Free Downloadable Embroidery Designs

Unfortunately for collectors, many of the works of embroidery art of the past have been lost to time and decay.  The silk threads and fabrics are very prone to damage by insects and light.  It is very unlikely these days to find a work made prior to the mid 1600’s.  Examples from earlier than this time only exist in museums, and churches who have taken the care to restore and preserve them. 

Stump work was made to depict scenes of live at the time and was used to cover mirror frames, and to cover trinket boxes.  These trinket boxes were generally made with many small drawers and with secret compartments for hiding valuables such as tea and jewelry.  Often the trinket boxes contained mirrors and were lined with paper and metallic tapes. Serious collectors today are still discovering wonderful stump work to add to their collections. 

Some of the most unusual embroidery throughout the times has been that of maps.  Maps were drawn on silk and then stitched.  The names of countries and other places of interest were stitched on the maps. 

As the sewing machine has evolved, it has taken on a whole new dimension in crafting.  What was once used simply to save time making useful items is now able to do complex, colorful embroidery and do many other creative tasks much more quickly than can be done by hand.  The possibilities are literally endless with today’s modern sewing machines. 

If you are new to sewing it is a great idea to get together with other people you know who own sewing machines and see if you can try theirs out.  Ask if they will let you try sewing on their machine and will tell you all of the things they like and dislike about their particular models.  This can help you determine a good machine brand versus a dud.  If you bring along your list of “wants” you can see if their machine will meet all of your needs or not as well. 

When you are in the stores ask to test out the machines and see if you can find one that you really like that meets your needs.  If you can then that is your machine.  If you cannot, then it is time to move on to another shop. 

Whenever you are starting out to learn something new, it is always a challenge.  There is so much information online and in books that it can feel a bit overwhelming at times.  However, if you take the time to start with the very basic information and build your knowledge from there, then your skills will surely follow. 

If you have a friend or relative who knows how to sew, ask them to show you how.  Find an easy project to start on and ask them if they will give you a hand at completing it and show you what you need to know.  Most people are more than happy to spend time teaching people what they know. 

Your first sewing projects should be simple and aimed at teaching you one specific skill.  If you want to learn to make things for your home, for example, start with easy projects such as pillows.  You can start with a simple square pillow and then move up to more complicated versions as you master sewing the straight lines of the square.  If your goal is to start sewing clothing, you might want to start by making a skirt or something else which is forgiving of any mistakes you might have. 

Because elastic comes in many forms, as do fabrics, it is very important to know your basics about both of them before you attempt to sew elastic.  By learning about fabrics and elastics you can ensure that you use the right one of both for your project for the best results.

To sew in your elastic, start with a strip of elastic about four or five inches smaller than the fabric opening you want to elasticize.  Cut the two ends so that they will meet-up with each other and not overlap.  One of the best ways to do this is cut them into triangular ends and have them meet up on a diagonal.  If you overlap your elastic you will have an unsightly and uncomfortable bump in your finished project, which you definitely do not want.  

The next thing you need to do is to vertically sew in your elastic at each of these four points.  Do these before you start sewing and you will not need to deal with popping pins and diagonal pulls as you sew in the elastic. 

Sewing can be a very rewarding hobby to take up.  You can sew everything from clothing to bedding and other household decorative items.  By learning basic sewing you can ensure that when your button pops off, or your hem comes out of your pants, that you can quickly and easily fix it. 

The first step in starting to sew is to gather up all of the items you need to complete your project.  Get out your sewing machine booklet and thread your machine.  Make sure, before you ever even attempt a project, that your machine is threaded correctly and working well.  This will save you a ton of frustration. 

When you first start sewing you will want to baste your pattern pieces together with long hand stitches.  This allows you to see how your project will look once you have sewn it together on your machine.  And, it allows you to make adjustments much more easily if you should happen to need to.  One good tip here is to use a bright colored thread for basting.  This will allow you to easily remove it once your project is sewn together. 

You can purchase beads at your local drugstore, craft stores, fabric stores and even bead specialty shops.  Bead shops can be found both online and through mail-order catalogues.  Beads today come in an amazing variety of shapes, colors and sizes.  Beads can be found made of many different materials and in just about any shape imaginable. 

When you are looking at adding beads as an embellishment, you want to decide how you want them to look on your finished project.  If you are after a complementary addition, you might want to use beads which are similar in color to your stitches.  This will give your work a very elegant feel and at the same time won’t distract viewers away from your stitching. 

Not all beads are created equal.  You want to use higher quality beads for your embroidery projects.  You do not want the color to come off of them in the wash or through regular wear.  To test your beads you can simply rub them together in your hands and see if they maintain their color without flaking.  The best beads to use to embellish embroidery will be made of colored glass. 

Adding bead embellishments to embroidery projects can really make your projects “pop” and look like they were done by a professional.  You really are only limited by your imagination!