When you move your hoop around a bigger project, won’t it ruin the areas you’ve already stitched?

There is a nuanced answer to this, so we’ll discuss various points about the question below. I’ll share my thoughts and experiences, and you’re most welcome to chime in with yours, too.

We’ll look briefly at hoops, what they are, how they came about, how we used them (putting all this in a relative nutshell), and we’ll talk about the advantages and disadvantages of hoops, and finally, we’ll look at The Fiber Crush.

I hope to allay any fears you have of hoops, so that you can use them confidently when appropriate!

First, let’s talk about the embroidery hoop in general.

A Brief History of the Embroidery Hoop

Embroidery hoops have been around for a relatively long time, but embroidery hoops as we know them today, not quite as long.

Brought to popularity in Western Europe in the 18th century with the rise of “tambour work” (chain stitch worked with a hook) from India, the precursor of the modern embroidery hoop was the “tambour” hoop. Tambour is the French word for drum. The relation is pretty clear: the resulting apparatus with the fabric in it looked like a drum and it held the fabric tight like a drum.

These frames were made up of two rings – outer and inner – like all hoops today, except that they didn’t have the adjustable hardware that we’re used to now. The outer hoop was pushed over the inner hoop to hold the fabric taut, much like this vintage Duchess hoop that I showed you earlier this year, but not necessarily with imbedded felt on the inner ring. To protect the fabric and increase the tension, the inner ring (and sometimes the outer ring) was wrapped with strips of fabric.

In 1903, the first patent for an adjustable embroidery hoop was given to Helen Hermes, a woman in Missouri who had obvious skill in needlework. We don’t know a lot about her, but the patent drawing (above) still exists. We can see that she understood the significance, efficiency, and convenience of being able to adjust the size of the rings of the hoop, and of being able to hold the hoop by hand while stitching.

The Gibbs company (that made the Duchess hoop mentioned above) invented a spring tension hoop, too, and eventually, the screw hardware that we use for tensioning today came into being, although it’s hard to nail down who first manufactured embroidery hoops with the outer ring tensioned by a screwing mechanism. Many popped up in the early 1900’s in various configurations, with patents overlapping and different configurations being tested, tried, and marketed. By the 1960’s, the screw tensioning of the outer ring became the standard format of most wooden embroidery hoops.

The Advantages of the Embroidery Hoop

Probably the greatest advantage of good-quality wooden embroidery hoops is that they do the job they were intended to do: they hold the embroidery fabric taut.

If they are well-made, they are well balanced. They can be held in the hand relatively comfortably. Because they are (often) small enough to be hand-held, they are very transportable and they are notably space-saving compared to embroidery frames.

The embroidery hoop can be moved around a larger piece of embroidery, to work on smaller areas at a time. The whole large piece does not have to be framed or hooped up.

The well-constructed embroidery hoop is generally gentle on textiles (fabrics and threads), and can be modified to be even gentler when the need arises. We’ll talk about how, below.

The Limitations of the Embroidery Hoop

There are, however, certain limitations to embroidery hoops.

Many stitchers find hoops – especially larger ones, or hoops holding heavy or abundant amounts of fabric – uncomfortable to hold. This often necessitates a hoop-holding stand, so that the stitcher has both hands free to stitch.

There are many of these stands available on the market! I pretty much use a Needlework System 4 tabletop stand and a frame clamp to hold my hoop, but I also use a few other stands, too. It just depends on where I’m stitching.

On larger embroidery projects that require moving the hoop, embroidery hoops work with embroidery that is more or less two-dimensional. If you plan to add dimensional stitches, to use certain types of specialty threads, to add goldwork or beads, then the design must fit within the frame of the hoop. The hoop, in those circumstances, can’t be moved over previously stitched areas.

The Fiber Crush

If I move my hoop over a previously embroidered area, won’t it ruin the stitches?

Above, you can see an old vintage hoop that is mounted on a larger piece of embroidery. The already-embroidered area – worked in cotton embroidery floss – is captured and held between the inner and outer ring of the hoop.

Whether or not this will ruin stitches is a legitimate concern, but never underestimate the resilience of fiber!

If you are using common embroidery threads like cotton floss, crewel wool, even silk and some specialty fibers (like mixed fiber threads and the like), while the stitching may initially look crushed when you remove the hoop, it will normally bounce back.

A Few Precautions to Help Lessen the Fiber Crush

There are a few precautions you can take to further protect your stitches from the Fiber Crush:

1. Don’t leave your work in the hoop between stitch sessions. This adds a certain level of protection to both your fabric and your stitches. It helps avoid “hoop rings” (sometimes-permanent marks from the hoop) because it gives the fabric a chance to relax, and it helps to avoid extended crushing of stitched fibers.

