How to Embroider Inchies

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Overview

What is an embroidered inchie, anyway? Simply a piece of fabric filled with 1 inch by 1 inch squares of embroidery. Inchies are great projects for everyone from beginners to advanced embroiderers because they can be as simple or complicated as you like. What a lovely way to practice those embroidery stitches you've been dying to try.

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Things You\’ll Need

5-inch embroidery hoop

10 inch by 10 inch piece of tightly woven cotton or linen fabric

Ruler

Water-soluble marking pencil or pen

Embroidery needle

Embroidery floss in a variety of colors

Scissors

Iron

Felt, 9 inches by 12 inches

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Draw a Grid

Iron your fabric to release any wrinkles. Place the fabric on a clean, flat work surface. Using the pencil and ruler, draw a 1 inch by 1 inch square grid on the right side of the fabric. Depending on how many squares you plan to embroider, make the grid as large or small as you like.

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Embroidery Hoop

Unscrew the embroidery hoop and separate the two rings. With the grid facing up, center the fabric over the smaller inner ring. Fit the outer ring over the fabric and inner ring, pulling the fabric taught; tighten the screw to secure the fabric.

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Backstitch a Square

Cut 18 inches of embroidery floss and thread your needle. Using the basic backstitch, outline one of the squares close to the center of the grid. Choose your squares carefully to insure your design is centered within the fabric.

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Draw a Letter

Draw a simple letter "H" and embroider the outline using the backstitch.

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Seeding Stitch

Embroider the space surrounding the letter H with the Seeding stitch, changing the direction of the stitch for a scattered effect.

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Try Other Stitches

Repeat steps 4 to 6 to embroider the remaining letters in the word HOME. Use other stitches such as french knot or fly stitch to fill in around the letters. Embroider as many of the surrounding squares as you like with abstract patterns that combine two or even three different types of stitches.

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Iron Your Embroidery

Unscrew the embroidery hoop and remove your completed project. Tie off any loose thread in the back of your work. Place the fabric on an ironing board and use a clean iron to remove creases and wrinkles.

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