What Is Embroidery? A Beginner's Guide to Hand Embroidery and Related Needlework

Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric with needle and thread, and it is the foundation technique behind many of the patterns sold by Bareroots, a design studio run by Barri Sue Gaudet. If you can thread a needle and make a simple straight stitch, you already have the core skill. This guide explains what embroidery is, how it differs from appliqué, wool felt work, and quilting, what supplies you need, and how to choose a first project.

Embroidery and its close relatives

These four techniques are often used together in the same project, which is why they get confused. The distinction comes down to what the needle and thread are actually doing.

The overlap is real: a Bareroots pattern for a pillow might combine an appliqué shape, embroidery stitches for detail, and quilting to hold the layers together. Learning embroidery first gives you the stitch vocabulary that the other techniques build on.

Where embroidery fits in Bareroots designs

Bareroots describes its catalog as embroidery and appliqué patterns for quilts, pillows, candle mats, and more. That range shows how embroidery functions in practice — it is rarely the whole object. It is the detailing that turns a plain fabric shape into a finished piece: the outline of a motif, the lettering on a pillow, the small accents on a candle mat.

Core supplies for hand embroidery

You do not need much to start. The four essentials are:

• Needles — embroidery or chenille needles with a large enough eye for floss. A basic assortment covers most projects.
• Floss — six-strand embroidery floss is the standard. You separate the strands and use as many as the pattern calls for.
• Fabric — a firmly woven cotton or linen holds stitches well. Wool felt is also common in Bareroots-style work.
• Hoop — holds the fabric taut so stitches stay even. A 4- to 6-inch hoop suits small motifs and candle mats.

Scissors, a water-soluble or heat-erasable marking pen, and a way to transfer your pattern round out the kit.

Basic stitches and how patterns get onto fabric

Most beginner patterns rely on a small set of stitches:

• Running stitch — a simple in-and-out line, the basis of many outlines.
• Backstitch — connected stitches that form a solid, unbroken line for outlines and lettering.
• Satin stitch — closely packed straight stitches that fill a shape.
• French knot — a wrapped knot that adds a dot of texture, common for flower centers and eyes.
• Blanket stitch — a looped edge stitch often used to finish appliqué shapes and felt edges.

Transferring a pattern

You need the design on the fabric before you stitch. Common methods:

1. Trace with a light source — tape the pattern and fabric to a window or use a light box, then trace with a marking pen.
2. Transfer pen or pencil — draw on the back of the pattern and iron or rub it onto the fabric, following the product's instructions.
3. Water-soluble stabilizer — print or draw the design on the stabilizer, stick it to the fabric, stitch through it, then rinse it away.

Test any marking method on a scrap of your actual fabric first, since some pens behave differently on wool felt than on cotton.

A sensible first project

Pick something small and flat so you finish it and see the result. A candle mat or a small pillow front is ideal — both appear in the Bareroots catalog and both use a limited number of stitches.

A practical first task: choose a pattern with one central motif, transfer it to a square of cotton, and work only the outline in backstitch before adding any fill stitches. This isolates the two skills that matter most at the start — even tension and clean line work — without the complexity of a full quilt.

For beginner-friendly patterns, look for designs labeled as small projects or single motifs rather than full quilts. Bareroots patterns for candle mats and pillows fit this description, and the studio's focus on embroidery, appliqué, and wool felt means its designs are built around the techniques covered here.