Hand Embroidery Stitch Lessons with step-by-step Illustrations, Patterns, Projects, and a bit of History.
480 Lessons since 2008.
170 Videos.
7100 Comments.
4 million views monthly.
About Sarah
Sarah has been researching and sharing hand embroidery lessons for over 17 years, making it accessible to everyone around the globe. She was also an external guide and expert to the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) students. Sarah has authored 7 hand embroidery eBooks for learners of various levels.
Hand Embroidery Books on Sale ❤️
Learn hand embroidery stitches through step-by-step photo illustrations with tips, techniques, projects, and patterns.
Check out our embroidery book store for more books on hand embroidery.
Book Review by Mr X Stitch
“What Sarah has done very cleverly is successfully target this embroidery book at a really huge audience. Whether you’ve never done any embroidery before or you’ve been sewing for decades, there will be lots in this book for you”.
Subscribe
On Amazon and Etsy
Our eBooks are available on Amazon and Etsy also.
We recommend buying books directly from our embroidery book store.
Embroidery Quote of the Day
"I have a grandmother’s life… I spend most of my day embroidering, drinking some coffee or a cup of tea all while watching TV and fighting with my cat for the cotton… I also go to the cinema a lot."
Julie Sarloutte | Embroidery Artist
"As far as we could tell, the face of the revolution was a sea of embroidering women, patiently waiting the resignation of their repressive governor."
Diana Denham | Author of Teaching Rebellion
"I am fascinated by the idea that a simple thread becomes a piece of art completely, and how many artists use it."
Charlotte Vannier | Artist and Designer
"When I'm not writing or tweaking my computer, I do embroidery. When I'm not plunging into the past, tweaking, or embroidering, I'm reading books about history, computers, or embroidery."
Lynn Abbey | Computer Programmer and Author
"She was passionate about embroidery because it let her express her creativity. It was liberating. It allowed her to exist outside of time."
Laura Esquivel | Author and Politician
"The eye that directs a needle in the delicate meshes of embroidery will equally well bisect a star with the spiderweb of the micrometer."
Maria Mitchell | Astronomer, 1878
"I’ve always had a fascination with the needle, the magic power of the needle. The needle is used to repair the damage. It’s a claim to forgiveness. It is never aggressive, it’s not a pin."
Louise Bourgeois | French-American Artist
"Embroidering is such a lovely, Zen process and I credit it with helping me develop a keener and calmer focus."
Robin McCarthy | Embroidery Artist
"I own and use embroidered and hand-worked pillowcases made by family hands I've never known. I often think of these women and wonder about their lives."
Mary Lee | Middle School Teacher and Author
"From the manner in which a woman draws her thread at every stitch of her needlework, any other woman can surmise her thoughts."
Honore de Balzac | French Novelist and Playwright
"The best way to learn is to just start. It´s not about beauty, followers, or being good; it´s about doing, creating. Embroider whatever you like, use the colors that make you happy."
Sheena Liam | Embroidery Artist
"Hand embroidery has many different names… my personal favorite is needle painting, literally painting with the needle."
Victoria Matthewson | Embroidery Artist
"I heard someone say that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to get into heaven. I decided to sculpt camels in a needle."
Willard Wigan | British Sculptor
"I sit for hours upon hours in solitude and stitch – and I LOVE it! Stitching is meditation to me, as I work sometimes I say a little mantra 'every stitch is a prayer for healing'."
Erin Endicott | Embroidery Artist
"Threads, patterns, and needle sizes have come such a long way since your grandmother's times. Creatively, there is just so much to get into, so much to play with. It's an amazing way to turn inward and get off your phone."
Krysten Ritter | American Actress
"My art is a reflective image of who I am, it communicates my emotions and ideas for the world to see and this makes me feel the happiest."
Nora Aboutaieb | Moroccan Embroidery Artist
More
Search a Stitch or Pattern
Inspiring wreath video
You may also like
Recent Articles
- Clown Collar Stitch
About the Clown Collar Stitch This highly decorative stitch…
- Gut Raincoat Stitch
About the Gut Raincoat Stitch While working on the…
- Fairy Lights Stitch
About the Fairy Lights Stitch The Fairy Lights Stitch…
Recent Comments
Donating = Loving
Sarah’s Hand Embroidery remains free and ad-free, and is supported by readers.
This is excellent. I am so glad someone like you is keeping this alive. Much love and respect from England!
Thank you so much, Ravinder. Your encouragement means a lot to us. ❤️
Hi Sarah
I visited your blog recently and it is just superb. Can you please share some tutorials for neygi stitches for beginners like me. I would like to know in the neygi stitch, whether the front and back will be exact or not. Thanks,
Hi Malathi,
I have a tutorial on Pattern Darning, both reversible and non-reversible. Neygi is pattern darning in Kasuti and follows the same technique. I am sure this tutorial will help.
https://www.embroidery.rocksea.org/hand-embroidery/pattern-darning/
Click on the lessons given at the end of the page!
Thanks a lot, Sarah, for your prompt reply and the link.
so so so beautiful 🙂
Hello,
This blog has been of great help to me. Could you clarify how to proceed on to the next line for the menthi stitch if we are doing a sparrow motif ? We get running stitches on the backside right?
Mahi,
To proceed to the next row, you just have to take the needle to that position from the previous row. The back side should have straight stitches, not running stitches exactly. But, the back side is not so important. Menthi style of stitch is just like the cross stitch. Hope this helps.
Hi Sarah,
Your website is very informative. Do you know of anyone who does this embroidery on a professional level?
Hi sarah
Plz upload tutorials for kutch work…waiting
to learn that from you for a long time…I have asked you about this earlier also
Hi sarah
Plz upload tutorials for kutch work…waiting
to learn that from you for a long time…
thank u so much for such a wonderful web. this is very helpful. i liked the designs very much.
I found your website last night and I love it. There are stitches I heard about for the first time. A lot of stitching and learning is waiting for me. Thank you very much.
May I just say that the Neygi pattern n°2 in high resolution is the same than the n°1?
Have a nice sunday Sarah :-))
Thanks Christa, for informing. Have changed it!
Cheers,
hi sarah , ur website is very useful as im faculty
(fashion design) in inifd (vapi)-gujarat , our stunds have vast syllabus in designing as they r frm annamalia unversity. so v need to teach them all the countries emb.n ur site is ossam for us.thanks
Hi sarah, ur website veri usefull. iam fasion designing student this is very helpful my studing
Hi sarah,
I love your website its a delight for beginners.Your pictures of stitches are very clear & easy to understand.love the way u teach stitches step by step.
prathima.
Hi sarah,
your website is very useful, excellent and widely informative…..
HI sarah
your website is excellent and very imformative.
sudha