tracing paper transfer approach of marking an embroidered design on fabric (also known as thread tracing) employs a light tissue or tracing paper that you have traced with your pattern. This method is frequently referred to as “thread tracing.” It is a fantastic method for transferring a pattern to cloth without actually marking the fabric itself.

7. Direct Drawing of Design on Fabric: In the direct drawing technique, the design is drawn directly on the fabric itself using a pencil or a pen that is water soluble. This approach allows the designer to sketch the design with his or her free hand.

Embroidery Stitches

• Herringbone stitch
• Feather stitch
• Buttonhole stitch
• Loop stitch