Step by Step Guides

Magical Mushroom

Welcome to our step by step guide for your Magical Mushroom embroidery kit! I'm so grateful that you've chosen to try embroidery with one of our kits.

This step-by-step guide can be used in addition to or instead of your paper instructions. The benefit of this guide is that each stitch tutorial is listed below, making it even easier to complete your piece without stress!

If you find yourself having any trouble with stitches, reach out to me at hello@craftclubco.com to book a one-on-one 'help me!' session.

Without further ado, LETS GET STITCHING! 

 

Prepping Your Hoop & Thread

Before beginning your kit, you'll be setting up your hoop and threading your needle.

Setting Up Your Hoop

  • To put your fabric into your hoop, separate the inner and outer hoop by loosening the metal screw at the top. 
  • Place your inner hoop (the one without the metal piece) under your fabric, roughly centering your design in the middle. Then place your outer ring on top of the fabric.
  • Use the screw to tighten the hoop until the fabric is taut like a drum. This can take a bit of time. Start by screwing it a little tighter, then adjust the fabric, then screw again before finally pulling the fabric so it's nice and tight in the hoop.
  • Don't worry if the design isn't perfectly in the middle of the hoop, as you'll be able to adjust it after you've completed!

Threading Your Needle

  • Your thread comes as six individual strands combined to make one string. When stitching we will often split the string and used the desired number of strands for the stitch.
  • Cut approximately 60cm (or roughly an arms length) of thread then separate the number of strands you'll need for the following stitch.

  • Use one of your pink needle threaders to thread your needle, pulling the thread partially through the needle. Don't pull the thread all the way through to the middle, just enough so it feels secure and your needle won't slide away.
  • Then tie a knot at the end of your thread. You can do a double knot if you like, but just a single knot is usually enough for the type of linen included in your kit.

 

Beginning Your Magical Mushroom

For this piece you'll be using 6x beautiful stitches. Each of these stitches is great to have in your stitch 'toolbox' because they're commonly used in other patterns. Meaning that you'll be able to stitch a range of pieces after completing your Midnight Moth.

Stitches Included:

  • Back Stitch
  • Whip Stitch (aka Whipped Back Stitch)
  • Straight Stitch
  • Satin Stitch
  • Long & Short Stitch
  • French Knots

Step 1

We're going to start your magical mushroom piece by filling in the cream stems of each mushroom. Using 2x strands of your #3033 (Cream) thread you’ll fill in the space with LONG & SHORT STITCH. Make each stitch longer to blend in the shape, creating an textural finish.

Next, use long STRAIGHT STITCHES to fill in the beige lines at the bottom of each stem. Use 3x strands of #3863 (beige) thread so that the lines pop.

 

Straight Stitch Video Tutorial - by American Quilting

 

Long & Short Stitch - by Love Crafts

  

Step 2

Next you’re going to fill the mushroom ‘tufts’ that are underneath the caps of the mushrooms, using the same #3863 (beige) thread, this time with 2x strands on your needle. Use a SATIN STITCH to fill in the tuft shapes in a vertical direction.

 

 

Satin Stitch Video Tutorial - by Cutesy Craft

 

Step 3

Onto the exciting part! It’s time to fill in the luscious red colours on the caps of your mushrooms. You’ll use 2x strands of thread for this section.

Start with your #816 (berry red), fill in the bottom ‘shadowy’ section of the mushroom cap with LONG & SHORT STITCH. You want the edge to be smooth but the top lines to be jagged. You don’t need to follow the printed pattern exactly, as any rough long and short shape will have the same effect.

Next you’ll use your #817 (bright red), fill the rest of the mushroom with LONG & SHORT STITCH making sure to leave space for the cream spots. Again your stitches don’t need to be perfect, the idea is to blend the berry red and the bright red together to look like shading. You want your stitches to follow the curve of the mushrooms, working their way towards the top.

Make sure you do this step for both your big mushroom and little mushroom.

 

See Step 1 for the Long & Short Stitch tutorial.

