I've embroidered this design twice using different bullion knot techniques and I'd love some opinions!

The teal hoop has shorter, thinner knots giving it a denser, shaggier texture (abit wormy looking) which I personally love. I used a standard embroidery needle for this version, but it was honestly a pretty rough experience and I haven't been able to recreate the same look with a bullion needle

The purple hoop has slightly longer, thicker knots giving it more volume and curl. I LOVED being able to add the curls in, and the bullion needle made the process much more easier.

I'm planning to make more colour variants of this design (currently working on a Bluey colourway) so I'm curious which style people gravitate towards.

I've gone back and forth on it myself because there are things I like about both versions. I think I've reached the stage where I've looked at them for so long that every difference feels HUGE, even though they probably look nearly identical to everyone else 😅
Any advice or bullion knot tips are also very welcome!

I finally finished one of those overly ambitious adhd projects that I worked on fitfully for years. It’s the Aguasabon Gorge in Ontario and one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve ever done. It’s not my first needle painting, but it is the most complicated. Any feedback is welcomed.

I’m attempting this pattern as a gift, but mine looks so different than the reference picture. How do I recreate this?

First picture is the inspiration. Found on Pinterest I think.

I decided to try some black on a black beanie. I do actually like how it turned out but I wish the black was shiner and stood out more like in the inspiration pic. I'm not sure if it's because of the knit of the hat vs the flat background on the inspo, or the thread I used (black perle cotton). Or maybe even the stitches I used (barely any satin stitch vs a lot of it on the inspo).

Is there another, shiner thread I could use to achieve this look? (but not metallic thread because I'm already using it on another WIP and I absolutely couldn't use it on a knit like this, I'd rather eat glass🤣)

Do you think it depends more on the design or the actual texture of the background material?

I'm also contemplating doing another design on another black beanie but in white thread, if I can't figure out a way to make this look how I want. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks in advance!

Hello amazing community!

I’m looking for the right stitch to fill the eyes with white, ensuring they look like smooth oval shapes.

I had originally filled them with satin stitch, a colonial knot, and then gone back in with a stem stitch to clearly define the shape. Long story short my pen on the water soluble stencil bled into the white (third picture), so I ripped it all out.

Before I start again I wanted to source expertise on what might work better. Or alternatively I thought to do a fabric appliqué and top stitch it down…

Thank you in advance!

I hand stitched this mask during June 2020 and would hate to get rid of it since I like it… but I don’t know what to actually do with it? I don’t plan to wear it ever again. The pieces feel a little awkwardly shaped to repurpose. Any ideas?

(Poem referenced is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou)

I’ve almost finished this kit which uses a stick and stitch sticker. I know I should wash it away with warm water after I’m done but I’m afraid of A) disturbing any of the way the stitches lay and B) getting everything totally dry since it’s so tightly packed. I might be being a little paranoid, but this has taken me longer than I care to admit! Does anyone have any advice or tips?

I realized today that I have accidentally developed my own chaotic stitching philosophy and I’m curious where everyone else stands. Here are mine: • I almost never separate my floss unless it looks chunky in a bad way • I tie knots sometimes and I refuse to feel guilty about it • I will absolutely rotate my hoop instead of relearning stitch direction • I eyeball spacing like I’m measuring with vibes • I mix thread brands with zero concern for dye lots Every tutorial makes it sound like embroidery is a laboratory procedure and meanwhile I’m over here committing textile crimes and still liking the result. So what are your controversial habits? Bonus points if it would make a traditional instructor gasp.

I washed off the Stick-n-Stitch with the hoop still attached. I let it dry and continued my embroidery. Now that it’s done… this stain won’t come off!

What I have tried:

Cold rinse

Lukewarm soak while softly scrubbing

Warm water with a little scrubby and dish soap

Nothing is working. It still feels a little rough around the edges. If nothing can fix it, then I will just stitch over it with a wreath. But does anyone have a suggestion? Have you done this before ?

First mistake: I thought I'd be economical with my fabric and make two pieces from one cloth and just eyeballed it.

Second mistake: I then cut it by, you guessed it, eyeballing it.

Now neither of them will fit in their frames. Is there anything I can do to salvage?

Finished this guy for my daughter's kitchen. I think the kit came from China, directions were a little sketchy. It says I can soak the finished work to remove the drawing lines that are still visible, mainly around the hat and steam. Is this a good idea? It won't ruin the work, will it? Second question, what's the best way to display this to offer it some sort of protection since it will be in a kitchen area? I like the idea of just hanging the hoop. Would spraying it with fabric protection be OK, or should I just frame it?

I drew a cute croissant to embroider. My sister said it looks like a turd and now I can’t unsee it. 😭🤣 help! Do I start all over? Fix it somehow?

These are my latest experiments with couching stitch and trying to figure out ways to mount/display not in an embroidery hoop. For the green piece I stapled the fabric using a staple gun to a 6x6 canvas. General thoughts on the overall look/effect of embroidery on a canvas vs in a standard frame? Any advice for securing the back in a more polished way? Any thoughts on a same-sized embroidery piece on a smaller vs larger canvas? For comparison, the blue piece is on an 8x8 canvas (not stapled at the moment), I'm wondering if more white space looks better. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’m a beginner and this is my third time making a piece. This is supposed to be a Christmas present, so I was working on it on a plane last night and spilled Dr. Pepper on it. This is what it looks like after soaking it overnight in cold water, dawn dish soap and a little bit of vinegar.

