If you’re looking for embroidery tutorials for beginners, this post is for you! We’re sharing a list of essentials to invest in, a fantastic step-by-step tutorial to teach you how to do basic embroidery stitches, and we’ve also curated 8 step-by-step embroidery tutorials to help you get started. From flowers and leaves, to lettering, to beautiful border embroidery, there are so many gorgeous beginner designs to choose from!
7 Embroidery Essentials to Invest In
Before you get started with the embroidery tutorials below, there are a few essentials you’ll need on hand.
1) Embroidery Needles
There are many different types and sizes of embroidery needles, each with their own pros and cons. Needles with pointy tips are used when embroidering on regular fabrics that require piercing, whereas needles with blunt tips are used when you need to slide your needle between the threads of the fabric you are working with.
2) Embroidery Hoops
Embroidery hoops help keep the fabric you are working with taunt, and they come in a variety of different sizes. Six- to eight-inch wooden hoops tend to be preferred by experienced embroiderers as they are easier to work with and portable.
3) Thimble
If you’re working with needles with pointy tips, I highly recommend investing in a thimble! This thimble set on Amazon is great as it has 4 different types to choose from.
4) Embroidery Scissors
If you plan on getting serious about embroidery, a proper pair of embroidery scissors is a must. They are different from craft scissors in that they have smaller and thinner blades, allowing them to get a perfect, clean cut. If you’ve ever tried to thread a needle with frayed thread, you know firsthand how important a clean cut is!
5) Embroidery Thread
As you start experimenting with different embroidery stitches and try some of the embroidery tutorials below, you may be overwhelmed with how many different types of embroidery threads there are to choose from. For beginners, I recommend sticking to stranded embroidery cotton thread (aka ’embroidery floss’) as it comes with 6 strands that are easy to separate based on your needs. You will typically use one strand of thread for fine lines and delicate work, two strands for cross stitch, and six strands for needlepoint.
6) Embroidery Fabric
Similar to embroidery threads, there are so many different embroidery fabrics you can buy. The embroidery tutorials below give suggestions, but if you are completely new to embroidery and don’t know where to start, linen fabric is a great option as it’s fairly easy to work with.
7) Embroidery Storage System
The last must-have embroidery essential on my list is a place to store everything. If you plan on doing all of your embroidery at home, this embroidery floss organizer is perfect as it has space to store needles, scissors, thimbles, etc. If you’d also like room for your embroidery hoops and fabric and/or intend on taking your embroidery with you when you travel, I really like this embroidery carry case!
12 Embroidery Stitches for Beginners
If you’ve ever watched an embroidery tutorial and felt overwhelmed by the different stitches that are used, don’t be. Most patterns only require you to know a few basic stitches, and if you’re following a step-by-step embroidery tutorial on YouTube, you have the benefit of being able to stop and start as you follow along.
With that said, I recommend getting a handle on the basics before you jump into your first embroidery project, and highly recommend this tutorial by DIY Stitching. It walks you through how to do 12 embroidery stitches, and you can keep coming back to it as a point of reference if you ever get stuck!
8 Step-by-Step Embroidery Tutorials for Beginners
Satin Stitch Flower | Afeei
If you’re just getting started with embroidery, this is a great tutorial to start with. It’s a very basic but beautiful flower, and you can add additional flowers and use many different colors to create something really special.
10 Gorgeous Flower Ideas | Hand Embroidery Art with Simple Stitches | HandiWorks
This is one of my favorite embroidery tutorials for beginners because it has so many different ideas you can use to embroider a bouquet of your favorite flowers. You can pick and choose the ones you like the most – and feel most comfortably stitching – and then draw your own design on a piece of fabric. The possibilities are endless!
Hand Embroidery for Beginners | 10 Types of Leaves | HandiWorks
This is another fabulous embroidery tutorial, and provides a simple and beautiful way to practice different embroidery stitches.
Hand Embroidery Flower Basket | Shasha Creative World
This is a fabulous project for those who are looking for beginner embroidery tutorials and want to create something above and beyond basic flowers and leaves. I love how she mixes the colors and the finished product is really stunning!
Cherry Blossom Tree – Hand Embroidery – French Knot Flowers | Crafts by Geesh
I admit I didn’t think this would make the cut for a list of embroidery tutorials for beginners, but this hand embroidery project is surprisingly easy to do, and the finished piece is absolutely beautiful!
Satin Stitch Lettering Tutorial | Afeei
If you’re looking for lettering embroidery tutorials, this one will not disappoint. You will learn how to use the backstitch to make your letters full and puffy, and I love the bold, uniform look this technique provides.
How to Embroider Letters by Hand | Sarah Homfray Embroidery
If you are looking for embroidery tutorials to teach you how to create beautiful, cursive letters, this is a great one to try. She shares 5 different stitches, and I love how simple and elegant they turn out. You can use these techniques to personalize your designs, or even create a piece of embroidery with your favorite quote or saying.
Hand Border Embroidery | Shagufta Fyms
As you get comfortable with embroidery, you may consider adding designs to household items like placemats and tea towels, or even to skirts and dresses. This hand border embroidery tutorial is a great place to start, and if you do a search on YouTube you can find many other ideas, including some that incorporate decorative buttons.
If you’re trying to learn how to embroider, I hope these embroider tutorials for beginners prove useful to you!