My 6 Essential Embroidery Supplies

One of the most common questions I see in my inbox is “what supplies do you use?” Today I’m going to share with you all of my favorite supplies and what to look for when you’re shopping for your own.

#1: Hoop

From circles to ovals, from 3 inch to 14 inch, I use a huge variety of hoops. During the pandemic I’ve been mainly ordering my hoops online and because of this I always order a batch of 5 or so because hoop quality is hit and miss. When you’re shopping for your hoop you want to make sure that there is little to no gap between the outer hoop and inner hoop. I have a detailed explanation of this in this post. I always try to support small businesses by looking for my hoops from Etsy sellers. Both Moulin Designs and Crafty Wool Felt are really reliable and have great quality hoops (I get my large 8”x12” ovals from Moulin Designs). If I can’t find what I’m looking for there I’ll order Caydo hoops from Amazon. My most requested hoop style lately are these faux wood flexi hoops from Caydo.

#2: Fabric

I pretty much always use an undyed cotton solid (typically used in quilting) for my fabric. I always use two layers and usually order at least 2 yards at a time. It has a nice tight weave and works perfectly for embroidery. The colored fabric I use is usually either old clothing I've cut up or a cotton muslin from a fabric store in the right color. The main thing I'm looking for when fabric shopping is a tight weave. Linen and twill can add great texture to your embroidery, but working with a wider weave can prove challenging.

#3: Water soluble marker

I use water soluble marker for transferring my pattern onto my fabric. You can usually find them at almost any craft store, but I like this brand a lot. If you struggle to get the blue off of your fabric like I used to check out this post about my secret trick to make it disappear.

#4: Embroidery Floss

I have used DMC thread for years and still love it. I recommend shopping for your thread in person if you can because you really have to see colors in person to get and accurate idea of what they look like, but you can also order them from DMC’s Amazon store (but be warned, you’re going to pay a lot more than you will in a craft store).

#5: Needle

I typically use a size 5 embroidery needle (found at any craft store or here). I usually stitch with 1-6 threads at a time, but it you want to stitch with more than that or you want to use yarn or something other than embroidery thread, I’d recommend a tapestry needle.

#6: Felt for backing

Last but not least I use felt sheets to back my hoop. You can find them at nearly any craft store!