If you first begin with hand embroidery, a needle, hoop, and scissors are all of the instruments you want. However as time passes, and also you get increasingly superior, you would possibly wish to look into instruments that make a stitcher’s life simpler – typically quite a bit simpler. On this article, I’ll introduce you to the embroidery helpers I exploit usually and made my embroidery tasks much more pleasing prior to now years.
Disclaimer: This text incorporates affiliate hyperlinks.
Embroidery helpers are instruments that assist with particular issues within the stitching course of. For instance, a hoop stand helps with aching fingers from holding the ring on a regular basis. They may not be wanted on a regular basis, however are a terrific means to make issues simpler.
Embroidery hoop stands
If you happen to would solely get one of many instruments on this article, I extremely suggest an embroidery hoop stand. They’re mainly a lifesaver in your left hand (or proper hand if you’re a leftie). Particularly for those who are inclined to sew quite a bit at a time, you’ll profit from a hoop stand essentially the most. I acquired mine after getting cramps in my left hand from clutching it so laborious for hours. It grew to become worse each time I sewed. For sure, that embroidery wasn’t the nice interest expertise I might have preferred it to be with hurting fingers.
One of many options was to get a hoop stand. Let me inform you, it has fully modified the best way I embroider! So what precisely is a hoop stand? An embroidery hoop stand is a tool that holds your embroidery hoop and could be positioned on the ground, desk or your leg. Some hoop stands include an hooked up hoop that you would be able to’t change out. I personally favor those that you would be able to clamp in your personal hoops. This fashion, you need to use the ring for a number of tasks on the similar time, and you need to use the ring measurement you need. There are hoop stands that you would be able to clamp in your desk, however I just like the mobility of the seat stands higher. They’ve a foot and could be moved round as you’re employed and could be sat on, too.
Advantages of a hoop stand
- fingers don’t harm from holding the ring
- you possibly can use each fingers for stitching (particularly helpful for chain sew or something knotted)
- posture will get quite a bit higher – I sit rather more upright, not like Gollum in his cave like earlier than
- with a flooring stand you possibly can let the undertaking keep there with out having to maneuver it when not engaged on it
My suggestion
I’ve the Sonata seat body and love to make use of it. It is useful for filming my stitching movies, however I additionally use it outdoors of that. When you’ve got very massive hoops, that is too small. For the common sizes, I extremely suggest this body. It may be rotated to stitch within the ends within the again, it may be moved up and down and in addition tilted.
Erasable pens
The following device is a quite common factor, however there are many various kinds of erasable pens on the market. If you’re nonetheless utilizing a pencil to mark your patterns, this may be the correct part for you. Pencils can stain your material and threads completely, so remember to solely use a tough pencil and keep away from the softer ones. I’ve heard many tales of white threads changing into grey due to pencil strains, and should or might not have had that drawback myself.
Not each pen works for every thing, so right here I wish to present you the professionals and cons of every erasable pen sort.
Water-erasable pens
Traces made with a water erasable pen are water-soluble and dissolve in water. Often, they arrive in purple or vibrant blue. Whereas it solely wants a little bit of water like from a squirt bottle to dissolve, typically the material must be soaked. So, if in case you have supplies that may’t be soaked, like paper, silks, or different delicate fibers, water-erasable pens aren’t an choice.
Air-erasable pens
This sort of pen disappears after a while. Some disappear sooner and a few later. You need to solely use an air-erasable pen for fast tasks. So keep away from these pens in your long-term tasks that you simply’ll want days and even months for. Think about, you draw an intricate design in your material solely to find a few days later that it disappeared fully. I don’t even wish to take into consideration that. For small and fast tasks, they work nice although.
Warmth-erasable pens
Warmth-erasable pens are the rising star in the intervening time. I don’t know when it began, however as soon as individuals realized that they may blow away the strains of an everyday pen from the stationary part with a hair dryer, everybody used it! The kind of pen I’m speaking about listed below are those you possibly can erase with the little rubber on the again. It really works like a gel pen however could be erased with friction and the warmth it produces. These pens (most use those named “Frixion” by Pilot) work like a appeal on material. The strains disappear with the warmth of an iron or a hair dryer.
After testing and utilizing the Frixion for a few years, right here is my takeaway: If you wish to use a hair dryer, be sure it’s actually sizzling, and also you keep in a single place for some seconds. The strains do have a tendency to come back again for those who do it half-heartedly. Due to that, I personally favor to make use of an iron. If you happen to don’t have one, a hair dryer works nice although. One of the best ways to eliminate the strains for good is to scrub the material first, to take away the gel, after which iron it from the again. This additionally solves the obvious drawback with this pen: It comes again if uncovered to the chilly!
So, be sure to solely use the Frixion pens on tasks that aren’t uncovered to the chilly (I’m speaking about freezing temperatures right here) or wash the merchandise, iron it, and you might be nice. In case your supplies can’t be uncovered to warmth, don’t use such a pen!
