Hand Embroidery for beginnersNeedle and ThreadsHandiWorks #103

How many strands of embroidery floss should
I use on my project? In craft embroidery today, it is quite common
to embroider with all six strands in the needle at once. This creates that chunky, cute style of embroidery
thats very popular right now. If you want to refine your embroidery and
manage more detail with finer stitches, you can decrease the number of strands until you
find the weight that looks right with whatever youre planning to stitch. If you want a bold line that can still manage
decent detail, start with three strands.

If you want a finer line thats still easily
visible, try two strands. If you want a very fine line for delicate
detail, one strand will do it! Which needle do I use for my sewing project? Needles come in lots of different shape and
sizes. It can be confusing trying to understand which
to use. It is important to have a basic understanding
because certain needles achieve different results.

The three main types of needles used for embroidery
have longer eyes than those used for plain sewing. This makes them easier to thread, particularly
when using more than one strand of floss. All three needles come in a range of sizes
where the higher the number, the thinner or smaller the needle. Depending on the size of floss being used,
the correct size needle can be used to create the appropriate stitch and leave a minimum
size hole once you move the needle through the fabric.

Crewel Needles
Crewel Needles needles have sharp points and slightly elongated eyes. Theyre used for crewel work and most surface
embroidery where piercing through the fabric threads is necessary to the stitching. Crewel needles are also called embroidery
needles. Chenille Needles
Chenille needles have a long eye like the eye on tapestry needles, but a sharp point,
and can be used effectively in crewel work and ribbon embroideries, or any surface work
where a longer eye and a sharp point is desired.

Tapestry Needles
Tapestry needles have long eyes and blunt points. Theyre used for counted work, drawn thread
work, canvas work, or other types of needlework in which the point of the needle is not meant
to pierce the fabric threads. The blunt tip of the needle helps us avoid
snagging the foundation stitches. Straw or Milliner Needles
Straw or milliner needles have an eye and shaft that are equal in thickness, which makes
them ideal for French knots and bullion knots, or any stitch where the needle must pass through
multiple wraps of thread..