Needlework is an impressive enough technical skill, but pair it with some top-notch creativity and you end up with embroidery projects that are truly next level. This online group is dedicated to helping beginners and showcasing the top talent out there. 

We also reached out to visual artist Chloe Giordano and author/embroidery artist Michelle Staub to learn more about getting into embroidery in case anyone ends up feeling inspired by the creations on display here. So scroll down, upvote your favorites, and be prepared to take some notes if you plan to start your embroidery journey. 

More info: Reddit

#1 Floral Embroidered Denim Jacket- One Year In The Making!

Image credits: ExperienceMotor1694

#2 Ten Piece Chicken Wings With Fries

Image credits: cremepat

#3 My New Work,poppy Flowers Field

Image credits: Tutku_embroidery

We started by asking where a beginner should start looking for resources and guides, as the internet is full of videos and instructions. Michelle Staub suggested that people just pick something and get to work on it. “I would recommend starting with a full embroidery kit or a pattern. With a kit, you’ll receive all of the materials you need and won’t have to go out and get all of your own thread colors and fabric. You may even end up with some leftover thread for future projects. If you can, avoid buying kits sold on Amazon because almost all of them contain stolen designs from other embroidery artists.”

“It’s best to buy kits from shops on Etsy to support small businesses. You can also find embroidery kits at craft stores. You may also choose to just get a pattern and source all of the materials yourself. You can find digital embroidery patterns on Etsy, or there is a large collection of free ones on DMC.com. If you’re looking to learn a wide range of different embroidery stitches then look for something called an embroidery sampler. If you’re a visual learner and like to follow along with videos, Youtube is a great place to find tutorials for different embroidery stitches. There are also online courses that teach embroidery that you can pay to take.”

#4 Another One Of My Works With Northern Lights. I Think I Will Take A Short Break From Such Landscapes And Try To Embroider More Colorful Landscapes

Image credits: embroiderybynusik

#5 Send This To Your Internet Trolls

Image credits: iLabrador

#6 Luna Moth, My First Attempt At A 3D Effect

Image credits: BigFatJoints

Some beginners say they fear wasting materials or aren’t sure about buying quality yarn and threads. Chloe Giordano suggested that “If you’re not intending to sell the embroidery I think there’s nothing wrong with opting for cheaper materials, as you’ll be less worried about making mistakes and ‘ruining’ supplies. I always recommend just diving in, experimenting with different styles, and accepting that you’ll make mistakes along the way, I messed up a lot of embroideries before I got to the good ones!”

#7 Finished My Christmas Present For My Little Sister!

Image credits: metal_paper

#8 My First Original Embroidery Design

Image credits: cindoc75

#9 My Mom Made This Decades Ago. It Has Hung In My Childhood Home As Long As I Can Remember, And I Only Recently Realized How Incredible It Actually Is

Image credits: BigBepper

Michelle Staub had similar thoughts. “The great thing about embroidery is that you can use a wide range of different fabrics, thread, hoops, and needles and it can all work. However, there is a difference in quality between brands of thread. The most common brands are DMC, Anchor, and Cosmo. Other brands may fray as you work and may not be colorfast. In my opinion, it’s worth it to buy the name brand thread since the quality is the best and one skein of thread will last you some time.”

#10 Embroidery Project Finished (988 Days Later)

Image credits: HumbleNorthHamilton

#11 Not My Design But My Stitching

Image credits: iLabrador

#12 I Started My Own Embroidery Journal A Year Ago And Managed To Stick With It!

Image credits: sewvulgar

“As far as needles, fabric, and hoops, it is all pretty similar. A generic multi-size pack of embroidery needles will last you some time. You can embroider on literally anything from cotton, linen, and felt, to even your clothing. And as long as your hoop can hold your fabric tight you’re good to go! You can find these items in craft stores or even secondhand thrift stores. My first-ever projects were stitched on an old canvas chair slipcover that I found at a thrift store and cut up,” she added, clarifying some details that could be useful for beginners. 

#13 My Oaks

Image credits: NaqsheKhial

#14 My First Ever Embroidery (Please, Don’t Be Too Harsh)

Image credits: little-crazy

#15 I‘M Pretty Sure Something Like This Was Here Before. I Hope You Enjoy Nonetheless!

Image credits: HardcoreLock

We also wanted to know if there were any specific mistakes or misconceptions they often encountered. Michelle Staub told us that “I think people are afraid to start learning embroidery because they’re worried their project won’t end up “perfect.” I will tell you that there are mistakes in every embroidery you see but only the stitcher will be able to tell you where they are! The only way you will be able to improve with embroidery is if you actually do it and practice. And the best way of learning is to just try it and learn from your mistakes as you go!” 