2. Wrap the inner ring of your hoop. This helps hold the tension of your fabric consistent, so that you aren’t constantly adjusting and pulling on your fabric to try to make it taut. It also helps protect your fabric.

3. Use a piece of scrap fabric to cover your ground fabric in the hoop and protect it further. This is especially helpful when working with white fabrics, delicate fabrics, and delicate stitching.

The hooping-up method is this: Lay your inner ring on your work table, lay your ground fabric over the inner ring, lay a piece of scrap fabric over the ground fabric (large enough to cover the hooped area of the ground fabric and fit in the hoop rings), and then push your outer ring over all of it.

Adjust for tension of both layers of fabric, and once your desired tension is achieved, gently pull the scrap fabric away from the embroidery fabric and, using small, sharp scissors, snip a “window” out of the scrap fabric, leaving a boarder around the hooped area. This border of scrap fabric will protect the ground fabric and previous stitching from wear, from hand oils, from dirt rings, and so forth.

You can see this method used here in my article Hoop Tip: Keeping Things Clean.

Looking for More?

If you’d like to delve a bit into embroidery hoop tips, try this article: It’s a Wrap! On your Hoop, that is…

Hoop Tips: Get the Most Out of Your Embroidery Hoop! might be helpful, too.

Finally, I touched on the subject of crushing threads with the hoop in this article, That Stylized Flower & Hoop Crushing, if you’d like to explore that piece, too.

Coming Up!

Read all about it! Read all about it! Disaster strikes Needle ‘n Thread Studio!

When it rains, it pours. And literally, it poured – in here! We had a bit of a studio disaster this week. I can’t wait to show you pictures! It was a bit annoying (to say the least), a bit frustrating, and it almost took me to the tipping point… but at the same time, I somehow found it funny. I mean, how often do you walk into your work place and find the ceiling on the floor, and among the rubble and water and mess, a pipe from who-knows-where? I’ll share the details next week!

We are kitting up our new Christmas Ornament kit for 2026, and we plan to launch the stitch-along right before Thanksgiving. Plan to join us! The project is titled A Christmas Treat – it’s a sweet bell ornament! (Just feeding you a little hint!) If time allows, we’ll have options for other shapes, too. We’ve developed a design set, but I don’t know if we’ll have time to stitch and construct all of them. The bell is done, though, it’s packaged as a kit, and we’re going to stitch it together! Keep an eye out!

And since it has to do with Needle ‘n Thread, I have to share it with you. I know it’s a sorry excuse for a blog post, but it is so dang funny, and we all deserve a good chuckle now and then!

My old Bitmoji self below (when Bitmojis were actually fun) gets across only a fraction of the laughing-out-loud that I did when I saw this.

In fact, that I’m still laughing! Oh. My. Gosh.

Over the twenty years that I’ve been writing Needle ‘n Thread, I have written a lot of content about hand embroidery.

I’ve also had a few aspersions cast my way – it’s just part and parcel of being a blogger, you see. It helps to have “duck skin,” as my mom called it. Bloggers have to let mean statements, false accusations and so forth roll off your back, like water off a duck.

Some of those “aspersions,” to wit:

I don’t write the blog myself (yes I do).

I use a team of writers (no I don’t).

I steal other people’s information, designs, and yes, stitches (huh?).

I’m too positive (this is a sad one!).

I write about Christian stuff too much (do I? well, I don’t know what to say about that. My blog, my content?).

I’m a snob (if I come across as one, I apologize).

I try to make embroidery exclusive to rich people only (au contraire)

…among other such comments over the years.

You might not know things like this are said “behind the scenes” to a blogger. But they are, and while they can hurt a little at first, it’s just part and parcel of the human condition. People can be mean. I’m sorry for that, but life still goes on. I don’t make other people’s meanness my problem by giving it much of a thought.

But the Absolute Best accusation about me (about Needle ‘n Thread) that I’ve ever heard came through the other day:

That’s a screenshot sent in by a reader, who saw it in some comments on social media or another blog. She didn’t specify where, and I didn’t ask. It’s not something I would ever spend time pursuing.

Plus, I know it is certainly a joke.

It has to be! Every time I look at it, I laugh.

For one thing, generative AI (the way we know it today, anyway) is only about four years old. Needle ‘n Thread is over 20 years old.

For another thing, anyone who has ever read my website or has seen my stuff would never actually think this.

I’m guessing it was posted to see if it would go anywhere or if it would stir up any comments or interactions. And it worked! LOL!

