2 years ago I sewed baby felt shoes for Adam and I wanted to personalize them with embroidered letter A on each making them extra special for him but when hand sewing was something I practiced, hand embroidery was a whole new thing to me. I googled and watched every beginner's tutorial (not really 🤣 but you get the point) and each mentioned the "Hoop". I didn't have a hoop and I wasn't going to wait until I get one. My crafting projects are now or never and so I did it hoopless.
I'm very proud to say it was a disaster 😂! The first few stitches went very well but then I probably jinxed myself and the end product was very horrible. I sewed another pair of shoes that remained blank; I wasn't going to risk another failure 😅.
Since the Corona started, I've been doing many of the activities I didn't have the time for during Uni. Reading, writing, coloring, painting, sewing, drawing and finally after so many monodebates 😁 my brain decided to explore embroidery again. And again, hoopless ( Why didn't I buy a hoop after the first try, no reason really 😂).
Few months ago my mother gave me a white fabric to use in my sewing projects but it wasn't very good for clothing items so I decided to make a pillow instead. You can't leave a white pillow blank so embroidery it's:
I cut two 30 cm x 30 cm squares and sewed them together leaving an opening big enough for turning it indide out and filling the pillow with cotton without disturbing the seams.
I transferred the design I chose from paper to the fabric then decided on colors.
I started embroidering beginning with the floral frame then finishing with the letters (frame outline and letters: Backstitch, small red flowers: French knot, leaves: chain stitch, pink flower: Satin stitch).
I filled the pillow with cotton making sure it's evenly distributed and filling the corners well then using the ladder invisible stitch I closed the opening without leaving a trace 😉.
Things to remember while embroidering without a hoop:
Make sure to iron/steam your fabric before starting to embroider.
It's always best to use embroidery thread but normal thread can do too. You can double or triple the thread to give the desired thickness. (I used different type of threads here 🤣😅 whatever is available)
The biggest problem you'll face is maintaining the proper tension on the fabric to prevent clumping and shrinking. You can solve this by stretching the fabric between your thumb and fingers at the area being stitched and by avoiding pulling the thread with force (keep it a bit loose).
It isn't easy, needs so much patience but absolutely enjoyable!Embroidering
So, if you're thinking of doing some embroidery but you don't want to get a hoop for some reason or the size of your project is very small, you now know that embroidering without a hoop is completely possible. It'll take time and effort and may not be perfect from your first, second or even third try but I guarantee you'll enjoy it (if you enjoy such activities that is 😜).
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