#16 Kosher Dills

Image credits: pearpeachplums

#17 78 Hours For Rootin’ Tootin’ Space Cowboy Bmo

Image credits: Aggravating-Minute74

#18 Just Finished A Memorial Portrait For A Friend’s Uncle!

Image credits: schmowd3r

Chloe Giordano focused on the mechanics of embroidery. “From a technical point of view, it’s that beginners often don’t tighten the fabric in the hoop properly – it should be completely taut like the skin of a drum.” Lastly, Michelle Staub wanted readers to take home this piece of advice: “I think it’s really easy to look at someone else’s embroidery and compare your work to theirs. It can be intimidating, especially if you’re just starting out! Just know that those people were once where you were.”

#19 Beginner. My Friend Asked Me To Repair Her Favorite Jacket With Some Embroidery. The Jacket Was In A Real Poor State, But I Said Yes, And Now It’s Done! Hopefully Now She Can Love The Jacket A Few More Years!

Image credits: Mindbogglingloops

#20 White Swan On A Black Lake

Image credits: Tutku_embroidery

#21 A Cat Portrait I Recently Embroidered. I Experimented With Dmc, Anchor, And Cosmo Threads For Fun

Image credits: Florally

“What you see is the result of their hours and hours of practice. We all start somewhere! It’s very brave to try something new and be open to making mistakes and learning. If you’re interested in embroidery this is your sign to pick up a needle and thread and give it a go!” You can find Chleo’s site here, Michelle’s here, and if you want to see more creations, check out one of our other articles here. 

#22 My First Embroidery Is A Tiny Wooly Garden By The Brook

Image credits: tinastinythings

#23 I Stitched Up Some Tiny Doc Martens For A Piece I’m Working On!

Image credits: kenz024

#24 Berry Pie

Image credits: cosmicstrawberryblue

#25 After 20+ Years Of Not Picking Up A Needle, I Decided To Try This Little Number From Etsy. 485,836,947,235 French Knots Later, It’s Finished

Image credits: LizzieTeaOhBee

#26 I Stitched Some Bees To Show All The Jobs They Take On In A Hive!

Image credits: iLabrador

#27 Serval In An Oval Hoop

Image credits: a_warm_garlic_yurt

#28 Some Of My Favorites I Embroidered , They Looked So Pretty Together

Image credits: nonakeddenim

#29 My Absolute Favourite So Far. From The Book The Queen In The Cave By Julia Sarda. Took About 45 Hours

Image credits: abbykos

#30 That’s A Smile You Have When Posing With 100 Moths You Hand Embroidered. Am I Proud Of Myself? Oh Yes, I Am!

Image credits: MossAndFloss

#31 Some Landscapes I Finished Recently!

Image credits: untiltuesday

#32 Tiny Crab Embroidery

Image credits: AlinaKuptsova

#33 Silk Ribbon Embroidery On Wool Beret. Hand Embroidered

Image credits: linenandfred

#34 A Tribute To My Appreciation For The Outdoors And A First For Many Techniques

Image credits: lil_bobbin

#35 Snoopy By Me. The Blue Is Supposed To Be Ice, But I Think It Turned Out Great!

Image credits: Sa1tyWaffles

#36 My Favorite Larger Piece I’ve Done

Image credits: molinduh

#37 Finished A Gift For My Mother! The Spider Webs Glow In The Dark!

Image credits: freeeicecream

#38 My Original Idea! This Is My Niece’s Drawing I Made Into A Framed Embroidery Piece For My Sister. I Framed It Myself. Let’s See How Far This Makes It Before It’s Deleted/Hidden Or Whatever Keeps Happening

Image credits: fujoshisoulfood

#39 A Humming Bird Coin Purse I Embroidered And Sewed As A Gift For My Mom

Image credits: Shandathe

#40 Portrait Embroidery On 7” Hoop

Image credits: Miuembroidery

#41 My First Building!

Image credits: kenz024

#42 So Many Beads!! Thinking Of Turning This One Into A Patch

Image credits: hun_stuffed_cabbage

#43 My Cousin Got Married In August. Finally Finished With Her Gift, Just Need To Add A Date

Image credits: MaddCricket

#44 I Designed A Festive Screaming Possum Who I Think Reflects My Thoughts Regarding This Time Of Year. Merry Chrysler!

Image credits: The-Artful-Possum

#45 Valentine’s Day

Image credits: kenz024

#46 I’ve Stitched Pigeon Once

Image credits: gabuclombardi

#47 An Embroidered Valentine’s Day Gift For My Girlfriend

Image credits: alastairscott

#48 Finished My Octopus Project Definitely Not Perfect, But A Ton Of Fun

Image credits: overtakenbymoss

#49 You All Liked My Squid Patch, Now Here’s A Deep Sea Anglerfish!!