Hey, don’t feel in any way insulted for me about this, because I assure you, I don’t. If the comment was actually written by a “real” person and that person does believe this, then I guess I’d be a little sad for that person.

But I would still laugh!

Have a terrific weekend!

Craft nights, gift giving, long winter evenings, weekends meant for relaxation – these are times when small, quick kits are the perfect companion.

Last year, I brought in these really cute Christmas ornament kits featuring wood foundations with simple designs for stitching. Beginners and beyond enjoy stitching them, and because they’re also boxed nicely, they’re perfect for gifts. Kids can do them! Adults can do them! They’re just fun! We’ve had requests for them already this year. Yes, they’re coming – we have a shipment of them arriving in the first week of November.

But I was itching to add something a bit more blingy to the offerings for this year. I like things that sparkle – especially during the holidays – so I started hunting around for something that twinkles and glitters and glints. When I came across these little bead embroidery kits featuring a variety of birds, I knew I had to pursue them. And lo! I found more! A whole range of bead kits that can be finished as ornaments. Jolly!

I bought some of the kits to test so that I’d know if the kit contents and instructions were satisfactory. These are some of the samples we stitched up.

Do you ever tie handmade ornaments onto gift packaging? I do! These work really well for that.

And man, do they sparkle! They’re the ultimate adorable blingy birds for any kind of ornamenting.

They don’t have to be Christmas ornaments, though. I happen to love hanging bird ornaments on my Christmas tree, so they make sense to me for that purpose.

But for those who want to use them other ways, don’t worry – you can do whatever you want with them!

The kits include backing hardware to make the items into brooches to pin on clothes and more, and they also contain cording to finish them as hanging ornaments.

Although the instructions aren’t super detailed, they are sufficient, especially for anyone who has any familiarity with stitching. They are basic, but the whole project is rather basic. It’s just a matter of sewing on a variety of beads, sequins, rhinestones, and wires.

All the elements are sewn on with the included clear filament beading thread. The design is very clearly printed on the foundation fabric, so that you can see exactly what kind of element goes where. All the elements are individually bagged. There are diagrams for the layout of all the elements used to fill the shape, and diagrams explaining how to stitch them on.

We were a little shy about trimming the non-woven foundation fabric too closely at first, but as we stitched up more of the sample set I bought, we’ve become bolder about trimming more closely. I’ll share photos of our later efforts down the road.

These are “all inclusive” kits, made here in the US, and ready to stitch when they arrive on your doorstep.

And they are So Fun! I’m excited about them!

We’ll have a variety of the bead kits available, some of which are multiple projects in each kit (think: multiple ornaments for your own tree, craft nights with family and friends), while others are single ornament kits. The various fruit designs are quite pretty! There are hummingbirds, a little beefeater soldier, fabulous tropical fish (fish ornaments are a Thing, you know!), and some other critters – a leaping deer, an adorable little mouse.

These and the wooden ornaments will be available in about a week or so, in plenty of time for pre-holiday merriment. I’ll let you know when they’re in the shop and ready for you!

Stitch-Along Ornament

And oh yes, we will definitely be doing a stitch-along Christmas ornament this year. When I have time in the studio, that’s what I’m working on right now. Anna is already assembling the kits. It’s a simple ornament, but with plenty of scope to it for personalizing. We’re also planning to release a variety of similar designs worked the same way (a themed collection – like these wreaths we did a few years ago, or these trees, or these snowflakes).

As you know, my studio time is a very limited these days, so the themed collection may or may not come together. The stitch-along certainly will, as we’re almost ready to share it with you and we have all the kit contents ready to assemble.

I’m hoping the themed collection comes together, though, and I’m working towards that goal.

More needlework tidbits coming up next week. See you then!

Hi, Mary, I’m new to embroidery. I did some small kits and liked it and want to learn more…especially about what fabric and thread and making my embroidery look better… I came across your videos that are really helpful and they led me to your blog. As a beginner, there’s are a lot information out there to learn. What should I concentrate on for learning or what tips do you have to get started with?

Despite the explosion of needlework information online that’s happened over the past 20 years, I still get similar questions all the time. I would love to sit down with each person who contacts me, work with them, answer their questions in person, show them things they want to see in person, let them feel fabric and threads, explore ideas with them… but this is obviously a regretful impossibility!

To answer the “beginner tips” question, I wrote an article almost exactly ten years ago, with a concise list of tips to which I could direct beginners.

Now and then, it’s a good idea to re-visit these types of lists, tips, and explorations, whether you’re a beginner or not! You’d be surprised what tips you might pick up that you missed before, or what little reminders might spark a new idea for you!

