Embroider a sweatshirt

A plain sweatshirt becomes yours with a small design on the chest: a flower, a word or a date. Embroidery by hand needs only a needle, thread and a hoop, and a few simple stitches cover most designs. It also works on a sweatshirt you already own, which makes it a good way to give an old favourite a second life.

Choosing a design and placing it

Keep it small, roughly the size of your palm, and simple. A flower, a short word, a leaf or a little star is plenty for a first try. Thick, stretchy fabric is harder to stitch fine detail on, so bold shapes work better than tiny ones.

Draw it on with a washable fabric pen or a heat-erasable one, or trace it using a piece of tracing paper that you stitch through and tear away. Place it on the chest on the left, a little below the collarbone, then check it in a mirror before you stitch. Pin the sweatshirt flat, with the front separated from the back so you don’t stitch them together.

What to bring, beyond the list

• A washable fabric pen to draw the design.
• A needle with a large eye, such as an embroidery needle.
• Small scissors for snipping thread.
• Stabiliser, if you have it, such as tear-away or cut-away.
• A good light.

How to embroider a sweatshirt

1. Draw the design onto the fabric. Check it from a distance.
2. Add stabiliser to the inside of the sweatshirt behind the design, if you have it, so the knit doesn’t stretch.
3. Hoop the fabric. Place the inner ring behind the design and press the outer ring over it. Pull the fabric gently taut, but don’t stretch it, and tighten the screw. Make sure only the front layer is in the hoop.
4. Thread the needle with two or three strands of floss, about an arm’s length. Knot the end.
5. Start by bringing the needle up from the back at the beginning of a line.
6. Backstitch for lines. Take a small stitch backward, bring the needle up a stitch length ahead, then go back down at the end of the previous stitch. Repeat.
7. Satin stitch for fills. Make straight stitches side by side, close together, across the shape. Keep them parallel and the tension even.
8. Finish each thread by weaving it through a few stitches on the back and snipping the end. Don’t carry thread far across the back.
9. Remove the hoop and the stabiliser. Tear away the extra, trim the loose ends and check the back is neat.

What goes wrong

• The fabric puckers. The stitches are too tight, or the hoop was too tight. Ease the thread, and use stabiliser.
• The design drifts. The knit stretched while you worked. Hoop it again and stitch more gently.
• Thread keeps knotting. Use shorter lengths, and let the needle hang and untwist now and then.
• The pen marks are still visible. Follow the pen’s instructions, usually a dab of water or heat. Test on a hidden spot first.
• It looks messy up close. A first attempt always does. Washing and wearing it softens the stitches.

Looking after it

Turn the sweatshirt inside out and wash it on a gentle cycle in cool water, then dry it flat or on low heat. Avoid ironing directly on the stitches.

Stitches worth knowing

Three more stitches cover most small designs. Running stitch is a dashed line, made by passing the needle in and out at even intervals. Stem stitch makes a smooth, rope-like line that suits curves and flower stems. French knots make small dots, good for flower centres. Each one has short beginner videos, and you can practise on a scrap of fabric before touching the sweatshirt.

Make it a winter evening

Put on a playlist or an audiobook and stitch for an hour or two. If you want a companion project, the beanie is worth a go, and you can wear both together on a winter hike.