Image credits: tapirsaurusrex

#50 Made This For My Mum For Mother’s Day

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#51 Inspired By A Cup My Sister Bought Me

Image credits: littlestlex

#52 Remembering Summer. My Latest Ribbon Embroidery Project

Image credits: RibbonPalette

#53 A Fish

Image credits: Tanya_Poli

#54 Big Thank You To This Sub, I Finally Took The Plunge Despite Not Knowing How I’d Pull It Off, And Finished My Second Embroidery! Now I’ll Always Have A “Pocket Full Of Sunshine”

Image credits: ramenmangaka

#55 The Way We Speak Becomes The Way They Think. Let It End With Us

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#56 First Time Posting. Any Resources Y’all Recommend For Getting Better? Be Gentle?

Image credits: Pippin_the_parrot

#57 Girl Feeding Hens-Just Finished!

Image credits: Suzilu

#58 Raspberry Spiders!

Image credits: RobotRoyalty

#59 A Little Chicken I Embroidered For My Mother In Law

Image credits: fancyhairbrush

#60 Embroidery Inspired By Stained Glass Art

Image credits: vidana_art

#61 A Lot Of Firsts – A Lot Of Fun

Image credits: C_Bluebear

#62 Dinosaurs In Love Designed By Me

Image credits: lilbitchoftheopera

#63 I Used 38 Colors In My Recent Embroidery

Image credits: vidana_art

#64 I Love Flowers And Hate French Knots, So There Are Lots Of Those On My Work

Image credits: Miuembroidery

#65 2 Months Down!

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#66 Embroidered Card, First Project Since Baby

Image credits: KoalaQueen87

#67 Back From Wip Hell

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#68 Finished The Sardine Can. I’m Really Happy With How The Fish Turned Out

Image credits: abbykos

#69 Progress On Ravioli With Sauce

Image credits: LetsEscapeEarth

#70 Fixed A Hole In My Sweater! Used A Stick On Design From Hoopartstitch On Etsy. First Time Trying Thread Painting. Critiques Welcome!

Image credits: QuentinTearABeano

#71 Matilda – Thinking Of Making A Series Of Classic Line Drawing Book Covers

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#72 Colorful Sunset, 1 Strand On 8” Hoop

Image credits: Miuembroidery

#73 Birthday Gift Done Just In Time!

Image credits: wintermaerchen1007

#74 Some Squishmallow That I Embroidered. Very New To Embroidery And Thought This Would Be Fun

Image credits: sun_smasher

#75 *mostly* Done – I Have A Few Spaces That I Want To Fill In, But I’d Say It Turned Out Pretty Alright!

Image credits: AdmiralMangoChutney

#76 Me: I Want A Hoop Holder BF: *goes To Hardware Store*

Image credits: jennabenna11

#77 Great Grandmother’s Embroidered Towels

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#78 First Time With My Own Design, So Happy With The Result

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#79 Took Some Time, But Finished This For My Husband’s Office!

Image credits: meowandmeow

#80 My Girlfriend Just Finished This

Image credits: Mammoth_Occasion5724

#81 Rabbit Tessellation Embroidery I Made After Learning Some Basic Stitches

Image credits: Analysis_mode27

#82 Atlas!

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#83 Decided To Stop Worrying About Realism And Just Stitched Whatever Colors Felt Good

Image credits: AlgorithmDestroyer

#84 Creation Of Adam Embroidery For My Cat-Lady Mom. I Sacrificed A Bedsheet For The Fabric Because It Was The Perfect Color

Image credits: efildrawkcab

#85 I Made A Clock! Simple But I Love It!

Image credits: heathercaz

#86 My First Embroidery Project!

Image credits: jennifermarieo

#87 I Work At A Needle-Exchange. This Project Was A Good Combination Of My Work/Hobby Life

Image credits: Sourstitches

#88 Really Loved The Last Of Us!

Image credits: thevampireswidow

#89 Van Gogh Sunflowers

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#90 All Done With This Bookmark!!

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#91 I Finally Finished Tank Girl! She’s Ready To Go To Her New Home

Image credits: rachelle_makes_stuff

#92 Hoop I Made For My Boss

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#93 Lettering Help! Can You Distinguish What This Says? Gift For A Friend But I’m Having Second Thoughts About Using Split Stitch For The Words…

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#94 My First Attempt At Stitching Writing

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#95 New Patch I Made For My Battle Vest. Particularly Pleased With The Font Stitching

Image credits: Bluefastakan

#96 Watercolor + Whale I Did A Couple Years Ago

Image credits: biobroidery

#97 Another “Ominous Footsteps” Hoop

Image credits: Sourstitches

#98 I Love The Banana, Hate The Text. I Give Myself A B- On This One

Image credits: OptimisticArtichoke

#99 Creation Of Adam…. On My Butttt!

Image credits: MinimumElk

Source: boredpanda.com