Needlework for a beginner

Embroidery Kits may have some recommendations for you. Let me know if I can help you. Thank you

Hi Hermia! 😊

That’s great you’re getting back into needlework - it’s such a relaxing and rewarding hobby. If you’re looking for beginner-friendly kits with clear stitch instructions, I’d recommend starting with pre-printed embroidery kits. They usually come with everything you need - fabric, threads, needles, and easy-to-follow diagrams.

You can find some nice, affordable options on Amazon, Etsy, or even local craft stores like Hobbycraft (if you’re in the UK). Look for listings that mention “beginner embroidery kit” or “printed pattern” - those are usually the simplest to follow.

If you want to try something pretty but still simple, floral or animal-themed kits are a good place to start. And if you ever need help choosing one, just share a link here - we can help you pick a good beginner project.

Enjoy your stitching journey! 🪡

Allsorts if you go on a site called Gathered there are videos which show you how to do grannie squares. Of all types. Plus there are a lot of your tube videos to teach you.

Another recommendation for Mandy Shaw here, lovely ideas for handmade gifts too. Have a look at wool or woolfelt applique. Pennyrugs take very little time to stitch up, the wool is really nice to work with and doesn't fray!
Happy stitching everyone x

Jane, I too am battling crochet, I can’t get to grips with it. I have done, embroidery, knitting, cross sets etc. all my life I’ve big pictures that I’ve done and no where to put them. Determined to crochet a pastel bedspread once I master the square.

I have seen this which might be of interest
You get a kit and an online session
www.cats.org.uk/autumncraft?

There are embroidery groups on line. I belong to a closed group with a teacher where we pay a fee. It is a wonderful group where I have made friends and been inspired and learned so much. But there are also open groups which are free. "Slow Stitch" is one. Being part of a stitching community is lovely. Stitching itself can be very soothing. If you begin to draw your own patterns it can be a way of expressing yourself.

What about redwork? Mandy Shaw (Dandelion Designs) has lots of lovely small things you could start with. She has YouTube videos too to show how to use the kits

I recently downsized with embroidery and tapestry stuff. I'd picked up a fair few kits both new and half made over the years at charity shops and from people downsizing,thinking I'd do th.one day, I considered whether I still liked them, what I'd do with them when I finished them, did I have a place to put a picture, did I actually like them enough to spend time on them, if a cushion cover did it go with my colour scheme,would it make a nice present for a friend etc I passed a fair few on and the ones I've kept I hope to finish eventually. No point spending a lot of time and then money framing them if it is going to the charity shop and not doing the.ones I really like.
So that's the first thing to think about make sure you really like it or have someone to give it to, the little kits you can put in a.card on magazines are nice as you can send to people. Or embroidering things you can use.
Eyesight is another thing, I find as I grow older I need good light and glasses, maybe start with something that isn't too intricate.
I did a lot of cross stitch when I was younger, and still have the ones I did to celebrate my children's births.
Etsy, John Lewis and not on the high street will have some and just seem this on a quick Google, which I personally thought reasonably priced
nancynicholson.co.uk/

Needlework encompasses many different categories. You used the word embroidery in your post but to me that means a more creative and stylistically advanced form of needlework. Sometimes people do just plain “stitching.”

If you want to start up again with needle and thread (aka floss, embroidery silk) I would start with NEEDLEPOINT. A small starter kit will give you the practice, technique and confidence to advance at your own speed.

Previous suggestion here include your local church that has a crafting circle - there will be people to help you get started (while you form friendships too) and may get you to progress to crocheting or knitting too, quilting is lovely (required sewing skills, but can encompass hand needlework too), whatever floats your boat. Handwork is relaxing.

Start small. It’s all good! Enjoy!
USA Gundy

I was determined to learn to Crochet and followed tutorials on You Tube and despite being left handed and it taking me three months i can now finally say i've cracked it. !

Another fan of Sarah Homfray. She has an excellent You Tube channel and website.

She’s Royal Society of Needlework trained and worked as a tutor for them before setting up her own business. Her sister Caroline is still an RSN tutor and was part of the team that worked on the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress.

Another Sarah (surname not known) has a website called Sarah’s Hand Embroidery Tutorials which has a very good stitch directory with step by step instructions, some with videos:

www.embroidery.rocksea.org/reference/picture-dictionary/

Stitch dictionaries in book form can often be found in charity shops. I picked upone from Dorling Kindersley for a few pounds (or plenty available through usual online used-book sellers). Mine is ISBN 0 7513 0786 6.

