The Blog
The Blog
Hi and welcome to my You're Not Alone DIY website!
My vision for this space is that we can all come together as a community to learn from each other and become the best DIYers together! I have several tips and tricks that I have learned throughout my experience as a DIYer as well as many projects that I cannot wait to share with you!
A little about me is I am a Christian, wife, pet mom, daughter, and sister. I have a degree in Mechanical Engineering and work full-time as a Manager at a large industrial gas company here in Houston, TX. I love to create projects and see my ideas come to life in my free time!
I am recently married and my husband and I bought a starter home that was a new build. Being a new build home means a blank slate for many projects and I have the joy of getting to design and create things to customize this home to our needs.
So come along on my journey as I design and construct different projects around my home and let me help you do the same with yours!
Your new friend,
Dovie :)
Well have no fear because I can get you started and in no time you will be on your way to making your own patterns and style of embroidery!
I recommend starting out with a simple starter kit from amazon or hobby lobby. I will link the one that I started with below!
Once you get your kit, just follow the instructions provided. Don't be afraid to mess up or retrace your thread to start over.
1- Try to get the fabric positioned inside the hoop as tight as possible!
2- Use only the recommended number of strands! The kit I listed uses 4 strands and each thread comes with 6 strands, so you will have to pull apart each individual strand of thread. This sounds confusing but once you really look at the thread up close you will see what I mean.
What I find most helpful to do this task is placing 2 of the strands in one hand and the other 4 strands under a book or in my mouth. Then slowly unwinding the strands as they separate to make sure they do not tangle and knot. Then you can use the 4 stands as a single thread and then double up the remaining 2 strands for another thread.
3- Use dissolvable pen ink when sketching out your pattern. I have a pen that when you place the fabric in water for 5 mins or wipe with a damp cloth the ink comes right off! This is helpful for beginners because you do not have to worry about fully covering the pattern sketch. Just note to keep your hands dry and store your project in a dry place so the pattern does not dissolve before you are done.
4- The best stitches and overall embroidery look is done with patience! Starting out it may take a while to complete your first stem or a flower but don't give up! Find time while riding in a car for a long road trip, watching a movie that you have seen multiple times, or getting some girlfriends together for coffee and tea and chatting while you stitch!
Then when you have completed your first piece you can leave it in the hoop and hang it on a wall for display or turn it into a small pillow that you can enjoy!
"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof" - Ecclesiastes 7:8