The article that I wrote ten years ago is called 8 Embroidery Tips for Beignners, and you can read it here.

The tips in that article include how to transfer a design, how to prepare floss, choosing hoops or frames, information about needles, embroidery scissors, and fabric, the embroidery environment, and my personal top ten essential embroidery stitches for beginners to learn.

In the past ten years, I’ve written more on pretty all those topics, but the core information there is still pertinent and still useful! It is tried and true tried and true information that has withstood the test of time.

At the end of that article, I asked the wider Needle ‘n Thread community for additional input and received some good suggestions for additional topics – for example, the benefit of investing in good lighting and the advantages of starting with small projects.

Join the Conversation!

I’m sure we can all think of even more encouraging tips and ideas to help beginners find the path they want to follow for their own embroidery journey.

If you have additional tips, topic suggestions for beginners to explore, and so forth, leave a comment below! I’ll be compiling more tips and updating the original article soon, and I’d love to add input from your experience, too.

But it doesn’t always work that way when life is up-ended with other concerns. And so, here I am, on a late Friday morning, catching you up with a current project.

I always like to have a grab-and-go project on hand, for any circumstances, even when everything is going well. You just never know when you’ll have the opportunity to, say, stitch over at a friend’s house, or sit outside on the porch with someone, or when you’ll have time to stitch when you’re traveling. And that’s when a grab-and-go project comes in handy!

If you spend time taking loved ones (or yourself) to medical appointments, or sitting in hospitals, nursing homes, or the like, grab-and-go projects can be a godsend. They help while away long hours. And they’re also great conversation starters!

The last grab-and-go project I was working on was the Santorini Floral from Avlea (available here) – and which I showed you here, finished, aside from the hem.

I still haven’t had a chance to measure, cut, and baste the hem in, which I want to do at the studio.

So I started on another Avlea project that I like – the Golden Celandine project that you can see listed in the kits here. Instead of working it from the kit, though, I decided to make my own kit.

I also decided to change the design up a bit. Instead of a small mat size finish, I want a runner size that will fit the top of a piece of furniture in my house. I wanted something more along the lines of the size of this project (which was the first Avlea kit I worked) but even slightly larger.

The problem was that the original Golden Celandine designed by Krista West was for a much smaller mat size, so simply repeating the design in a larger space wouldn’t really do the trick.

The weight of the design wasn’t heavy enough to work well with a larger runner.

And so began messing around on my cross stitch software (I use MacStitch by Ursa Software) to make a more elaborate, slightly “heavier” design that would fill the space of a runner a little better. I used most of the same elements from Golden Celandine, but I added to them – especially the side banding.

I also added a banded box in the center of the runner design, to ensure it has enough “fill” to make it decorative and interesting.

Working on MacStitch is easy and intuitive (they have a PC version as well). As long as I had my laptop with me, messing around with the design was a source of entertainment while in perpetual waiting mode at the hospital for a week. And eventually, I ended up with a design I liked, that filled the runner space well.

I kept the 30-count design foundation, working over two threads of fabric. I’m using the same linen that Krista uses on the linen Avlea designs. It’s a European linen with a nice weave, the threads are plump and round, and it’s easy to see where to make each stitch even with my sub-par eyesight! Sometimes, in very low light, I can even get away with “feeling” where to stitch, by dragging my needle along the weave.

In any case, I like this linen for this use, so much so that I’ve stocked some yardage of it in case anyone else is looking for a good 30-count linen to have on hand for your own designs or projects of this sort. If you want some, reach out via email! If there’s enough demand, I’ll bring in more and I’ll create a permanent shop listing for it.

This project is great to have with me at the nursing home where my dad is in rehab. I can work on it in the room, in the lobby, outside. I’ve chatted with other residents about it, and it’s allowed me to open up conversations and establish friendly relations with ladies who used to do needlework and can’t anymore.

The morning light is the best time to do needlework in the room. It’s fabulous! And there’s a great view out the window! Afternoon light is better in the lobby or outside.

Learning a Lot

I’ve learned a lot since we began this particular life adventure, aside from the extra knowledge in caregiving.

For example, Go Bags – they’re essential. And I’m admittedly a Bag Lady these days! I carry two to three bags (and my laptop) every day.

One bag is a large over-the-shoulder tote. It contains my needlework project in a pouch (project, chart, hoop, thread, needles, scissors, screwdriver, tape, seam ripper, tweezers), a book, a water bottle, discreet headphones, charging cables, and any essentials I need to bring for dad.

