Trying to get started with embroidery....and getting very overwhelmed
 

Okay, I'll admit it. I never thought I'd be interested in embroidery. Too cutesy, too hard, too many guilt-ridden memories of middle school cross-stitch projects I never finished....

I should have known better:

When I got back into quilting a few years ago, I told myself I would be a piecer, exclusively. I would NEVER appliqué (too cutesy, too hard, too...). And now? My last three quilts have more appliqué that pieced strips. :o

Here's the thing: I keep imagining quilts I want to make, going so far as to draw and graph them out--only to realize afterward that what I see in my head is do-able...but only for someone who knows how to embroider (I wish I could train my head to want only what I already know how to do...)

Other than the aforementioned cross-stitching experiences from long, long, long ago (which don't inspire continuance, frankly), I know NOTHING about embroidery. Zero, zilch, nada. And my googling on the topic furthers my confusion--instead of clarifying meanings, it just add more to the list of things I don't know. Crewel? Stumpwork? Goldwork? Knotting? Purl? DSM? It's a whole new language and I'm getting very overwhelmed.

Goldwork looks the closest to what I want to do, but it seems a little bananas to begin with something so specialized (besides can you even do something like that in a quilt??).

Does anyone remember how they got started with embroidery? How long did it take you to feel confident and comfortable?

Is there a book out there that gives clear definitions of the different kinds of embroidery and what kind to use when (i.e., "crewel is X kind of embroidery and is used for Y")? Is there any kind of embroidery that quilters particularly use? Don't use? Do we embroider just the top or is embroidering part of the quilting process?

Okay, I'll stop now. :rolleyes:

Thanks for listening and please, anyone, let me know if you have any words of wisdom.

(Don't know if it means anything, but I generally quilt on either one of my two Juki's--F400 or TL2010--I assume I should start embroidering by hand)

On a final note: I don't know how I would quilt anything without you all....

xo,
Aso

I was shocked to find embroidery tutorials on Pinterest. Do you have an account there? If not, it might pay you to indulge yourself a few hours looking at all the different types of embroidery there and oh so many tutorials.

I have never been an enthusiastic embroidery person either, but when a granddaughter begs for a particular quilt, what do you do? You can see I have left a center block in the top open for an inscription. Then note I am just getting started on the border which requires many scattered applique pieces and thus embroidery to finish and enhance the applique pieces. It may not be perfect, but it is the best I can do without a lot of practice.

Are you asking about hand or machine embroidery?

I am thinking you are asking about hand embroidery?

Either/or and both!

Technically, I'm interested in both, just figure that hand embroidery might be the more straightforward way to begin. I welcome comments and advice on both machine and hand. My Juki F400 is not an embroidery machine, but it does have some very limited embroidery capabilities.

Craftsy is the place you need to be.

Machine embroidery is a whole other animal. While you can take some of your sewing skills to machine embroidery, it involves a whole new learning curve and can be a very expensive hobby. Besides the machine, you'll need a whole different thread set plus all the different stabilizers, purchasing the designs, then software once you really get into it and want to do more than just the basics. Then you'll want a bigger machine that can do more. It's addicting, great fun, and expensive. I've been at it for a little under 4 years and have 4 embroidery machines. I probably have as much invested into this hobby as I do my long arm. I'm not trying to discourage you from it, just give you something to think about.

Cari

Go get a redwork panel at the LQS. They have cutest Christmas ones of snowmen, and Christmas trees, and gift packages. They are red lines on a white fabric, usually in 6 inch squares, and you stem stitch red pearl cotton thread on the red lines. This is a great starting point, and you can make a quilt or place mats or table runners out of them.

Hand embroidery has tons of places online to learn with. I learned how to chain stitch at a very young age. Then the French knot. My grandmother taught me so I could do some work with thread while she was sewing. It is very peaceful. When they introduced silk ribbon to embroidery, that kicked it up a notch. Machine embroidery is a different thing all together. Pick out what you want... position your fabric and hoop and, ideally, press the button and off it goes. You can't use your machine while the embroidering is going on. Great way to monogram things or if you have the right machine you can put your own designs into the computer program and it will do it all for you.

Good luck!