Embroidery is a great way to cover holes and other imperfections that you want to hide while adding personal flair.
I really love the idea of embroidery. I think it is a gorgeous craft, but I don’t always know when the right opportunity is to use it. Handkerchiefs aren’t exactly an everyday item (although I kind of wish they were). I feel like I typically see embroidery on pillow cushions and clothing.
But is this just done for flair? I would argue no! Because I decided to use embroidery to hide a hole in a pair of jeans. While the ripped jeans look still exists, some holes are just not fashionable. And some are just plain inconvenient.
So, I decided to do an embroidery patch to cover the hole! This was my first time doing something like this and I made some mistakes. But my goal was to create an unassuming patch that was still visually appealing, and I think I did accomplish that on some level.
Check out the Craft section of MCG for more fun patterns in strings and things or more unlimited ideas.
Supplies
Luckily, the supplies needed for embroidery are few. All that is needed is the material that is being embroidered, embroidery thread, embroidery needles, and a hoop. Embroidery hoops are not necessary, but I find them to be useful as it holds the base material in place while making the embroidery patch.
Process
The process of doing an embroidery patch can be as simple as complex as you want it to be. There are so many different types of embroidery stitches that I was a little overwhelmed. I’m not a fan of too many options. I decided to keep it simple and do something with a little texture that would stand out too much.
That is why I chose an embroidery thread that was close in color to the base material. The first step of the process was putting the jeans into the embroidery hoop. I wanted to have the material taught in order embroidery with the material under the most pressure possible. This way the embroidery only needs to give by releasing and doesn’t need to pull. Or that’s the idea anyway.
For the embroidery, I decided that I wanted a square look. I started by creating a square around the hole. This was my outer edge. As you can see, it’s a little too close to the hole in places (oops). I then created an adjacent line to one of the edges. This went over the existing thread with the thread originating from an outside point.
After creating the newest line, I sewed the thread to a similar place on the perpendicular line and repeated the process. This new thread went over the original two border lines as well as the one that was just made. Then I repeated this step going around the square.
The first four after the border was one layer in, the next four were two layers in, and so on. This process created a really cool woven effect that looks almost arrow like leading into the center. And while the shape is mainly a square, the final result almost looked like a star.
Reflections
I do like the way that the embroidery patch turned out, but I think I made a few mistakes. The main one being that I attached the embroidery thread to the base material too close to the hole. This means there is only a bit of fabric that needs to give before the patch becomes undone. I don’t think this will be a problem for a while, but it could have been made stronger if I was okay with making the patch bigger.
Lessons
The Versatility of Embroidery
One of the many things I find interesting about embroidery is the versatility it can have. It can be used in a multitude of ways, yes. But there are also many different methods and effects that people can make. Abstract shapes, intricate designs, not so intricate designs. It doesn’t really feel like there is a wrong way to embroider.
Quick Recipe
Embroidery Patch
Ingredients
- 1 Embroidery Needle
- 1 Skein Embroidery Thread any color
- 1 Base Material
Instructions
- Optional. Place the fabric being embroidery into an embroidery hoop. Tighten as much as possible.
- Using the embroidery thread, make a box around the hole.
- At the top left corner of the box, sew the embroidery thread above the top line of the box but inside the left most line of the box. Create a stitch going down and over the bottom line of the box.
- Rotate the project ninety degrees.
- Repeat the above two steps until the patch completely covers the hole. Sew the final stitch into the center of the square. Knot and trim the end of the thread.
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