Squid Embroidery

Posted by Caley on January 21st, 2009 at 08:07am

I love embroidery but I have never tried it, nor do I currently have the necessary tools. Nonetheless, I have a project in mind. I want to embroider a squid onto a pillow. Before Christmas, I decided to start a collection of handmade squid things for my boyfriend, whose nickname is indeed squid (I know, it’s sickeningly cute). On Christmas day, my boyfriend unwrapped this screen-printed shirt, a squid vinyl card much like this and our personal favorite this holiday, a cobalt blue “monster mug” with tentacle handle from Wildcard Pottery (her shop is currently on vacation but check it out when she returns!). Shopping for squid things on Etsy was ridiculously fun.

Now, this is the squid design I want to embroider from Tim of It’s Nacho Time. I’ve already sung my praises of his squid-tastic blog with so many handmade items (his Halloween costume is classic). Tim designed this squid for a shirt design, but I feel like it could work for embroidery. No?

Squid Shirt Design from It's Nacho Time

Before I launch into an embroidery project, I need to gather the necessary tools including:

• Embroidery Hoop- Keeps the fabric taut between two rings when embroidering
• Embroidery Floss- Thicker than thread, usually made up of multiple strands which can be separated for finer work
• Embroidery Needles- Slightly larger eye to accommodate the floss (number 10 or 12)
• Fabric
• Sharp scissors

I would want to trace my design onto the fabric with a pencil or washable marker before securing in the hoop. With a design like this and light fabric, I could easily just place a print-out under the fabric and trace. To secure the fabric in the hoop, you separate out the two circles, place the fabric over the one without hardware and place the other circle on top. You then pull the fabric taut between the two loops and tighten the nut until secure.

Just like in sewing, there are different stitches that I can use to create my design. Backstitch is the easieset for beginners. Basically, I would make a knot in the end of my length of floss (I’ll probably separate it out to 3 strands for this finer design) and bring the needle up through the bottom of the fabric. I’d make a stitch to the left if I want to go right and to the right if I want to go left. That may sound confusing but it’s because you will be bringing the needle back up a stitch length in the direction you want to go and backstitching right next to the original stitch. The purl bee has a wonderful tutorial on creating french knots for a more raised and thus textured embroidery.

I can’t wait to get started.

Tags: backstitch, french knots, squids

Under Embroidery Tags: backstitch, french knots, squids