Finishing Options for Hand Embroidery

Learn how to turn your hand embroidery into a pillow or sachet, and how to cleanly display it on the wall using a hand embroidery hoop or an art canvas. Kat McTee shows you how to prepare your embroidery for hanging, displaying, or gift giving.

After removing your fabric from the hoop, press out the hoop marks. Set your iron to steam at a medium heat setting and press gently from the wrong side.

If making a pillow or sachet, cut the fabric around the embroidery to the desired size. Then cut a matching backing piece. Kat demonstrates how to stitch the edges, turn the project right side out, then use the ladder stitch to close the opening.

To turn your hand embroidery into a patch, fuse heavyweight interfacing onto the wrong side. Kat demonstrates how to finish the raw edges using a blanket stitch, so it’s ready to be hand or machine stitched onto a garment or bag.

To display your embroidery in a hoop, Kat explains how to trim the excess fabric a few inches larger than the hoop. Kat demonstrates how to tuck the fabric edges under and pleat them to match the size of the hoop, then tack the pleats in place. You can also glue felt onto the wrong side of the embroidery in the hoop, to cover up the back of the stitches.

To wrap your hand embroidery over a canvas, Kat recommends using a staple gun. Kat demonstrates how to center the embroidery on the canvas by measuring and marking on the wrong side of the embroidered fabric. Kat then demonstrates the technique for stapling the fabric to the frame.

For more information on hand embroidery, check out more of Kat’s videos:
Hand-Embroidering Letters and Numbers
Spot Stitches & French Knots
Hand Embroidering Denim