Photo embroidery is a great way to embellish photographs by adding color and texture to enhance the story of the photo and a wonderful way to practice embroidery stitches. In this blog, we will learn how to do a French Knot, Running stitch, and Star stitch. By adding French knot roses to a black and white wedding photo, you can tell the story of your grandmother's wedding bouquet. You can enhance the greenery of trees and highlight the focus of the photo with embroidered stars. You can use photos, postcards, or magazine clippings to embroider on. I used vintage photographs and photocopied them onto thick paper so I could play around with my designs and patterns without worrying about preserving the original photo. Supplies Below is a bulleted list of steps or materials regarding the blog content: Coats and Clark Embroidery Floss Postcards, photos, or images from magazine Scissors Anchor® Tapestry Needle #24 How to Embroider a photo 1. Select an image. It is helpful to embroider on thicker paper for stability. Your image can come from anywhere; a vintage family photo, postcard or magazine. I used vintage photographs and photocopied them onto thick paper. This allowed me to play around with my designs without worrying about damaging the original photo. 2. Determine your design & practice. Before you begin, take a moment to choose which embroidery stitches you would like to add to your photo. Using a scrap piece of thick paper, practice your embroidery stitches to determine what you would like to do on your photograph. 3. Using an awl or needle, punch holes in the photo. Remember you can reuse the hole if you don’t like where you put it. Embroidery: French Knot 1. A French knot looks like a little flower so it’s perfect for highlighting flowers in your photographs. It is also a nice stitch since it only requires punching one hole in your photograph for each flower, therefore it requires a little less planning. 2. Tie a knot in your Coats and Clark Embroidery Floss and come up through the back of the photograph. 3. Hold the Coats and Clark Embroidery Floss with your hand that is not holding the needle. For me, this is my left hand 4. Keep tension in the Coats and Clark Embroidery Floss while you wrap the floss around the needle twice, from front to back. 5. Continue to hold the Coats and Clark Embroidery Floss with your left hand and insert the needle back into the original hole with your right hand. Keep holding tension with your hand until the Coats and Clark Embroidery Floss has been pulled all the way through to the other side. The tension you are creating with your left hand creates a neat knot. Embroidery: Running Stitch 1. This is a fun and simple stitch that creates a big impact on your photograph. 2. Poke holes in your photograph in straight lines. I like to do different lengths to add interest to your stitches. 3. Tie a knot in your Coats and Clark Embroidery Floss and come up through the back of the photograph. 4. Come back down through the next hole, weaving up and down through the holes you have created. 5. Remember, you can always punch more holes in your photograph, so start with a few and then keep adding as you go. Embroidery: Star 1. For a star, punch one center hole and then punch holes for the points of your star. I’ve made 8 pointed stars in mine. 2. Tie a knot in your Coats and Clark Embroidery Floss and come up through the center of the star down into one of the points of your star. 3. For your next stitch, come up through the center of the star again and then back down through a different point of the star. Continue through all points of the star. 4. For this pattern, it’s fun to mount your photograph on a thick piece of paper and extend your stars outside of the photo to add more drama. Photo embroidery is a great way to practice embroidery stitches and embellish photographs by adding color and texture. Amber Groen is a fashion designer located in Toronto, Canada. She loves to knit and mend clothing. She is a graduate of Parsons School of Design.
