The Birds of Sorrow: Giving Voice to Loss in an Age of Pandemic - Irwin Library, April 2025

This is a quick guide for getting started with embroidery and cross stitching. Included below are videos that show basic skills needed to prep your materials and start stitching. The makerspace has an embroidery and cross stitching kit for you to choose from. Every kit will include these tools:

Stitching Essentials Kit

Contains:

Scissors

Needle threader-red

Needle threader-yellow

Seam ripper-green

Thimble

2 embroidery needles

Instructional Guides:

How to use a needle threader

How to use a thimble

Embroidery Kit

Contains:

Stitching Essentials Kit

Assorted floss (aka thread)

Embroidery hoop

Water soluble paper stabilizer

Manual

Instructional Guides:

Preparing to Embroider-Stretching Fabric into the Hoop

Transferring a Pattern using water soluble stabilizer

How to prepare your embroidery floss

How to thread your embroidery floss

How to make a starter knot

Cross Stitch Kit

Contains:

Stitching Essentials Kit

Assorted floss (aka thread)

Fabric hoop

Water soluble paper stabilizer

Instructional Guides:

Preparing to Cross Stitch-Stretching Fabric into the Hoop

How to prepare your embroidery floss

How to thread your embroidery floss

How to make a starter knot