Free guides
Embroidery how-to guides
Straight answers for beginners, from turning your dog's photo into a pattern to the last stitch on the back of the hoop. Every guide starts with the short answer, then shows you how.
Stitching a cat? Stitch Your Cat is coming: the pattern maker learns cats next. Meanwhile, these guides work for cats too.
Your dog's portrait
From the photo to the last fur line: the guides behind a hand-stitched dog portrait.
- How-to guideHow to turn a photo into an embroidery pattern (hand embroidery)Trace a photo into hand-embroidery line art yourself, or let a pattern maker draw it with every stitch marked.
- How-to guidePet portrait embroidery: how to stitch your own dogThe whole process, from choosing the photo to finishing the back of the hoop, for a first hand-embroidered pet portrait.
- How-to guideHow to embroider a dog: a beginner's step-by-stepWhere to start, which stitches to use, and how to make the portrait look like your dog, not just a dog.
- How-to guideHow to embroider fur in one color of threadLine-art fur in black thread, stitched root to tip, and when to switch to long and short stitch for realistic fur.
- How-to guideHow to embroider eyes for a pet portraitSatin-stitched pupils with a bare highlight: the step that gives a stitched pet its expression.
- How-to guideHow to embroider a dog's nose in satin stitchA satin-stitched nose with the shine left bare, stitched the narrow way across the shape.
- How-to guideHow to choose the right photo for a pet portraitThe light, angle and framing that make a photo stitch well, and the checks a photo has to pass.
Embroidery basics
Thread, transfers, starting and ending, finishing, and fixing what goes wrong.
- How-to guideHow to use stick and stitch, step by stepPrint, stick, hoop, stitch through and rinse: a pet portrait from sheet to finished hoop, plus how the other transfer methods compare.
- How-to guideHow to remove stick and stitch (no residue)Trim, soak, rinse and dry: the calm, exact way to wash stick and stitch out of finished embroidery, and what to do if it stays sticky.
- How-to guideHow many strands of embroidery floss should you use?One firm answer per stitch: 2 strands for back and satin stitch on linen, 1 for fine details, with a table and how to separate floss without tangles.
- How-to guideHow to start embroidery without a knotThe loop start, the waste knot and the away knot, step by step: three ways to anchor your thread with no lump on the back.
- How-to guideHow to end embroidery thread (and keep the back neat)Tie off without a knot, know when to stop a thread, and keep the back neat so nothing shadows through light linen.
- How-to guideHow to frame embroidery in the hoop (gift-ready)Re-hoop, gather, back with felt and hang: a gift-ready finish for a hand-stitched pet portrait, with the three backing methods compared.
- How-to guideIs embroidery hard to learn? An honest answerAn honest answer for beginners who can't sew: what's easy, what takes practice, and how long a first small piece really takes.
- How-to guideWhat you need to start embroidery (the short list)Six supplies, exactly which ones, and why: the short list for a first hand embroidery project, plus the nice-to-haves and what to skip.
- How-to guideHow to fix embroidery mistakes (puckers, tangles, uneven stitches)Unpicking, puckering, tangles, uneven stitches and loose threads: what causes each, and the fix, for hand embroidery on linen.