The half stitch is used to make embroidery that can be worked to make key rings, belts, pillows, bookmarks, socks, buckles or almost any other accessory. Carefully stitch a design onto a canvas bag or frame it and hang it on the wall. It is a really fun hobby that can be taken anywhere and involves a work based only on some basic embroidery stitches.
Steps
Step 1. Learn the different embroidery stitches and when to use them
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After looking at all the images that in this article serve as a guide for embroidery, you will need to insert the needle on the "right side" of the canvas in the odd numbers and thread it by making it come out on the "reverse" in the even numbers.
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Half cross stitch: good for embroidering small parts, but not for larger jobs, as it tends to warp the canvas. Start at the top of the canvas or color section. Work left to right following the line along the canvas and then return. You will see vertical dots on the wrong side.
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Small point or Gobelin point: as regards use, refer to the previous point. Start at the top. Work from right to left and come back. You will see a series of diagonal stitches on the wrong side of the canvas.
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Mat stitch: this stitch allows for extensive processing with minimal deformation of the canvas, so it is used to embroider large surfaces. Work diagonally starting from the top right corner. The reverse should take on the appearance of an interlacing weave.
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Back Stitch: Used to embroider very small parts or to outline an area with thread.
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Blanket stitch: used to finish the edges of a work.
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Step 2. Purchase the pattern and material at an embroidery shop
Choose a job that you feel you have the right skill and patience for to complete it. You can buy the canvas with the amount of holes you want and the design if you want. Buy an embroidery needle that fits comfortably to the size of the weave of the canvas you have chosen.
Step 3. Put all the material in a zip-up bag
Keep even the remaining thread tidy!
Step 4. Join the edges of the canvas with masking tape
This way, you will prevent them from slipping. You can also chop them by machine.
Step 5. Trace the outline of the canvas on thick paper or cardstock
This system will be used later to “lock” the canvas once the embroidery is finished.
Step 6. Attach the canvas to the embroidery frame if you intend to use it
Step 7. Decide where you want to start embroidering
Generally, it is best to start in the area where the amount of color is less important, or where the work is more detailed. Then, embroider the larger parts surrounding the richer ones.
Step 8. Get a skein of the exact color
To prevent the embroidery thread from tangling, keep the labels intact and cut the skein where it forms the loop at the top. The threads are the perfect length for embroidery and the paper labels hold them together. Pull a single thread from the rest of the skein.
Step 9. Put the thread in the needle
Hold the thread in one hand and the needle in the other (with the eye up). Insert the end of the floss into your mouth and flatten it with your teeth. Insert it into the eye of the needle. Pull it until 3-5 cm comes out.
Step 10. Make a small knot at the end of the thread that is not joined to the needle
This knot will not prevent the thread from passing through the canvas. You don't have to do it if you don't want to. Just press the thread against the back with a finger and anchor it with a stitch.
Step 11. Perform the first point starting from the upper right corner of the diagram
Pull the thread from the "reverse" to the "right", passing it under the weave of the warp and weft of the canvas.
Step 12. Go through the intertwining, going right and up
Step 13. Pull the thread, passing it through the “wrong side” of the canvas
Step 14. Repeat, embroidering diagonal or horizontal lines in the canvas, until you have finished the area affected by the color of the thread you are working on
Step 15. Continue embroidering until it is difficult to pull the thread when it has become too short
If you lose the thread, it means you better stop. On the "back" insert the needle in two or three points, passing the thread. It's not that necessary, but it's a good idea to get rid of the leftover thread.
Step 16. Finish embroidering
Be patient and take some breaks if you get bored at work. Try changing the area to be embroidered.
Step 17. Embroider the edges with the blanket stitch if you like
Belts and key rings are almost always finished this way, but other works, including cushions, have different edge finishes.
Step 18. Freeze the canvas if it warps
Remove the canvas from the hoop (if you used it), moisten it (do not wet it completely) with water, lay it (with the right side down) on the pattern you drew before starting the embroidery (with the space needed to grab it from below) and spread it out in its original form. Secure it with tacks or paper clips at 2.5cm intervals all around and let it dry before removing. Repeat if necessary.
Step 19. Take the work to a specialist shop to have it finished (for example, with a frame or on a cushion)
The needlewomen will be able to complete the work on their own, when it is simple.
Step 20. Enjoy and admire the finished work
Advice
- The thread will likely get tangled as you work. Leave the needle hanging so that it unravels.
- You can use the half point in the order you prefer; if you are bored always working with the same color or in the same area, stop the thread and start again where you want! It is best, however, to start with a light color and proceed with a dark one.
- When you have areas to embroider of the same color close to each other (within 1 cm), you can bring the thread to the adjacent parts on the "wrong side" of the canvas. If they are more than 1 cm apart, you will need to cut the thread and start again.
- Pay attention to the tension of the stitches. If you make them too tight, you will make the canvas take a weird turn. If you make them too slow, they will stick together and look bigger than the rest. Try to embroider evenly, but don't stress yourself out too much.
- It can be difficult to apply the adhesive tape in hot weather or when there is humidity. In addition, it can also leave indelible marks on the canvas if it stays too long. You can avoid them by putting it at a safe distance from work. The adhesive tape of the embroiderers (buy it in specialized stores) can be a good alternative to avoid the problem of stains.
- If the work requires a single stitch (like an animal's pupil), make the stitch, tie the knot on the “back” of the canvas and embroider around it to secure it.
- The thickness of the thread risks deforming the canvas. If it is too thick, the holes around the stitch will deform. If it is too thin, you will see the wrong side of the embroidery.
- You will get better results if you start at the top right and use the matting stitch to embroider the large areas.
- In no way is it recommended to make knots on canvas or other embroidery fabrics. Tie a knot at the end of the thread, work the canvas up to the starting point, leaving a knot in front of the embroidery line. Embroider towards the knot, covering the thread at the back. When you are approaching the knot, block it and keep working.
- The half stitch is usually worked upwards, tilting it to the right. Whether it points to the right or to the left does not affect the result of the work - it is just the most commonly used direction.
Warnings
- Work with good lighting. Try not to do this in places with low light, as this may cause eye strain.
- Sometimes a point is drawn with two different colors. You will have to use your own judgment and observe the pattern well. If you see other similar shapes in the pattern, use them as a reference. If you don't like it after you have embroidered it, you can always take it off and start over.
- Embroidery needles aren't sharp enough to let blood out, but avoid pricking yourself as it's painful.
- It is much better to sew hems or zigzag the edges of the canvas than to use duct tape, as the tape leaves residue once removed (especially if the job is long), risking permanently staining the canvas or pull the threads when you remove it.
- Be careful not to wait too long to complete the project, if it is to become a belt or other similar accessory. You may gain weight (or lose weight) and not be the right size!
