Let the thread lead the way
Stamped embroidery is the friendliest way into needlework. Bucilla prints the design on cotton in a wash-away ink, marks which stitch and which color go on each line, and includes the floss to match. You put the fabric in the hoop, thread the needle and follow the lines. The printed marks rinse out when the piece is done.
The current designs lean toward florals and color: Floral Bouquet and Pocket Full of Posies for a classic look, Lavender Fields and Sunset for long satin-stitch areas, Mother Earth and the Butterfly and Kaleidoscope Butterfly kits for fine outlines. The Geode kit builds texture with layered stitches, and the Jeweled Mandala adds beads to the floss for a piece that catches the light.
Most designs finish at 6 to 8 inches and stay in the hoop as wall art, so there is no framing step. A kit takes three to six evenings, and the stitch guide inside covers backstitch, satin stitch, French knots and lazy daisy with a drawing of each.
Bucilla, Floral Bouquet, Full Stamped Kit
Bucilla, Butterfly Stamped Kit for DIY Arts and
Bucilla Stamped Embroidery, Mother Earth
Bucilla , Kaleidoscope Butterfly
Choosing an embroidery kit
Look at the stitch list in the listing. A design that uses backstitch and satin stitch only, like Floral Bouquet, suits a first hoop. Designs with French knots and beads, like the Jeweled Mandala, are a second or third project.
Consider how much fill the design has. Outline designs stitch fast and show the fabric; filled designs like Sunset and Lavender Fields take longer and give a solid, painted look. Both use the same six-strand floss, and the instructions tell you how many strands to use on each line.
Check the finished size against the hoop you want on the wall. Bucilla lists the design size, and most kits fit a standard 6, 7 or 8 inch hoop. Some kits include the hoop; the listing says so.
Wash the finished piece in cool water to remove the stamped lines, press it face down on a towel, and trim and gather the back of the fabric behind the hoop. The instruction sheet shows the finishing steps.
Embroidery kit questions
No. Each kit includes a stitch guide with drawings of every stitch the design uses, and the fabric marks which stitch goes where.
No. Bucilla stamps the design in a wash-away ink. Rinse the finished piece in cool water and the marks disappear.
Some kits include the hoop and say so in the listing. For the others, any standard hoop of the listed design size works.
Choose a design to stitch slowly
Pick a Bucilla embroidery kit and make a colorful project that rewards close attention and an unhurried afternoon. The listing shows the finished size, the stitches used and the reviews of stitchers who worked the same design, so you can pick a hoop that matches the evenings you have.