Yesterday's Charm - Redwork Embroidery Lessons

Redwork embroidery lessons are given to provide instructions for some of the most basic embroidery stitches used in redwork and other embroidery. I'm simply going to share with you the way I do the following stitches and what works best for me. Hope you find it helpful. If you need any further help please feel free to ask me, Loyce Saxton.

General information

TRANSFER DESIGN - On light colored fabrics you can place the fabric on top of the pattern and trace the design directly onto the fabric. You can also trace the reverse side of the design using any iron on pencil or pen and iron it onto the fabric, following the directions that come with the pen or pencil. Or use iron-on patterns and follow instructions.
HOOPS - I like plastic hoops with a lip along the upper edge to help keep the fabric tight. Using size 7 & 6 inch hoops, or smaller, makes it easy to hold in your hand and be able reach the center of the design.
NEEDLES - Use Embroidery/Crewel needles size 5/10. Select the needle size that will easily glide through your fabric and also has an eye large enough to hold your strands of floss.
FLOSS - I like six stranded DMC cotton floss. Cut off no more than 25 inches of floss to work with and pull out one strand at a time, before threading the needle. This helps the threads to lay flat while you are working, also stop and untwist your strands during your work. Most embroidery uses 2 to 3 strands of floss. Three strands if you are wanting a bolder look to help your design standout with a busy fabric. Two strands if your design is very detailed and you want those little details to show, two strands were often used on old dish towels.
Place the fabric in the hoop and work out the wrinkles before tightening up all the way. Hint; I tend to pull my stitches too tight, so now I keep the fabric a bit lose in the hoop (instead of tight as a drum) this lets me see when I pull the stitches too tight since the fabric would pucker up.

Let's Get Stitching

Go ahead, thread the needle with 2 to 3 strands of floss and knot the other end or leave a long tail of thread on the back side, when you start your work and weave it in and out of your stitching on the back side, when you are through. Once you have some embroidery work done on your piece you can start and finish all your floss by weaving in and out of your stitching, on the back side of the project. Of course you can always start and finish your work with a knot if you like, the choice is yours. Try not to cross over a large area on the back side since large loops of floss on the back side could be seen or caught and snagged later when the item is being used.
(The following samples are shown in blue in order to be more easily seen.)

When finished press face down on a terrycloth towel. This makes your embroidery work stand out.

OUTLINE STITCH
This is the most common stitch used in embroidery today and is the stitched used most often for redwork. The finished stitch will look something like a tiny rope laying flat against your fabric.

1. Come up at the start of the line, from the back side. Then take a small stitch as shown, with the needle coming out a little ways from the start. Pull stitch through till floss lays flat on the fabric, not puckered.

2. Take another small stitch coming up at the edge of your last stitch. Always keep the lose thread laying on the same side of your work. I like to keep my thread laying towards me or on the outside of the curve I'm stitching.

3. After a several stitches your work should look something like this. Continue on, taking medium size stitches on the straight lines and making your stitches smaller on the curves. The smaller the cures, the smaller your stitches should be. I have taken stitches that only picked up one or two threads depending on the size of the threads in the weave.

RUNNING STITCH

1. Come up at the start of the line, then weave the needle in and out along the line, stacking several stitches on the needle each time.

FRENCH KNOTS
There are two different ways to make French knots, and they are used were you find little circles or dots. French knots are often used for eyes and flower centers.

Traditional

1. Come up at the dot, from the back side. Wrap floss around the needle once of twice, depending on the size knot you would like. The photo shows it wrapped twice. Put the needle back down into the fabric close to where you came out, about two or three threads away.

Figure Eight

1. Come up through the dot, from the back side. Wrap the floss around the needle as shown.

2. Pull floss tight on the needle and push the floss up close to the fabric as shown.

2. Now wrap floss around the top of needle again as shown. Put needle back down into the fabric close to where you came out, about two or three threads away.

3. Pull needle through keeping floss tight with your thumb, until floss is pulled all the way through.

3. Pull floss tight around the needle, pushing floss up close to the fabric. Then pull needle through keeping floss tight with your thumb, until floss is pulled all the way through.

LAZY DAISY
Great for flower petals and leaves.

1. Come up at the point of the petal, from the back side. Bring the needle back down close to where you started and up through the opposite end of the petal, wrapping the floss around the needle as shown.

2. Now pull the needle all the way through and bring the needle back down on the outside edge of the petal, pulling the needle through to the backside.

For a very complete guide of stitches and how to make them check out Sharon B's Stitches for Embroidery and Needlework

For a very complete guide of stitches and how to make them check out
Sharon B's Stitches for Embroidery and Needlework