What’s in a starter embroidery package and why do you need it?
Among other things, embroidery patterns, embroidery thread, embroidery rings, embroidery fabric & other accessories should not be missing in an embroidery package!
Wire cutter
With a thread piercer you can easily pass the yarn through your needle. You first get the iron through the eye of the needle. Then you pass the wire through the iron of the wire piercer. Then you carefully pull the thread back through the eye of the needle. Wiggle back and forth a bit if it doesn’t work out right away. Is the thread through the needle? Then don’t tie a knot in it! You can just let the wire hang loose, otherwise the wire will hardly go through your cloth.
Water soluble marker
With a water-soluble marker you can draw a design on your canvas. You can do this yourself by hand or use one of the patterns below. You can print out the line drawing of the patterns, stick it on the window and then pull it over with your cloth in front of it. You can also open the drawing on a large screen (such as a laptop or Ipad) with the brightness at its highest. Then you put your cloth over it and you can also see the lines well through the fabric that you can then cover. If it is not completely neat, that is no problem, you can wash out the blue marker when you are finished by holding the cloth under the tap and then you will not see anything of it!
Embroidery patterns & embroidery stitches explained
When you first start embroidering, it is so useful if you know what kind of stitches there are and can immediately start with a number of patrons. The manual in this embroidery package comes with an overview with all the basic embroidery stitches. These are explained on the basis of images and text. The manual also comes with 10 free embroidery patterns. These are ordered from easy to difficult, so as a starting embroiderer you can choose a slightly more difficult pattern! I draw the embroidery patterns myself and embroider all the examples myself. It is not allowed to share the embroidery patterns and explanations in the manual with third parties. They are owned by Daffie’s.
Embroidery fabric
The starter embroidery package also comes with cotton embroidery fabric. This fabric is not suitable for cross stitch embroidery but rather for the modern version of embroidery with very detailed embroidery patterns. The fabric is easy to attach in the embroidery rings and you will also be able to easily get your needle and thread through it.
Embroidery thread
The embroidery thread in the embroidery packages are specially selected by us for quality and ease of work. We tested different types of embroidery thread but in the end they came out as a clear winner from the test. There is a very fine variety of colors and the embroidery thread does not unravel quickly.
Embroidery rings
We work with both bamboo embroidery rings and beech wood embroidery rings in our packages. Both are durable and have a beautiful appearance the beech wood embroidery ring is only more luxurious in terms of color and finish. For example, the beech wood embroidery ring has a gold brass closure, the bamboo embroidery ring does not have this and is slightly more susceptible to splinters.
Get started with embroidering a bag yourself!
Embroidering a tote bag is super simple, it actually works exactly the same as a normal embroidery on an embroidery ring because the fabric is so similar, below you will find what you need for embroidering on a bag and some inspiration!
Bag embroidery supplies
For embroidering a bag you obviously need the bag itself. A cotton tote bag is the easiest because the fabric looks like normal embroidery fabric! You will also need:
– An embroidery ring for tightening the fabric on which you want to embroider
– A water-soluble marker, also called pattern drawing marker. You will need this for drawing your embroidery pattern on the tote bag!
– Embroidery thread, you can choose different colors yourself or buy a complete embroidery package that already comes with it.
– Needles set & thread piercer for easy attachment of your thread to a needle.
– You also need an embroidery pattern, you could draw one yourself, use a free embroidery pattern or the patterns with the complete embroidery package.
Do you already know something about embroidery? Then I don’t have to explain embroidery stitches anymore, but if you are a beginner it is useful to also have a manual that explains all embroidery stitches with images. Such a manual is included with these embroidery packages and can also be downloaded separately! In this blog I explain 2 simple embroidery stitches, the lazy daisy stitch and the french bun.
What should you take into account when embroidering a bag?