The other bag is my insulated lunch (and dinner) bag. Doing this kind of thing long-term requires a way to carry my own meals, so I use an insulated lunch bag with a couple thin freezer packs in it. I tote some cheese, salami, an apple or two, nuts, tea bags, and some cream with me (for tea). Occasionally, I’ll take a container of homemade soup that I can microwave. Meals out are not a feasible financial option, and really, neither is coffee or tea these days. So I take what I need with me. It works!

I also carry a couple nano bags with me in my tote bag. These take up very little space when they’re not in use, but they open up and hold a lot when they are in use. These, I use for toting dad’s stuff to and fro, if I need to take things home and bring them back for him.

Bags are Life! #BagLife! Who knew?

So that’s what I’m up to these days. Anna is out of town this weekend, but she’ll be back Monday and shipping as usual. So if you’ve ordered anything today or you order anything over the weekend, it’ll go out as always.

Next week, I hope to be working in the studio for about three or so hours a day, while my sister and I rotate time with dad. Then, towards the end of next week, my sister from Massachusetts will arrive and stay for ten days, to take over some time, too. This will free me up for more studio time – especially as we will start putting together our Christmas kits and get the next stitch-along ready to launch. It will also give me time to prepare better and more informative blog posts ahead of time! So that’s the plan!

I hope you and those you love are doing well!

Well, for this midwest gal, anyway…

Just down the road in St. Louis, there’s a free exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum until April 18, 2027.

The exhibition is titled Quilts and Coverlets: American Needlework in White, and it promises to be a good excuse for enthusiastic needleworkers, textile lovers, needlework historians, and quilters to visit the Gateway to the West!

I love visiting St. Louis, so this exhibition is definitely on my radar if I can get a chance for a break between now and April. The city is an easy 5-hour drive down the road, and I’ve stayed in the surrounding areas many a time over the years, when traveling to and from other destinations.

When I get a chance to stay in the vicinity, I do a little research before hand and pick out one part or place in St. Louis that I haven’t been to before. And I usually revisit old favorites, too: Forest Park, Tower Park, the botanical gardens, the basilica, the Hill, and oh-so-much more!

There’s a lot to do in St. Louis and Surrounds! There are many free attractions – like beautiful parks, the art museum, the museum of history, the zoo, the basilica – and lots of historical neighborhood areas with boutique shopping, several needlework shops, a great food scene, the river, the arch, ballgames, and so forth. St. Charles is just a hop, skip, and a jump away, too, with the Katy Trail, the Lewis & Clark boathouse & museum, the shrine of St. Philippine Duchesne, a lovely little historical downtown with a colonial vibe… It’s a fun area to explore! And not too far away from there is Hermann, with some lovely bed and breakfasts, wineries, and other attractions. It’s especially pretty in the autumn!

If you live in the midwest or happen to be passing through between now and April, you might consider a stop in St. Louis to enjoy this free exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum. If you’ve been to it already, I’d love to hear what you thought of it!

What’s New & Coming Up

We can’t seem to keep these wonderful little mini awls in stock! Every time we get more in, they fly out the door again – but we did just get a shipment, so if you’ve been waiting, they’re here!

We also restocked a few popular hoop sizes and we have more on order. We have thread drops in stock, too, as well as more linen sample packs in white and natural. These sample packs are very popular and we only stock them as we can, so if you would like to try a few different weights and types of linen, feel free to pick one up while we have them!

We are working on our next stitch-along, which is this year’s Christmas ornament. I’ve ordered all the kit supplies for it, so we’ll be assembling those soon. I’ll be sharing some sneak peeks! We hope to offer a variety of extra designs in the same style, so Anna and I are both working on those as time allows.

I’m still functioning on a Dad-Care Schedule, so studio life is a bit off and on. We’re trying to pull everything together into a coherent schedule so that I can reasonably keep up with work and home life. It’s crucial for me to keep up with work. This is one of those unforeseen situations that makes jumping from a (secure) career into self-employment ever-so-risky. Needle ‘n Thread wouldn’t survive without your continued support, so thank you for that!

I’ll keep you posted as things change, because I’m pretty sure things will continue to change. It’s about the only thing I’m sure of at the moment.

But we’re hanging in here, and I’m glad we have our Christmas ornament coming up for you soon! I can’t wait to show you! It’ll be a fun one!

The project I’ve been working on is the Santorini Floral kit that I carry here in the shop.

These kits have been a bit of a Godsend for me lately. They allow me to have something I can do with my hands in the evenings, that don’t require much thought, planning, magnification, or even specific lighting.