Sarah Homfray put up a video testing inexpensive thread from The Range which you can still buy under the Art Studio name, 36 skeins for £3.99.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NldkeERYl3s&t=39s

www.therange.co.uk/search?q=Pack%20of%2036%20Embroidery%20Floss#in_stock_f=true&sort=relevance&page=1&lpp=24

Sara says it’s synthetic and found it fluffier than cottons from Anchor and DMC but pleasant to work with.

You can buy inexpensive hoops and needles in The Range too so you could start stitching for under £10, extra for fabric and anything you want to buy to draw/transfer patterns although ordinary coloured pencils work well enough.

Finally, Spruce Crafts has a lot of online resources - this one explains how to create a sampler with lots of links to free patterns:

www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-embroidery-sampler-4129264

annodomini

My granny did beautiful embroidery and I still have some of her work. She taught me the appropriate stitches, but I never attempted anything beyond 'lazy daisies' and that was about 70 years ago. Perhaps I should try again.

I've recently taken up embroidery. I would say I've taken it up again but I can't remember learning it originally but I find I can remember how to do many if the stitches. I'm wondering what other talents I have lurking in my subconscious.

Thank you, nahsma. That’s exactly the sort of thing I’m looking for. It looks like a lovely “sooin cit”

Moth62

On the subject of learning to sew, has anyone any suggestions for where to buy/how to make up a simple sewing set for my six year old granddaughter? I sew a bit and we make Barbie clothes together from felt and she prettifies them with sparkly bits! I’d like to teach her to sew properly but I’m not really sure where/how to start. Any ideas would be very gratefully received. Thank you.

Hi Moth - when my six-year-old GD put a “sooing cit” on her Christmas list, I found this one: www.johnlewis.com/buttonbag-sewing-kit/p597526
we've worked through the things in the kit and moved on to things she's thought up for herself - most recently a patchwork quilt for her dolls, back-stitched together from Charm Squares.

Try a bit of cross stitch or Bargello…..

Ali23 Hermia46
Just taken a look at Sarah Homfray on Instagram and now following so thanks for that. I also follow Threaded by Tatum. American but has some really nice work and sells kits demonstrating stitches.

On the subject of learning to sew, has anyone any suggestions for where to buy/how to make up a simple sewing set for my six year old granddaughter? I sew a bit and we make Barbie clothes together from felt and she prettifies them with sparkly bits! I’d like to teach her to sew properly but I’m not really sure where/how to start. Any ideas would be very gratefully received. Thank you.

Whiff, they are all lovely

I was going to suggest looking if your local church holds a stitching group

Hi. I find cross stitch kits really rewarding. I bought my first one in a charity shop so it won’t cost you a lot to start with. It comes with all the threads and full instructions. You can then progress to bigger and more involved ones at whatever pace you want. I would definitely recommend. Any sewing shops or Hobbycraft will help but I got most of mine on Amazon or eBay. Enjoy.

My granny did beautiful embroidery and I still have some of her work. She taught me the appropriate stitches, but I never attempted anything beyond 'lazy daisies' and that was about 70 years ago. Perhaps I should try again.

Thank you - I will follow up your brilliant leads and get sewing!

I follow Sarah Homfray Embroidery on Youtube. She demonstrates embroidery stitches with such clarity. She has a stitch library which I go to for reminders. She’s from the UK but has an international audience. She has a website and shop too . Definitely worth checking out.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202308/medium-580551-img-20230715-084711598.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202308/medium-277307-img-20230602-150014439.jpg

My sister in law needle felts and crochets . Like me is is disabled she has MS. These are some of her work. And a kit a friend brought me for my birthday.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202308/medium-648450-img-20230730-165112705.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202308/medium-806878-img-20230622-093549422.jpg

Hermia I cross stitch as I find it easier than embroidery. If you buy a copy of World of Cross stitching or Cross Stitcher magazine they come with a free kit plus have lots of charts inside. Have a look on the Cross stitch thread . I had to stop knitting when my children where young as I couldn't co ordinate the needles and tried crochet but couldn't get the hand of it. Used to do embroidery and tapestry but got fed up with it.

I only tried cross stitch 7 years ago as I couldn't understand how little cross made pictures. Only wish I had taken it up decades ago as I am addicted to it . These are 2 of my pieces. I use 14 count Adia mainly which I buy from Etsy per metre. Threads online as well always use DMC. Plenty of cross stitch stores online.

There is a site called Gathered register and they have lots of prizes up for grabs I have been lucky enough to win a few kits. I enter all the competitions even for wool . I go to a mixed media craft group at my local library. We just take what work we are doing . 2 hours of chat and biscuits. And we share any craft things we don't want eg threads ,wool etc.

Not all cross stitch needs back stitch but I love doing it it makes your design pop.

Good luck whatever you try..