A common mistake is that you stick your needle too far and take it back again without realizing that you have now also embroidered the back of your bag. So always work with one hand in the bag so you feel if it is going well! When finishing the wires, you should also make extra good knots and have as few loose hanging pieces as possible. It is of course the intention that the bag is actually used and if there are all kinds of loose yarn then your embroidery will break much faster! Washing the bag is also a thing, it is possible but I would recommend putting it in a laundry bag. This way you run the least risk of damaging your embroidery.
I would say, give it a try! Embroidery itself is a super nice relaxing work and you can make really nice things with it and now you also have a nice usable handmade item 🙂 With a complete embroidery set you can also start right away, ideal!
Studies prove it: Embroidery is good for your mental health! 5 advantages at a glance
Embroidery is relaxing and stress relieving, you will probably have heard that before, but now there is really a study that provides evidence and what turns out? People who start embroidering experience fewer stress-related complaints than before and there is a whole further laundry list of benefits. So quickly buy an embroidery package!
The advantages of embroidery at a glance:
– Stress relieving
– Lowers your blood pressure
– Develops your creativity
– Relieves feelings of anxiety
– It boosts your brain function
Because you are concentrated in embroidery but at the same time perform precision work in which you use both your hands and your eyes, these parts of your brain are trained at the same time. The reason doctors often give patients with brain damage similar brain exercises is because it turns out to be a super good exercise for the brain. It stimulates hand-eye coordination and at the same time works to improve your ability to concentrate. Brains can just like muscles just be trained and embroidery is a very nice exercise for your brain just like push ups that would be for your muscles for example!
When you are focused on something, you forget, as it were, the world around you. This is exactly what the purpose of embroidery is, when you are busy with needle and thread your brain has to focus on a number of different things such as controlling your hands, thinking about next stitches etc. this ensures that there is no room to think about other nasty things because you are currently working on something that is stimulating enough to turn off all other thoughts. For anxious feelings or stress, there is simply no room at that moment. This is also reflected in the levels of the various ‘bad’ stress hormones in your blood, after a manual activity such as embroidery these appear to be significantly lower. Embroidery is even included in the UK government programme to help people with mental health issues!
In addition to all kinds of physical and mental benefits, you also develop your creativity. I believe that everyone is creative, you just have to take the time for it! Everyone can make their own cool embroidery pattern or match beautiful colors of embroidery thread with each other. It’s a matter of taking the time and really believing that you can do it. Many people drop out in advance with the words “yes but I am not creative at all” Really! Everyone is creative in their own way, because yes what art is that is also just a matter of taste. Embroidery is therefore just such a job where real money, the more often you do it the better it will succeed. Those embroidery stitches will look a bit neater every time until you don’t even need a pattern or manual anymore because you already know them all by heart! Just start with it, I recommend a starter embroidery package but I might be a bit biased 😉
Creativity and high sensitivity
Through this website about high sensitivity I also found out that creativity in general is very good for people who are highly sensitive. Being creative is a good energy giver, especially for the highly sensitive brain that is often very creative but can no longer pay attention to it due to overstimulation. The best advice is – break the circle! Just start and you see how eventually beautiful things can arise automatically and it brings you a lot of peace.
Sources
The study on the benefits of embroidery for your mental health was done at the University of Brighton by Heidi Von Kurthy. Here is the link if you want more information!
https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/21618800/von_Kurthy_final_thesis.pdf
This text also refers to other studies on the benefits of embroidery.
Start embroidery: A simple free embroidery pattern with the embroidery stitches explained!
Are you unsure whether you want to purchase an embroidery package? Or are you curious how I explain embroidery patterns in the embroidery manual? Below is a simple example!
Embroidery pattern
This embroidery pattern is super simple and ideal for beginners, you only need 2 embroidery stitches and can embroider the flowers on almost any kind of fabric. So also on, for example, a tote bag or t-shirt! In this example, I cut an old pillowcase and used it as fabric because I liked the color so much. You can do this too! Take a look between your old clothes or other fabrics and there will probably be a nice color to embroider on. So you don’t really need any embroidery fabric at all!