Online learning platforms have ensured skill-based education in various parts of the world. An embroidery design course has reclaimed its long-lost glory due to the pandemic and financial crisis occurring across countries. In these courses students learn about the various tools used by a hand embroiderer; and how to identify and appropriately select them for hand embroidery.

Upon course completion students will be able to select suitable fabrics, needles, threads, frames, thimble, scissors, etc. They should also be able to embroider the design using various stitches such as stem stitch, running stitch, chain stitch, French knot, bullion stitch, satin stitch, long and short stitch, etc. The final output of the embroiderer in the form of embroidered cut fabrics, garments, or any item would be beautiful and suitable as per the product's end use. To carry out embroidery, identification, selection, and handling of embroidery tools and materials is important.

Types of Tools & Materials

●    Fabric:

Fabric is used to make garments and home furnishing items. Most fabrics are made from yarns, but the basic component of textile fabrics is fiber. These may be natural fibers, like wool, linen, cotton, silk, etc., or synthetic fibers, like acrylic, polyester, acetate, etc., Fabric is formed using a variety of techniques, like weaving, knitting, felting, and netting (the four basic ways of constructing fabric). Mostly, natural fibers (except for silk) are short and are called staples. The long continuous strands of silk and man-made fiber are called filaments.

1.    Linen

It is a fabric made from natural fibers, like from vegetables or animals, and insects like silkworms. It is relatively soft, smooth, lustrous, and very strong textured. It is used for shirts, safari suits, Kutras, Kurtis, and children’s wear. It is also used for aprons, bags, upholstery, and many home furnishing items.

2.    Cotton

It is a fabric made from cotton which is obtained from the cotton plant. It is soft, smooth, and absorbent. Cotton is suitable for garments worn close to the skin to keep the body cool in summer since it aids air circulation. A large variety of Kurtis, lehenga-choli, saree, salwar-suit, shirts, kurta-pajamas, jackets, safari suits, trousers, and children’s clothes are made of cotton, and decorated by hand embroidery. It is also used for home furnishings like bed sheets, pillow covers, tablecloths, table runners, curtains, etc.

3.    Crepe

It is a light-to-medium-weight fine fabric and is used for making flowing garments since it drapes very well. It has a crinkled surface due to the high-twist silk yarn or chemicals. This look can also be given by a special weave called the crepe weave. Crepe fabric was originally made using only silk, but nowadays different kinds of fabrics, such as chiffon, cotton, rayon, etc., are commonly used to create crepe fabric.

●    Needles:

The most essential tool without which hand embroidery is not possible is the needle. It has three parts, namely the eye, shaft, and point. Needles are available in different thicknesses, lengths, sizes of eyes, sharpness, and shape of points. The following names & functions of the needles are elaborated in an authentic embroidery design course.

1.    Crewel Needle

It is the basic embroidery needle most often used for hand embroidery. They are sometimes also known as embroidery needles. Except for its long slender eye, it does not differ materially from the sewing needle in shape, and it comes in the same size numbers. For embroidery, crewels should be used unless some other kind of needle is specified.

2.    Tapestry Needle

It is very useful for wool, matty, and open-weave fabrics. It enables the embroiderer to avoid the splitting of threads. This needle’s rounded point allows it to slip between the threads of the materials rather than through them. The tapestry needlepoint is blunt and it has a large eye; it is inserted between the threads of the fabric without piercing them. These needles are commonly used in counted thread work such as cross stitch, pulled and drawn thread work, and lacing on composite stitches.

Summing Up

The aforementioned points are some of the tools & materials used in embroidery & taught by trainers in an embroidery design course. Embroidery has enough potential to ensure a steady income and recognition in society.