Glossary
Embroidery glossary: every term a beginner hears, in plain English
This glossary explains the words beginners run into, in plain English: floss and strands, hoops and stabilizers, loop starts and waste knots, and the stitches themselves. Each definition is short enough to read at a glance and links to a full guide where there is one. The terms are in A to Z order.
A
- Away knot
An away knot is a temporary knot on the front of the fabric, placed a few inches away from where you'll stitch. When that thread is used up, you cut the knot off, thread the tail onto a needle and weave it under the backs of your stitches.
B
- Back stitchAlso called Backstitch
Back stitch makes a solid, unbroken line: each stitch goes backward to meet the end of the last one, sharing its hole. It's the stitch for outlines, lettering and fine details, and one of the two stitches in a Stitch Your Dog portrait.
D
- DMC color number
A DMC color number is the shade code printed on the long paper band of each DMC skein, so you can buy exactly the same color again. DMC 310 is black, the only color a Stitch Your Dog portrait needs. Other brands use their own numbers.
- Drum-tight
Drum-tight means fabric stretched so evenly in the hoop that it sounds like a small drum when you tap it, with no ripples. It keeps every stitch where you put it. Tighten the screw in small rounds, and re-tighten as you work.
E
- Embroidery flossAlso called Stranded cotton, Six-strand floss
Embroidery floss, also called stranded cotton, is a soft thread made of six fine strands loosely twisted together. You separate them and stitch with as many as the line needs: two strands for most lines in a pet portrait. It's sold in small skeins.
- Embroidery hoop
An embroidery hoop is two rings, one inside the other, that clamp your fabric tight while you stitch. Wooden hoops with a brass screw are the classic kind, and the finished piece can hang in the same hoop. A hoop makes even stitches much easier.
- Embroidery needleAlso called Crewel needle
An embroidery needle, also called a crewel needle, has a sharp point and a long eye that takes several strands of floss. Sizes go by number: the bigger the number, the finer the needle. For 2 strands, use size 7 to 9.
- Embroidery pattern
An embroidery pattern is the design you stitch: its lines and shapes, often with the stitches and colors to use. You get it onto fabric by tracing, ironing it on, or printing it on a stick and stitch sheet. Our patterns mark every stitch with a dot.
- Embroidery scissorsAlso called Embroidery snips, Stork scissors
Embroidery scissors are small, sharp scissors with narrow, pointed blades, often 1 to 2 inches long, for snipping threads close to the fabric. Stork-shaped ones are traditional. You don't need fancy ones, but you do need sharp ones.
F
- Fill stitchAlso called Filling stitch
A fill stitch is any stitch that covers an area instead of drawing a line. Satin stitch fills small shapes, long and short stitch fills bigger ones and blends colors, and seed stitch, fishbone stitch and French knots fill with texture.
G
- Ground fabric
Ground fabric is the fabric you embroider on, the foundation under every stitch. For hand embroidery, a firm, tightly woven natural fabric works best, like linen or quilting cotton. Our dog portraits use pre-washed oatmeal linen.
H
- Heat-erasable penAlso called FriXion pen
A heat-erasable pen, like a FriXion pen, draws lines that turn invisible under an iron or a hair dryer. The ink isn't really gone, though: it can come back in the cold and may leave a faint ghost line, so it's risky on a piece you'll keep.
- Hoop burnAlso called Hoop marks
Hoop burn is the crease or grimy ring a hoop can leave on fabric, from being clamped too long or from hand oil on the rings. Unhoop at the end of each session, bind the inner ring and wash your hands. A mark left for weeks may not come out.
L
- Linen
Linen is a woven fabric made from flax. For embroidery it's firm, holds tension well in a hoop and has a soft natural texture. Oatmeal linen is a warm, natural beige, and black thread on it looks like an ink sketch. Pre-wash it before you stitch.
- Loop start
A loop start is a knot-free way to begin with an even number of strands. Fold one strand in half, thread both cut ends, come up from the back, and pass the needle through the little loop after your first stitch. With one strand, use a waste knot instead.
N
- Needle minder
A needle minder is a small decorative magnet that holds your needle on the fabric between stitches, with a second magnet behind the fabric. It's optional but handy. If you have a pacemaker, check with your doctor before using magnets.
O
- Outline stitches
Outline stitches draw a line rather than fill a shape. Back stitch, stem stitch, split stitch, chain stitch and whipped back stitch are the common ones. For a beginner's pet portrait, back stitch is the best first choice. Outline stitch is also the name of stem stitch's twin.
S
- Satin stitch
Satin stitch fills a small shape with straight stitches laid side by side, edge to edge, all in the same direction, so it looks smooth and solid. Use it for eyes, noses, leaves and letters. It's one of the two stitches in a Stitch Your Dog portrait.
- Skein
A skein is the small bundle floss is sold in, held by two paper bands: one with the brand, one with the color number. A standard six-strand skein holds 8 meters of floss, and one skein of black is plenty for a dog portrait. Pull the end that comes from inside.
- Stabilizer
A stabilizer is an extra layer that supports fabric or carries a design while you stitch. For hand embroidery it's often water-soluble, so it rinses away at the end and only your stitches stay. Firm linen in a tight hoop often needs none at all.
- Stick and stitch
Stick and stitch is a printable, self-adhesive, water-soluble sheet. You print the pattern on its soft side, peel off the backing, press it onto the fabric and stitch right through it. Then you rinse it away, and only your stitches stay.
- StrandsAlso called Ply
A strand, sometimes called a ply, is one of the six fine threads in embroidery floss. "2 strands" means you separate two of them and stitch with them together. More strands make a thicker line: one for whiskers, two for most lines, three or more for bold ones.
T
- Tension
Tension is how firmly you pull each stitch. Good tension lets the thread lie flat on the fabric without puckering it or sagging. Pull until the stitch lies flat, then stop. A drum-tight hoop and a relaxed hand both help keep it even.
- Thread paintingAlso called Needle painting
Thread painting, also called needle painting, is embroidery that blends many shades of thread, mostly in long and short stitch, so it looks like a painting. It is embroidery, just an advanced kind. A one-color line portrait is the easier place to start.
W
- Waste knot
A waste knot is a temporary knot on the front of the fabric, placed in the path of your first stitches. The stitches lock the tail on the back, then you snip the knot off and throw it away, which is why it's called a waste knot. It works with any number of strands.
- Water-soluble stabilizerAlso called Wash-away stabilizer
Water-soluble stabilizer is a sheet that dissolves in water. You trace or print a design on it, stitch through it and the fabric, then soak it away. It comes as a clear film, a fabric-like sheet or a printable sticky sheet, which is what stick and stitch is.
Sources: Needle 'n Thread: Starting thread with a waste knot · Needle 'n Thread: How to use a pull skein of embroidery floss · Needle 'n Thread: Ground fabrics for hand embroidery · Needle 'n Thread: What's a needle minder? · Needle 'n Thread: A design transfer question about FriXion pens · DMC: How to use an embroidery hoop · Sulky: Water-soluble stabilizer