It all began when I was 8 years old. My Mom sat down with me and put a piece of cloth with a stamped design in my hand. The first thing I learned was how to put the fabric into what is called an embroidery hoop. It consisted of 2 wooden circles, one slightly bigger than the other, and the 'circle' that went on top had a metal closure with a screw on it. After you laid the fabric on the bottom 'hoop' and got it positioned correctly, you put the top 'hoop on and tightened the screw enough that the fabric was taut. It needed to be taut so that you could draw the needle and thread both of from the bottom and push down to the back. Trying to position the needle underneath where you wanted it to come up, doing some patience, especially if the thread started to twist. If it did, you had to drop the needle and ho[e the thread untwist itself. If it didn't, you had to do it before you could continue stitching. Over the years, depending on what the design was, I learned a great many stitches. The one beginners usually learn first is cross stitch, which is simply an "x".
Sometimes the fabric came in a kit with thread (embroidery floss), sometimes not. If not, it was a matter of going to a craft store and buying the different colors/shades. Part of the learning was if you had to buy the thread, figuring out how much of each color or shade to buy if it didn't come in a kit.
She proceeded to teach me how to put that design-stamped piece of fabric in an embroidery hoop. Next, she showed me a colored picture of what it should look like when finished, a sheet of paper with a bunch of different symbols representing different colors or shades of one color, and also on that sheet of paper a list of all those symbols, be it a $,, M @ a solid triangle, etc. Each symbol was a different color of thread, or if multiple shades of one color, such as green, brown, or blue, each shade had its own symbol.
Next came labeling the different shades or colors. That could prove difficult as there could be as many as four or five shades of green or brown, blue, etc. Once I had figured out the floss down pat, it was a matter of learning how to separate the floss (it still tends to fight me to this day), thread the needle, depending on the strands I used and the size of the eye of the needle. I also learned how to needlepoint, which is using yarn and a needle with a much bigger needle that wasn't quite as sharp as an embroidery needle.
Over the decades of learning new stitches, it wasn't only my Mom that helped but also my maternal grandmother and one of my great-grandmothers, occasionally giving me tips.
Over the years, depending on what the design was, I learned more stitches, Learning how to not only thread a needle but also the size of the knot as well. She also taught me to stitch a hem, sew on button(s), snaps, and hooks and eyes. The latter required a bit more finesse.
I also learned to look at the back every once in a while. The longer the floss or sometimes the older the floss it twisted and if you didn't know it, sometimes the twist would get caught under the stitches on the back. The goal was to have the back look as good as the front.
More times than I care to count, I had to stop sewing, rip out all the stitches I had done to get back to the place where there was a knot or a loop. Another reason to do this was - depending on how big the loop was, there may have been enough floss for several more stitches. Thankfully, the older I got, the less the loop happened. If the floss was older, it tended to knot itself. I got very good at learning how to undo the knots.
When I was 13 years old, my mother came to me with a kit and said I have a challenge for you. Handed me a kit, looked at me quizzingly, and explained. This was still hand embroidery, but it is called 'Counted cross stitch." Same stitches, but the fabric wasn't stamped with a design on it. The fabric was something called "Aida cloth". It consisted of a heavier cotton fabric with evenly spaced 'holes' in the fabric. The 'holes' were spaced 12, 14, 16, 18, etc apart/. The kit my Mom had given me was 14 count or 14 stitches to the inch.
I learned I had to find the center of the design, usually marked with an arrow at the side and another at the top or bottom of the chart. Where the two met was the center of the design, and where I was to start stitching with whatever symbol was there. In order to find the center of the fabric, it was a matter of folding the fabric in half top to bottom and then side to side. With Aida cloth being heavier, I learned to put a straight pin where the center was, so I knew to either start stitching there OR depending on the relation to the center of the design and where the nearest symbol was, count x number of squares to that stitch. Once I started, it was pretty much routine. Of course, I learned that the higher the number of Aida cloth, the smaller the stitches, and the older I get, the more difficult it is to do smaller stitches.
When I was 17, my obsession with hand embroidery almost cost me my first paid part-time job. Applied for an office job at the same company where my Mom worked. Filled out the application and was told to go see an older man and answer some questions. Ok, my Mom had to tell me to be honest, no problem! Very last question...Am I addicted to anything with a needle? Of course, I said, Yes." The man frowns, checks Yes and asks, "What substance?" Without missing a beat, I answer "Thread." Needless to say, it took him a few minutes to process that answer. He put the pen down, looked up at me and said, "Young lady, you may want to be a bit more careful how you answer that question in the future." Now if he had said syringe...I would have put my pointer fingers in the shape of a cross and said,"Stay away from that."
After 50 years of doing hand embroidery, there have been times I must admit to getting tired of doing it for a stretch of several months.
BUT most of the time, I am so addicted to it that I have trouble putting the needle, thread, and fabric down. There have been times when I am falling asleep, and I literally can't put down the sewing. Call to my husband, who comes out to the LR from our bedroom, gently takes the needle, thread, and fabric out of my hands, puts them where the cats can't reach, pulls me off the couch, and gets me back to the bedroom.
Am still doing kits, when I can find one that looks interesting, have been 'gifted kits' from other artists, but in the last seven years, gnor so have been designing my own "samplers'. Inspiration for those come from a variety of places. A piece on Friendship in the Reader's Digest.
My husband and I met in an adult Sunday School class in 2009 and were married during the church service. (A bit unusual for our denomination) As a dear friend told me, "Ours was definitely a match made in heaven." I ended up designing a 'sampler' from one of our favorite scriptures. Found a large frame on sale and designed the sampler based on the size and shape of the frame, complete with an interesting patterned cotton for matting.
That leads me to another part of my hand embroidery story. I have learned to save $$$ by using cotton fabric as matting on the embroidery I do.
Have, over the years, had friends and neighbors want to learn how to embroider. The friend from church ended up doing a lap quilt. A dear neighbor and friend, Christmas samplers, and a stocking.
Several years ago, I got bored and needed something different to stitch; nothing in the stores appealed to me. My inner voice told me what to do.....it took me a few months to figure out the dimensions, weeks to stitch ....the American flag. First one was roughly 2 1/4" by 4". Had all 50 stars and 13 stripes. Next......decided to go bigger....this time it took me a few months to figure out the dimensions and a couple of months to stitch each.....One I call the 'Pledge Flag, 6x8", all 50 stars and 13 stripes. In the white stripes, I stitched the Pledge of Allegiance. That was done on white Aida cloth. Then another idea....natural colored aida cloth, same size as the Pledge, BUT 13 stars in a circle and in the stripes.....the original 13 colonies.
I have since gotten the idea and stitched...about 30 different country flags....Canada, Japan, Ireland, Germany, etc.
People have told me I should charge for teaching my craft. I have NO idea what to charge. For me, payment is the joy of sharing my hobby or ' addiction' with someone else.
Some other things I should mention....have done 'setting up in other places to sell my sewing." I barely break even and am exhausted.
Have had people over the years say what I stitch would sell on Etsy.
I did try that....BUT once again, technology fights me every step of the way!
Years ago, Google called me and I agreed to a very simple listing. paid a one-time fee of $99, and in the last few years, have gotten calls from people seeing the ad and calling me. Have stitched names on children's aprons.....flowers on a jeans pocket, a wedding date on the collar of a shirt worn by an usher (family), and a band jacket for a teenager who got the members to sign the jacket. I simply used satin stitch over the names of the members. Those jobs I did get paid for.
I am now in my mid 60's, and my addiction to the needle, thread, and fabric is still going strong.