While I know some stitchers find counted work more exacting when it comes to attention, thinking, and so forth, I find it just the opposite. The kits supply everything I need. I don’t have to think of stitches (!) or colors or anything. I’m just following a chart, but only up to a point. Because these folk designs often involve a lot of repetition with their classic border motifs, I can generally work without the chart once I’ve done a motif or two.

Still, I did manage to make a good mistake on this piece. I’ll show it to you below and I’ll tell you what my solution is for it.

This is the piece after finishing the design. I still needed to hem it when I took this photo. In fact, I haven’t finished the hem yet – it’s been my hospital work.

At first, I really only worked on this at night while sitting with my dad, when I had down time. When he ended up in the hospital a couple weeks ago, I had finished the cross stitch on the piece, but hadn’t started the hem. So I began toting it with me to the hospital, to work the drawn thread hem when I had time.

To tote the project, I put everything in a canvas zipper pouch that fit in a larger tote with all my daily needs. I took along the typical goods: scissors, threads, a small felt pincushion that had a few pins in it, Scotch tape in case I had to remove any stitches and needed some fuzz removal, a hoop, the chart, and a small screwdriver for the hoop.

It’s surprising how small this piece folds down!

I mentioned that I like these projects because they don’t take a lot of thought.

They do take some thought, though. While much of the design is repetition, I discovered that you need to think ahead to where the repetition either ends or changes up a bit.

In the photo above, that’s the halfway point on one side of the cloth.

Notice that small dark red motifs on the boarder. Notice that, at the halfway point, the dark red (which alternates with pink motifs) repeats itself while changing direction.

Then, as you approach the corner, the motifs land in just the right orientation and color to give you this corner motif:

You can see the pinker motifs on each side of the red corner motif, both pointing in the correct direction.

That’s how the corner should look.

But if you happen to be stitching along without thinking, just repeating the design and not paying attention to that center point where the red motif repeats itself and switches directions, you might end up with the alternating motifs (red, pink) running all the way along the boarder with no directional switch at the center point, and no repeat of the dark red.

And this is problematic because, when you reach the end of the side and approach the corner, the last motif on the side right before the corner will be pointing in the wrong direction, and it will be the wrong color – at which point, you’ll end up having to change the direction of the motif and repeat the color where there isn’t supposed to be a color repeat.

In short, you’ll end up with something like this in the corner:

Now, many stitchers out there might say “Oh no! I would have to pick all that out and correct it. It would drive me crazy!”

But I say…

What are the chances that anyone besides myself will ever notice this?

And I answer myself thus:

Pretty darned slim.

So I left it.

Now I just need to work on the drawn thread hem.

Normally, I’d set all this up while working at a table with access to an iron. But since I’m toting it with me now to the rehab hospital, I’m just going to trim the fabric for the hem along a withdrawn thread to make sure it’s straight. Then I’ll finger press the hem in and pin it a little way along the hem. Then, I’ll sew up that little bit, finger press and pin the next little bit, sew forward a little, and so forth.

I’ll save the miters for last, using a different approach from my usual approach to mitering a corner. And hopefully, I’ll take pictures of that and show you the process.

So that’s where I am on this night-time-gone-hospital project.

I’ve also set up another similar project, but on the new one, I’ve taken the Avlea folk design and enlarged it from a small mat to a larger runner. To work it larger, I modified the design quite a bit, making it more complex and a bit heavier, so that it fills the runner adequately. I used this Celandine design as the foundation, and “grew it” from there. I’ll show you that down the road.

If my eyesight were a bit better and I didn’t need magnification for embroidery, I’d take this maniturgium project with me. But I can’t work on that without a magnifier lamp. So I’ll stick with these folk projects for now. They’re comfortable to work on. I like the 30-count linen that they’re on a lot! The threads of the linen are nice and round, they’re easy to see, and it’s just nice to have something methodical, repetitious, and easy to stitch while I’m hanging about these facilities.

We’ll see what the future brings!

Hope you’re all doing well!

I’m sorry about the hiccup in my blogging schedule lately. I’m going to try for a couple articles a week right now. I have a little bit of time to catch up at work, but I’m not sure how much time. My sister from Florida arrived this past weekend to help with dad care and “sitting” while he’s at a rehab hospital, so we’re all taking turns with that. The goal is to get him home, but how that goes – and how fast it goes – depends on much.

Today, we’re going to chat about transferring embroidery designs on dark fabrics, and specifically, I’m going to show you two white transfer pens available on the market. They are “heat erasable” pens – not always my favorite option, and I’ll show you why below. Still, they may work for certain stitching situations, even if they don’t work for all stitching situations.

