The Embroidery Stitch Companion

Coline Bavois discovered embroidery 10 years ago during her costume design studies, and it was love at first sight. Today she is a costume designer for the cinema industry, and she embroiders for films but also in haute couture projects, on top of her personal work in artistic embroidery. She likes to mimic natural textures, using natural items such as coral and tree bark for inspiration. She enjoys working with traditional material in unusual ways, and also uses recycled materials. She sometimes gets to exhibit her work, such as at the London-based competition, Hand and Lock, where she was one of the final contestants in 2018. Coline has worked on films and TV series as a costumier, such as Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) and as a seamstress on the new Amazon Prime serial, The Serpent Queen (2022).

CONTENTS



Introduction 4



PART ONE: Embroidery essentials 6



Fabrics 8, Threads 10, Needles 12, Scissors 14, Embroidery hoops 15, Erasable marking pens 16, Transfer papers 18



PART TWO: Basic techniques 20



Preparing the fabric 22, Transferring designs 24, Securing the fabric 26, Thread best-practice 30, Threading needles 33, Starting to stitch 34, Fastening off 38, Final touches 42, Displaying the embroidery in its hoop 44, Decorative ideas 48, General advice 50 



PART THREE: Stitch guide 52



Running stitch 56, Laced running stitch 58, Backstitch 60, Whipped backstitch 62, Stem stitch 64, Couching stitch 66, Chain stitch 68, Detached chain stitch 70, Fly stitch 72, Blanket stitch 74, Feather stitch 76, Cross stitch 78, French knot 80, Bullion knot 82, Straight stitch 86, Scattered straight stitch 88, Satin stitch 90, Shaded satin stitch 92, Planning a design 96 



PART FOUR: Further ideas 98



Using appliqué to attach embroidery 102, Embroidering a T-shirt (or other stretchy fabric) 108, Embroidering with beads 112, Further creative inspiration 125



Acknowledgements 128