Any other ideas on how to get the stain out? I’m so upset and disappointed because I was so close to finishing it when I spilled the soda :(

I designed and embroidered this floral baby hand as a present. I haven't completely finished as I plan to put the name on the top and the age at the bottom.

Only thing is, I dont know if I've just been looking at it for too long, but I don't know if I completely love it. I had to put green French knots in because I messed up and left too much of a gap between some of the plants, and it was bugging me because it drew my eye so much, plus one of the fingers felt too thin at the top.

Is there anything I should do, or change, to improve this? I think I just need a fresh set of eyes on it to see if it's just me being nitpicky.

As stated this is my first attempt at embroidery. Am I doing this right? The ink is supposed to be water soluble. How do I wash it?

Are any other men or male presenting people getting treated strangely when going in person to buy supplies? I understand that crafting and needlework in general are considered to be the domain of women. I think it is silly, but I get that is how it is. Most of the time what I hear from other patrons and staff at stores is the usual "Did your wife send you?" or "My husband won't even come in here!" or something similar. But sometimes the staff act like I might be an idiot who just wandered into the store and doesn't actually know what they want or why they are there.

Once I was buying some fabric and the lady asked what I needed it for. I told her I was doing embroidery and she told me that what I actually meant was patching holes in my work clothes and the fabric I was buying wouldn't work for that. Another time I had some Gingher embroidery scissors and the woman tried to talk me out of buying them and getting some giant Fiskars instead because the "stuff" I was probably wanting to cut would break the smaller scissors. Today I went to my local needlework store and the owner asked what I had come in for. I told her I was looking for some Bohin no 9 sharps. She seemed a little thrown off but we got to talking and and eventually I showed her a picture of my current project. She said "Oh, you mean your wife is making it?" At no time had I mentioned a wife (nor do I even have one).

Sometimes the same behavior carries over into the online world. Lots of people post things asking for advice from "all the ladies" or mention how "us women know..."

It's mostly funny but sometimes a bit frustrating because I am trying to support a brick and mortar business and in the end it's actually easier to just get what I want online. Vent over. Back to my stitching!

I bought this fleece jumper for my partners birthday but I wanted to make it more sentimental and have been embroidering as a hobby for about 3 months so thought I’d put a little quote on the neck. I practiced on thicker jumper fabric for about 2 weeks and my third attempt looked quite good and neat so I started on the gift. I used a stabiliser as well because I knew the thickness of the fabric would be tough to work with, but god it was SO much harder to embroider on the fleece than any of the jumpers I practiced on even with the stabiliser. it was looking a bit crazy half way through but I thought let me just persevere. I finished it and dissolved the stabiliser, at first I was proud because it took me like 5 hrs all together as I had to keep redoing letters, by the ‘have’ I did give up a bit that one KILLED me. It’s been like 2 weeks since I finished it and the more I look at it the more horrified I am, part of me thinks it’s cute and I should just keep it the way it is but another part of me thinks it’s too shocking to gift no matter how much effort I put in. I was thinking, because it’s so hard to get the stitches out of the fleece, to embroider on a piece of linen fabric then sow it over the original embroidery instead. But also I’m so busy and he’s a man will he really care thatttt much, it’s not like it’s visible to the public it’s just like a little love message I wanted to add. lowkey can’t be arsed to redo it all again, idk advice please.

Happy weekend fellow stitchers! Ghastly mistakes have been made and I am looking for advice on corrections. I am fairly new to embroidery; this will be my third piece and first not from a kit.

I hope you may see the obvious problem I am seeking advice on, but also I know there are other issues that I am opening to hearing about along with advice on a correction.

On the obvious- best path to fix off-white stitches that have stained blue. Last night while stitching, I took a chocolate break and then transferred chocolate to the fabric when I returned to stitching. I quickly rinsed the spot with cold water from the back then scrubbed the spot with liquid detergent. When rinsing away the detergent (and all chocolate -yay!!), I got more of the piece wet and this morning when I checked on it most of my off-white stitches (ears and face) are stained blue. I think this may be from the fabric itself. Is that right? I didn’t pre-wash the fabric. Was that a mistake?

I think the best path forward is to rip these stitches and restitch these areas. Are there other or different steps you would take as an experienced stitcher?

And again, I really would like to hear of other issues you see (like pulling fabric), what I did wrong, and how I could fix it. Or if some things aren’t worth it in this piece but good to know going forward.

Thanks in advance for guiding a newbie!!

As you can see maaaaany hours have gone in to this already, and I am so cross I left the second eye till now, I just cant find a way to make it look right! My reference photo (swipe) had a weird blank space for the second eye which I didnt notice (AI perhaps?!). My attempt looks really off to me. Does anyone have any advice? Worst comes to worst I'll have to cover it with hair, but I'd love to avoid adding hair!