Every transfer tool has its fan base, I’ve discovered, just like pretty much every tool (ok, maybe not this one – I still find it useless) has its good uses. But there’s no doubt that some brands and some tools are just better than others. So I’m hoping that this ongoing discussion of transfer options helps you make informed decisions about what you are willing to try and invest in.

Transferring embroidery designs onto dark fabrics poses different problems. An obvious problem is that it’s hard to see through dark fabrics, so sometimes tracing is completely out of the question.

The white transfer pens that we’re going to look at today assume that you have a way to “see” or initially establish the pattern onto your dark fabric, and then you use the white pen to “solidify” the fabric so that you can see it and follow it easily.

If you have the skill for it and want to go about the whole design transfer process free-hand, you can just use these pens like you would any pen and free-hand your design onto your fabric. Ta-dum. It’s done!

But many folks don’t free-hand their designs. I definitely don’t, for most projects!

I haven’t tried the white transfer pen with this transfer veil we talked about here, but I intend to eventually.

If you can’t trace the design onto the dark fabric (using a light box or similar approach), then I think the best option for an accurate transfer on dark fabric would be a prick-and-pounce approach, using the traditional ground white cuttlefish powder, or – better yet! – the more readily available option of corn starch. You can read about prick and pounce and how to do it here.

If you use prick and pounce, then you have to connect the dots and solidify your line. That’s where these white pens come into play. You would use them to draw the line by connecting the powder dots.

But do they work? And how well do they work? That’s the question!

One of the pens we’re looking at is the Clover white transfer pen (heat erasable).

The pen has the feel of a gel pen, more or less.

The other white fabric marking pen comes from this set of four pens from Madam Sew. They are also heat erasable.

First Obvious Difference

The first obvious difference for me between the two pens is the difference between the writing tips. The Madam Sew pens produce a finer line than the Clover pen.

I’m not actually transferring designs here for a comparison. I’m just drawing them free-hand.

On the right, you can see what came of my “C” with the Clover pen. Not much. I re-drew the C a couple times, trying to get it to show up white, but all got was the base alcohol or whatever it is that forms the foundation of the “ink” that comes out of the pen. Eventually, I could see a bit of dusty white, but certainly nothing precise or clear. It’s not what I’d want for an embroidery line transfer.

On the left, you can see the S from the Madam Sew pen. It’s much better. I found myself re-drawing over it, to get a nice, bright white line, and that’s why it thickens up at the base.

Over on the right in the image above, you can see the thicker, dustier “C” that eventually showed up with the Clover pen. You can also see the S to the left of that, from the Madam Sew pen.

I also doodled a little swirl with a white ceramic led pencil. I like these types of fabric-marking pencils, and they’re often what I’ll use to connect prick-and-pounce lines on dark, high thread count, smooth fabrics like the silk I’m using for this sample. (We’ll talk more about fabrics below because, to make things more complicated, the fabric you use makes a huge difference on how these pens work!)

And then that little leaf on the far left is also drawn with the Madam Sew pen.

Of the two pens, I like the Madam Sew pen best.

As mentioned, the pens are heat erasable, so we may as well break out the iron and see what happens!

The white swirl on the photo above is from the ceramic pencil. It is not heat erasable – but I knew that.

You can see where the leaf was on the far left, just barely, and where the S was, too, just barely. These are from the Madam Sew pen.

The C on the far right – from the Clover pen – is highly visible, even after the fabric cooled. The dusty white is completely gone, but some kind of residue from the pen contents remains clearly on the fabric.

About Fabric

These pens that behave like gel pens work best on smooth, tightly woven, very high thread count fabrics. They don’t work well on textured or bumpy fabrics, like linens that are lower thread count or that have a slightly more open weave and rounder threads. If they have to bump over the fabric too much, they just don’t do a great job. You can kind of lightly sketch over the weave and get a bit of a hairy transfer line, but it isn’t a great approach if you’re wanting a clear, fine line.

They’d work ok on cottons like Kona cotton or muslin (calico), or on silks and the like. They don’t work so great on lower count linen and the like that have some texture to them.

They’d also work ok on denim.

The Upshot

I had much better luck with the Madam Sew pens, and not great luck at all with the Clover pen. Perhaps the Clover pen was old (I bought it new for this, though). Who knows? But I’d personally give the Clover pens a miss in the future and go for the Madam Sew pens, even though they are sold in a set of four.

You can find both pens through sewing and quilting stores online – just use your internet browser and search for them if you think they’ll be The Thing to solve your dark-fabric-transfer difficulties.

