Embroider You Own Napkin

If you've been watching the Great British Sewing Bee Special today, you'll have seen their beautifully embroidered Christmas napkins. I'd like to show you how easy it is to do your self.

You'll need :

Napkins

An Embriodery hoop
Embroidery floss
A needle with a large eye
Tailors chalk
Embroidery designs

Scissors
A Pencil
Carbon paper





1. Positioning the design. It is worth taking a little time to make sure the design is exactly where you want it. Fold the design in quarters to find the center point. With tailors chalk, mark a cross on the napkin, you can then line up the chalk marks with the cross folded in the design.

2. Place the carbon paper face down on the napkin and the design over the top. Use a pencil the trace ofver the design.
Remember, you can get different colours of carbon paper, and some may show up better than others.




3. Embroidery floss is a think weave of 6 strands of thread, for smaller designs it is usful to spilt the floss down to only 2 or 3 strands. 









4. Knot off the end of the threads. Use a Back Stitch to follow the lines of the design.
 

Take the next stitch forward of the first

Bring the stitch back to join the previous stitch

 

5. On the back, use the back of the stitches to secure the thread before cutting it.  











6. Continue with the same stitch in the next colour. For each pin I started a fresh line of thread, this will keep the back of the design neat.









7. For additional detail, change to a more decorative stitch. This is a Chain Stitch.

For the first stitch bring the the needle up to the front of the design, and back down again in the same place.

Bring the needle back up a little way along the line in the middle of the loop you just created.

Continue this along the line to create a continues line of interlocking loops. To finish the line bring the needle back down outside the final loop and secure at the back.

 

8. To finish the pin heads use French Knots. 

Wrap the thread around the needle several times.

Keeping the threads tight around the needle bring the needle back down in the same place.

Use several knots for each pin head.

I hope you enjoy making your own sewing themed napkins for Christmas. If you'd like, you can download our exclusive designs here, or from the Thrifty Stitcher.