TLE EMBROIDERY MATERIALS AND TOOLS

• Embroidery


  The art of decorating fabric and/or materials with designs stitched with thread using a needle
• Embroidery


  • May also use other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins
  • Today sewing machines can be used to create machine embroidery
• Needlework


  A broad term for the handicrafts of decorative sewing and textile arts. Anything that uses a needle for construction can be called needlework. The definition may expand to include related textile crafts such as a crochet hook or tatting shuttle.
• Content standards


  • Discuss the history and development of embroidery
  • Name the different basic tools and materials used in embroidery
  • Discuss the elements and principles of design
• Embroidery needles


  Choose the right needles to suit your fabric and thread. Good quality needles are the stitcher's most important tool.
• Types of Embroidery Needles


  • Crewel or embroidery needle
  • Chenille needle
  • Tapestry needle
• Crewel or embroidery needle


  • Has a sharp point and large eye that is used for crewel work
• Chenille needle


  • Similar to a crewel needle but with a thicker shaft. Good for heavy threads and coarse grounds.
• Tapestry needle


  • Thick-shafted, large-eyed needle with a round-pointed end. Works best for evenweave fabrics because it is designed to slip between the threads rather than to pierce them as a crewel needle does.
• Beading needle


  A fine, long needle with a tiny eye used for sewing small beads
• Embroidery scissors


  • Used for trimming scallops, clipping threads, and cutting large eyelets
  • Sharp, pointed, and curved upward
• Embroidery threads


  • Available in various types
  • Differ in terms of texture, fiber content, number of strands and color
  • Can be bought in skein, balls or spools
  • Buy threads which will suit the texture of the fabric
• Stiletto


  • Usually made of wood, bone or metal
  • Used to make eyelets in the fabrics to be embroidered
• Embroidery hoop


  • Holds the fabric taut for stitching
  • Keeps a section of fabric stretched between two rings
  • Outer ring usually has an adjustable screw or spring that allows the hoop to hold different weights of fabric
• Thimble


  Protects the middle finger from pricking while sewing
• Pincushion


  • Used for corral pins and needles and protect them from rust
  • Useful for stowing threaded needles if you must change colors often
• Embroidery marker


  Used for drawing designs on fabric
• Embroidery transfer pencil


  Used for hot-iron transfer designs
• Needle threader
• Masking tape
• Dressmaker's carbon paper


  Used to transfer designs to fabric
• Embroidery fabric


  Evenly woven fabric wherein the number of threads per square inch is the same for both warp and weft
• Different Types of Fabrics Used in Embroidery

  • Aida fabric
  • Even weave fabric
  • Hardanger fabric
  • Plain fabric
• Aida fabric


  • Used for counted thread embroidery such as cross stitch
• Even weave fabric


  • May be used for all types of counted thread embroidery, and finer counts may also be used for free style embroidery
  • Available in cotton, linen, and various blended fibers and a wide range of colors
• Hardanger fabric


  • Similar to Aida fabric, but 20-22-or 24 counts are the usual sizes for Hardanger work
  • Available in white, cream, and a range of soft colors
• Plain fabric


  • Normally used for freestyle embroidery, when the design stitched without reference to the woven surface
  • Select fairly smooth, nonstretch woven fabrics in natural fibers such as cotton, linen, or silk, along with a suitable weight of thread and size of needle