Other Options

There are other options for dark fabric transfers. Personally, I tend to use prick and pounce accompanied by white (or yellow) ceramic chalk pencils, or, on long-term, larger, “serious” projects, I’d use prick and pounce and paint (with a very fine paintbrush).

I hope that gives you some ideas for your dark fabric transfer questions. When I get a chance, I’ll try Bohin’s transfer veil with the Madam Sew white pen, just to see if it will work at all. I don’t hope to get a really good transfer from it – but it doesn’t hurt to try!

Holly & Evergreen!

Our Holly & Evergreen full kits (pre-printed towel, floss, needle, instructions) are back in stock! If you’re wanting to get ahead on some holiday stitching, grab yours now while we have them!

We also still have just a few Butterflies! books and Hand Picked Collection 7 in stock, as well as The Four Seasons Casket. Once those are gone, I don’t think we’ll be re-stocking them before Christmas, so if they’re on your radar, you’ll find them in the shop now!

More soon! Hope all’s well with you!

For those who have been waiting and hoping for a re-stock on the Blackberry Brambles & Blossoms kits, though, I am happy to say, they are back in stock. You’ll find them here. Anna’s been at the studio packaging them, and they’re ready to go!

For those new to the project – if you happen to just be stopping by Needle ‘n Thread – this kit goes with a stitch-along that we just recently finished here on the website. You’ll find all the lessons for the project here. The materials kit makes it easy for you to have all the supplies gathered from one source.

In Other News

I’ve been working on a couple articles to share with you as soon as I can – one is on transferring methods for dark fabrics, wherein I review and compare a couple transfer pens – but I haven’t finished those yet.

Thing is, Dad took a bad fall last week, leading to a hospital stay, etc. etc. Now I’m working on getting a rehab situation for him and all that this entails, so that he can eventually come back home safely, with everything in place for this next phase of Dad Care. This is requiring most of my mental, emotional, and physical energy at the moment, even though at this point, we’re in a waiting or holding pattern for a little bit. Long days at the hospital are not really conducive to creative thought, I’ve discovered.

Of course, I’ve been toting along some handwork, but until now, there hasn’t been a lot of time to do any. Still, I tote it with me because I’m sure it’s going to come in handy shortly.

Hopefully, I’ll pop in at the end of the week with one of those articles or with some other interesting tidbit, but if I’m not, we’ll shoot for next week!

Thanks for your patience!

I need to take a break for about a week. I’ll be back next week to regularly scheduled programing.

In the meantime…

…if you’re new to Needle ‘n Thread – and even if you’re not! – and you want a good needlework fix, I recommend exploring the archives here on the website. You can do that two ways:

In the left column on the website (desktop version), you’ll find an “archives” section, arranged by year. If you’re on mobile, use the “hamburger” menu on the top right and scroll down to “archives.” It’s kind of fun to go back to the early years and pick up little tidbits.

You can also go to the “Tips & Techniques” section on the website here, and meander through any article or topic that catches your eye.

If you’re looking especially for stitch tutorials, 2012 is a great year for that in the archives!

In the Studio

In the studio this week, Anna is working on Blackberry kits. Yay! The last box of threads finally arrived. I haven’t opened it up yet and checked the contents, but I have confidence that they’re all going to be there.

(Famous last words?)

We also have an order of hoops coming in some time soon, so we’ll be restocking embroidery hoops if you’ve been looking for a specific size we don’t have. And we’ve got a huge order of Tulip needles that we’re waiting on – but it looks like they won’t be here till mid-October. I just wanted to let you know we have re-stocked them, but they’re slow coming.

We have so many great embroidery tools available for you, and more to come before the holiday crunch. One thing we likely will not be restocking before Christmas is the higher-end embroidery scissors (Dovo and Golden Forge). If those are on your radar for holiday gift-giving, for yourself or your best stitching buds, then now’s the time to get them!

If you’re looking for a good autumn project, we have some nice ones to choose from, especially as PDF downloads. You can find all our PDF downloads here – including Leafy Tree, Festive Fall and Octoberfest.

And we also have some great Christmas projects available as PDF downloads, for those who are gearing up for the holidays! I especially love these small projects in Twelve Trees for Christmas, Snowflakes, and Twelve Wreaths for Christmas. They’re great for weekends!

I know, I know – it’s all a bunch of “shameless shilling,” but hey! Business must go on! And hopefully, if you’re looking for a seasonal project, these will give you something exciting and fun to work on!

Things are a bit stressed on the home front. I’m using this week to recuperate and get a few things together as we keep moving into more advanced stages of attention and care for Dad.

Thanks for understanding!