Chalk pens
Chalk pens are a lifesaver when working with darkish materials. I like to make use of them for precisely that. They go away a layer of chalk on the material and disappear by means of abrasion. So if you’re engaged on a undertaking for a very long time, the strains will begin to blur when your fingers transfer over the materials repeatedly. I’ve come throughout some very unhealthy chalk pens, even made by huge embroidery suppliers. Sharpen the pen to get a nice line each time.
My suggestions
I personally use the Frixion pens for lighter materials on a regular basis and chalk pens for darkish materials. There are white heat-erasable pens on the market, too, however I don’t have one. Possibly I might use them as a substitute of the chalk pens if I had one.
A phrase of warning for pens: All the time check your pen on the sting of your material first. Some pens react with the material or the dye of the material. I heard of cases the place the blue Frixion pens bleached the colour of the material beneath. So after ironing, the strains have been nonetheless seen regardless that the pen strains disappeared. This appears to not occur with the black pens, although.
Additionally, I’ve heard of water- and air-soluble pen strains that reappeared after months and even years.
Bullion knot needles
If you happen to stitched a bullion knot or french knot, you most actually know the way nerve-wracking it may be to drag the needle by means of the numerous wraps of thread round it. For this drawback, there are particular Bullion Knot needles or milliner needles which can be slimmer, longer, and have a really slim head. This makes it a lot simpler to maneuver the needle by means of the knots. For very lengthy bullion knots, it’s also very crucial to make use of an extended needle to suit all of the wraps of thread on it.
That is particularly helpful for Brazilian and French embroidery, the place numerous wrapped stitches like bullion knots are used usually. I personally love to make use of milliner needles for every thing, and at all times cry a bit inside when I’ve to make use of a giant tapestry needle when working with wool and must do a french knot with it. (I’m positive there are big-sized milliner needles, too)
Needle minders
With reference to needles, needle minders are an effective way to prepare your embroidery needles when working with a number of needles directly. Needle minders are little magnets, that you simply connect to the material. As a result of they’re magnetic, the needles keep in place and you’ve got a devoted place in your needles apart from your sofa cushions (that’s harmful, don’t do this!).
Needle minders are available in numerous shapes and varieties. I’ve a Sailor Moon needle minder that makes me very joyful after I use it. Like enamel pins, the range is gigantic. Here’s a listing of favourite needle minders.
Stick and Sew Embroidery Stickers
Stick and Sew embroidery stickers are all the trend now. They’re printed on a water-soluble stabilizer. You stick them onto the material, sew over it after which wash it out with water. This works exceptionally effectively for darkish materials and embroidery on clothes the place you usually can’t hint a sample by means of. You will get the unprinted stabilizer, too, and hint the sample by hand, then stick in your material.
Clearly, this solely works for supplies that you would be able to wash. An enormous profit other than the fast sample switch is that it stabilizes the material you might be engaged on. The stabilizer works nice for stretchy materials like shirts or sweaters. I additionally had nice outcomes with corduroy and velvet. The stabilizer holds the little threads of the material in place and makes it a lot simpler to sew over it with out the threads getting misplaced within the velvet.
There are many Stick and Sew packs with themed motifs to sew. I like them a lot, I made my very own collections of embroidery stickers.
Different helpers
There are a lot of extra embroidery helpers that make a stitcher’s life simpler. Some honorable mentions:
A thimble is a should for those who sew quite a bit or work with thick supplies on a regular basis. It’s a blessing in your fingers. There are thimble pads that you would be able to stick in your finger for those who don’t like the normal leather-based or metallic thimble.
Thread conditioner is a lifesaver when working with frizzy threads like metallics. Pull the thread by means of the conditioner, and also you’ll save your self the trouble of entangling thread ends. I wrote about working with metallics and the right way to get such a thread to behave in this text. I personally just like the beeswax model the very best as a result of it’s a sustainable choice. Nonetheless, in some instances, a clear conditioner may be a greater choice.
In my workshops, I usually have some contributors who’ve hassle threading the needle. When you’ve got difficulties threading the needle, I extremely suggest a needle threader. Sure, you possibly can spit in your thread, sure, you possibly can fold it to make the thread sturdier and simpler to push by means of BUT issues are nonetheless a lot simpler with a needle threader.
Conclusion
These are my most used embroidery helpers. I can wholeheartedly say, that they’ve improved my embroidery expertise. All of them aren’t 100% crucial so they’re positively not a should – extra of to have sort of instruments. If you happen to like to sew you would possibly get pleasure from it much more with among the instruments talked about on this article.
If you’re on the lookout for the important instruments for hand embroidery, particularly for rookies, right here is an article all about the important embroidery instruments you want.
Would you like extra suggestions and methods available embroidery?
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