Stitching Confidence: When Embroidery Becomes Part of the Process

It’s easy to think of embroidery as something that requires a dedicated project or a completely different skill set. We tend to categorize ourselves as quilters, bag makers, garment sewists, or embroiderers, when in reality, creativity doesn’t fit neatly into categories.

Somewhere along this machine embroidery process, something shifted for me. It started to feel less like a “category” and more like another tool I naturally reach for while sewing.

Lately, I rarely ask myself, “What embroidery project should I make?” Instead, I ask, “Would embroidery make this more fun, personal, different, or unique?”

Embroidery as an Enhancement

One of the biggest misconceptions I had about machine embroidery was that it needed to take center stage. Every project had to be elaborate or showcase a large design to justify using my embroidery machine.

But I’ve discovered that embroidery can shine brightest when it supports the project.

A minimalist floral motif can elevate a store-bought bag. A monogram tucked inside a garment can make something you sew feel uniquely yours. A small embroidered detail on an otherwise simple project can be the thing that makes it feel finished.

And sometimes, the goal is for the embroidery to blend in so seamlessly that you barely notice it.

That’s very much my style. I want the embroidery to look as though it was always part of the design, because sometimes the best compliment is when someone doesn’t immediately notice what makes a piece special.

And then there are times when embroidery becomes the whole project.

The OESD Lucky Bag Charms are a great example. The finished pieces are a complete embroidery project from beginning to end, but they don’t necessarily read that way at first glance. They are colorful, unique bag additions that just happen to be created entirely in the hoop.

Both approaches have become part of how I think about embroidery: sometimes it is a quiet detail, and sometimes it gets to be the star.

Making Embroidery Feel Intuitive

The moment embroidery began to feel intuitive wasn’t when I mastered hooping or learned every stabilizer recommendation (which I still haven’t, and probably never will). It happened when I stopped asking whether a project was “worthy” of embroidery.

Now, when I’m planning a sewing project, embroidery is simply one of the creative possibilities I consider alongside fabric choices.

And that question has expanded beyond the things I sew myself.

Not everything I embroider has to be something I made from scratch. Sometimes the most satisfying projects are the things I already own or can pick up at a store. A simple item becomes an opportunity to add personality, humor or just a little bit of myself.

Lately, I’ve been having a lot of fun embroidering socks using the BERNINA Sock Hoop. It is such an easy way to take an ordinary, everyday item and make it completely your own.

I’m not entirely sure our 14-year-old is as enthusiastic about all the fun embroidered socks I’ve been making as I am, but she’s still going to be getting them.

Learning Is Part of the Process

I’m not always the best at sitting down and reading through manuals or instructional guides. I tend to be more of a “let me figure this out as I go” person.

But this time, I’ve decided to make a concerted effort to understand more of what I’m doing rather than simply learning the things I need for the project immediately in front of me.

So my BERNINA BIG Book of Embroidery has become part of my morning patio routine.

Coffee, first and foremost. News. Embroidery reading.

There is something surprisingly nice about slowing down and spending a little time learning before I start the day. Instead of treating the book like something I need to get through, I’m picking away at the information a page at a time, a coffee cup at a time.

In some ways, machine embroidery feels more intricate than any other creative venture I’ve jumped into, and I want to do it right.

Start Where You Already Sew

Confidence in creativity often comes from realizing you don’t have to become someone new to try something different. Sometimes it’s about giving yourself permission to expand what you already enjoy making.

Machine embroidery has become one more way I tell my creative story. It has moved from being a separate craft to being another tool in my sewing toolbox, another possibility I consider when I’m dreaming up a project.

And somewhere along the way, I stopped thinking about where sewing ended and embroidery began.

I just started making.

That’s when I knew embroidery had truly become part of the process.