When I found out that one of my dear friends is expecting her first baby (she’s the first in our friend group to become a mom!), I knew I wanted to create something meaningful for her. So, I decided to make a personalized embroidery hoop featuring the baby’s name, Benjamin. Here’s how the project came together, along with some tips and details that might inspire you to try something similar.
The Idea Behind the Hoop
My friend shared some photos of the nursery she’s been decorating, and it’s adorable, there is this wallpaper with soft watercolor leaves and a calming green color palette. That’s where I got the idea to incorporate leafy elements into the design. And since she has a sweet Schnauzer named Atena, I couldn’t resist adding a small outline of a dog to the embroidery.
The Design
I used Canva to design the embroidery pattern. I spent some time browsing through the fonts until I found one that looked elegant but was still stitch-friendly. I also pieced together a simple, outline-style leaf illustration and added a Schnauzer silhouette to complete the design. Once I was happy with it, I printed it out and got ready to transfer it to the fabric.
I created a list of potential fonts and tested each one visually before settling on the final choice (which was font #2, Joshico):
Materials I Used
Here are the materials I used for this project:
Fabric: Cotton fabric with a natural texture.
Embroidery floss: A mix of green, brown, gray, black, and mustard tones.
Needles: A size 8 embroidery needle.
Hoop: A 16 cm plastic hoop with a wood-like finish (from AliExpress).
Tools: A Pilot FriXion pen for tracing, a small pair of embroidery scissors, fabric scissors, and a light pad (also from AliExpress).
If you don’t have a light pad, you can tape your design to a sunny window and trace it onto the fabric that way. It works just as well!
The Embroidery Process
After transferring the design onto the fabric using my FriXion pen, I secured the fabric in the hoop and started stitching. Here’s how it went step by step:
Name ("Benjamin"): I used two strands of floss and stitched the letters with a mix of backstitch and split backstitch to give the lettering a smooth yet slightly textured look.
Leafy Stems: I stitched the stems with split backstitch using two strands of a soft brown floss.
Leaves: For the leaves, I alternated between two shades of green and filled them in with leaf stitch, which creates a lovely textured effect.
Flower Buds: The buds were stitched in a light gray using satin stitch for a smooth finish.
Schnauzer Outline: I kept it simple with a black running stitch and added subtle zig-zag details to mimic a textured fur look.
Extra Details: At first, the design felt a little empty, so I added small scattered dots in the same color as the name using satin stitch. I originally tried French knots but quickly realized I’ll probably never master them—so satin stitch dots it was!
Finishing Touches: To finish the piece, I backed the hoop with another piece of cotton fabric for a clean look.
Final Thoughts
This was such a rewarding project to make. It felt special to create something unique for my friend and her soon-to-arrive baby. If you’re thinking of making a personalized gift like this, don’t worry about perfection, it’s the thought and effort that count. And honestly, the process of designing, stitching, and seeing it all come together is half the fun!
If you’d like to see the process in action, check out my YouTube video where I walk through each step of the project. I hope it inspires you to pick up a needle and thread and try something new!
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