Hoop Stands
Here are some of my favourite hoop stands which should work well for you too. Choose the one which is going to be better for you, it all depends on your favourite place and position. There are hoop stands for sitting on a couch or for at a table, flor stands or those which you can use on the knees.
Table Clamp Hoop Stand - My favourite, I use it for filming all my embroidery tutorials. It allows to fix the hoop in one place so it doesn’t move or shake during stitching. I also like that I can flip the hoop with this one as well. When I stitch in a big square Nurge hoops I use 2 stands like this so it keeps my hoop perfectly.
Sitting Hoop Stand - Great choice if you like to stitch sitting on the couch and watching TV. You can adjust the height and use any hoop size. Also you can flip your work and have quick access to both sides, which is super comfortable to end you threads without taking out the hoop. It is made of high quality beech wood.
Hoop Size Adjustable Desktop Stand - You can use any hoop size and it can be placed on desktop or any flat spaces. Also you can flip your work and have quick access to both sides as well. It is also made of high quality beech wood.
Fabric
Here are the fabrics I like to use. The main rule - the fabric should not be elastic to not deform the pattern in the process. If you want to know more about fabrics which are suitable for embroidery please read my article: What type of fabric to use for hand embroidery?
Threads
DMC Embroidery Threads are the most common threads available in most of the countries.
DMC Variegated Color Variations
Other Brands of Embroidery Floss
Anchor Embroidery threads are also great quality, you can find them in a traditional skeins and in spools. The benefit of spools is that you will get 10 meters in one spool instead of 8 meters like it’s usually in skeins. By the way, you can find them in Michaels for a ridiculously low price $0.25. It’s a hidden sale, you can purchase only in their physical shops.
Lecien Japan Cosmo Seasons Embroidery Floss are excellent quality, quite expensive but they have a lot of unique colors that you will not find in any other brands.
Light Pad
I personally invested in this Light Pad and it's now my favourite method. I use it every day and it’s a real game changer!
It's not expensive, you can find it on Amazon just for $10-$15.
They can be in 2 sizes (A4 and A5) and it has 3 levels of light, which is strong enough for dark fabrics. It really makes my work much easier. I use my light pad for 5 years already and it definitely worth buying!
Printable Water Soluble Stabilizers
I personally use and highly recommend those brands:
DMC Magic Paper (A5), Sulky Stick’n Stitch (A4), Paper Solvy (A4)
Water-soluble film from Madeira (Wash Away Avalon Film, Madeira Premium Stabilizer).
You may find it in Europe. It’s easy to draw on it using any pen and it’s easy to remove. It’s not sticky so your needle will not become sticky too during stitching.
Where to buy: https://amzn.to/3r0dqgi
Wash with care. When washing be gentle and don’t be afraid to let some of the soluble fabric residues remain. It will act like a glue and help seal in your stitches.
Iron-On Paper and Pens
Iron-On Paper - you can print any colorful picture or your photo onto this paper and then transfer it to your fabric using iron. You are good to go with this method if you have an ink jet printer.
Iron-On Transfer Pens - perfect for you if you don’t have a printer and can hand draw the pattern using light method onto the paper. Then all you need is to transfer embroidery design to your fabric using iron. You can make multiply transfers using one drawing.
Here is an article about how to use such pens:
Other Pattern Transferring Pens
Pilot Frixion Heating Erasable Gel Pens - my favourite.
Click here to read my article to learn more about how they work on fabric:
All you need to know about Pilot Frixion Pens
Clover Pen Bundle Markers - it has all kinds of transfer pens including white heating erasable gel ben, which is perfect for dark fabrics. Water erasable pens are also great, they have fine tips so you can transfer tiny details.
Air Erasable Marker - Clover air erasable markers are great for planning embroidery projects and on light and dark fabrics; giving you enough time to finalise the details. This pen has a fine tip and comes with a convenient erasable end for quick corrections, or markings will naturally disappear within 4 - 14 days.
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