Embroidery is a craft rich in history, creativity, and personal expression — but even the most talented stitchers rely on great resources to fuel their skills and inspiration. Whether you’re a beginner threading your first needle or an experienced artist refining intricate techniques, having access to high-quality materials, learning tools, and creative communities can make all the difference.
We have a list of the essential tools for all embroidery and Goldwork embroidery below.
We will be continually adding to this page with details of different threads and wires and how they are used in a variety of embroidery techniques
Embroidery and Goldwork essential tools
🔹 Basic Embroidery Tools (For All Types of Embroidery):
1️⃣ Embroidery Needles
- Crewel Needles: Sharp point, long eye — good for most surface embroidery.
- Tapestry Needles: Blunt point, large eye — best for counted work on evenweave fabrics.
- Chenille Needles: Sharp point, large eye — ideal for thicker threads and padding.
- Beading Needles: Fine and flexible for adding tiny beads.
- Embroidery Needles: Good all round needle great for couching
2️⃣ Embroidery Scissors
- Small, very sharp, fine-pointed scissors for precision cutting.
- Consider having a second pair just for metallic threads.
3️⃣ Embroidery Hoops / Frames
- Hoops: Wood or plastic, keeps small areas of fabric taut.
- Slate Frames: Traditional for goldwork and large projects, offers superior tension.
- Stretcher Bars: Useful for keeping larger fabrics drum-tight.
4️⃣ Needle Threaders
- Handy for threading fine or metallic threads through small needle eyes.
5️⃣ Laying Tool (or Mellor)
- A smooth-tipped tool used to position threads neatly, essential for working with metallics, silk threads, and goldwork.
6️⃣ Pins & Pin Cushion
- Fine pins for positioning fabric or patterns.
- Magnetic pincushions or needle tins help keep things organized.
7️⃣ Lighting & Magnification
A daylight or LED lamp with magnification helps reduce eye strain and improve accuracy.
✨ Extra Specialized Tools for Goldwork Embroidery:
🔸 Goldwork Scissors
- Special Serrated scissors for cutting metal threads like purls and passing threads, the serration ensures a clean cut especially for wires, using standard embroidery scissors can damage wire and in return will bunt the blades of your scissors
🔸 Beeswax
- Used to strengthen non-metallic couching threads (like polyester or cotton) when working with gold threads. This will condition and strengthen your thread and prevent fraying, and reduce snapping in couching threads
🔸 Tweezers
- For positioning tiny pieces of cutwork or tidying up stray fibers.
🔸 Pounce & Pricker (optional)
- Traditional tools for transferring designs with the prick-and-pounce method.
🔸 Soft Brush
- For gently brushing away excess pounce powder or lint.
🔸 Tweezers
- For picking up and placing small pieces of purl in chipping.
🏆 Optional Extras (But Helpful!):
- Stitch Ripper / Unpicker for fixing mistakes.
- Project Bag or Storage Box to keep tools and fabrics clean and organized.
- Embroidery Journal or Notebook to record stitches, colors, and project notes.
Embroidery Essentials
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