Embroidering a Wedding Invitation as a Personal Gift
Turn a wedding card into personal embroidery. Read how to transfer the design, choose colors and embroider letters and flowers with different stitches.
You can make a very personal embroidery from a wedding card. Choose a detail from the card, such as the names, the date or a floral pattern, and work it out on cotton. This way you create a lasting memory that you can beautifully give in an embroidery hoop.
Supplies
- Fine-tip transfer pen
- Cotton fabric for embroidery
- Embroidery needle and scissors
- DMC embroidery thread
- Felt for finishing
- An embroidery hoop large enough for your design
Choose and place your design
You can scan the wedding card and convert it into a line drawing in a program such as Inkscape. With the pen tool you can trace the design, place it in the desired location and add text if necessary. If you prefer to work simply, place a sheet of paper on the card and trace the motif.
Use a ring large enough for the image. Cut the fabric two to three inches larger than the hoop on all sides, so you have room if the fabric frays. Cut the edge with pinking shears or apply washi tape to prevent fraying.
Transfer the pattern to the fabric
- First test the transfer pen on a scrap of the same fabric. Draw a word or small motif and try with your iron which position gives a clear line.
- Trace the design onto the back of the paper with the transfer pen. The image appears as a mirror image on the fabric.
- Iron the design onto the fabric according to your test. Do not set the iron too hot or too cold.
- Please note that the lines are not erasable. So embroider them completely away.
- Stretch the fabric in the ring: lay down the inner ring, place the fabric on top, press the outer ring over it and pull the fabric taut at the back.
Choose your colors
Choose the most important colors from the card. With a watercolor design you do not have to copy every color literally: with a limited selection you can also mix colors and let them blend softly into each other. If you want more depth, choose a light and a dark shade of a color.
Write on your pattern which colors you want to use where. A DMC color chart helps you find numbers if you don't know them.
Choose stitches for the details
- Use a backstitch for lower case letters.
- Fill larger letters and flowers with satin stitch.
- Make small berries with French knots.
- Use a daisy stitch for small leaves.
- Work larger leaves with a herringbone stitch.
Work calmly and precisely
If you work in very detail, use as few threads as possible at the same time. This keeps letters and fine lines clear. Make sure your stitches cover all transfer lines.
Take your time embroidering and build the design piece by piece. This way the wedding card grows into a personal gift with a story.
Which details do you choose from the wedding card?
Don't automatically choose the entire card. A date, initials, flower, line drawing or small ornament often works better than all the details at once. First make a simple sketch and then decide which colors you need.
To transfer the design helps putting an embroidery pattern on fabric. For yarn you can start at DMC splitting yarn.