 

Step 4

Fill in the cream spots on both mushrooms using #3033 (cream) thread. Like the previous step, you’ll use 2x strands of thread but this time you’ll be using SATIN STITCH to fill the shape. Work your stitches in a vertical direction, which will give the cream dots a smooth finish that contrasts with the L&S stitch on the red sections of the mushroom.

 

See Step 2 for the Satin Stitch, tutorial. 

Step 5

Look at you! You’ve finished all the tricky bits and now you’re onto the home stretch.

It’s time to stitch the leaf design at the bottom of your piece. Using your #987 (green) thread you’ll want to prep your needle with 2x strands of thread. Start by using a WHIPPED BACK STITCH to fill in the stem sections, going all the way up to the leaves.

If this is your first time stitching, watch the Back Stitch tutorial below followed by the Whip Stitch tutorial.

For the leaves, we’ll be using a form of SATIN STITCH to fill in the space. You’ll fill each side of your leaf with SATIN STITCH but the stitches will be going in opposite directions with the stitches meeting in the middle. This effect is also known as LEAF STITCH.

 

See Step 2 for Satin Stitch tutorial.

 

Back Stitch Video Tutorial - by Mary Corbet

 

Whip Stitch (aka Whipped Back Stitch) Video Tutorial - by Cutesy Craft 

 

Step 6

Now it’s time to add the magic into your piece with the stars and sparkles to finish!

Using 3x strands of your #727 (pale yellow) thread, you’ll use a STRAIGHT STITCH to create the star burst effect. Cover each line of the starburst with one stitch, overlapping them to create the shape.
For your final step, you’ll use the same 3x strands of #727 (page yellow) thread as well as 3x strands of your #3033 (cream) thread to make a series of dots across your piece. Use FRENCH KNOTS to create your little dots. There is 15x dots printed on your design but feel free to add more or less depending on how much magic you want to have in your piece!

 

See Step 1 for Straight Stitch tutorial.

 

French Knot Video Tutorial - by River Birch Threads

 

You've Finished Your Masterpiece!

Washing Your Piece

If there are white lines from the pattern still visible when you've finished your piece, it's time to give it a rinse. If you can't see any white lines (or they're small enough not to be noticeable) skip this step and go straight to backing your hoop!

To wash your lines off, take your fabric out of the hoop and rinse under warm water. You can gently rub the ink with your fingers to remove it. If the ink is being stubborn you can even rinse your fabric with a mild soap.

Once it's clean, leave your piece to dry on a flat on a hand towel away from direct sunlight. You can also press another hand towel gently on top of it to soak up excess water.

 

Ironing Your Piece

If your piece is very wrinkled, you may want to iron it. Generally, you won't need to do this unless it's very creased because the action of tightening the fabric in your hoop will remove small wrinkles.

Place your embroidered piece upside down on a towel on top of your ironing board. You want the back of your embroidery facing upwards. Next place a tea towel on top of your embroidered piece, to protect it from the direct heat of the iron.

Iron your piece on a medium setting, checking your piece as you go. If the creases are stubborn you can increase the setting of your iron, as linen and cotton are okay with higher temperatures. I always suggest doing this gradually, rather than going in straight away with full heat, as the last thing you want to do is burn your piece!

 

Backing Your Hoop

  • When you've finished your design, it's time to back your hoop so it's ready to display! Before backing, make sure your design is centred in the hoop.
  • With your hoop facing down, cut off your excess fabric, leaving approx. 1.5cm around the edge of your hoop.
  • Using approx. 70cm of any thread colour, thread your needle and tie a knot at the end.
  • Starting at the top of the hoop, we are going to use a running stitch around the hoop, across the excess fabric. When you've reached the top again, you can pull the thread firmly to pull the fabric towards the middle. This will stop it from showing at the front.

  • Once it's tight, secure your thread at the top with a knot. You can even knot the two ends of the thread together - just make sure they're as tight as possible so that the fabric at the back lies flat.
  • If you find the fabric is bunching up a bit, simply sit your embroidery piece under something heavy like a book for a few hours. This will flatten the fabric at the back, and make your hoop sit flush when you want to display it.

 

And you're done! Congratulations on finishing your Magical Mushroom embroidery piece. I hope you had a fantastic experience stitching it! 

Nakisah x

Craft Club's Founder