Trying to embroider socks can be tricky due to their thin and elastic nature, but the outcome looks so good that it is worth the effort.
You can stitch on any pattern or design, treating your feet with a wonderful pair of socks that look amazing and feel cozy.
But how do you embroider socks?
Here we have a few hints and tricks to help guide you down the right path to the perfectly embroidered pair of socks. Follow our lead, and you will be able to decorate and upgrade your socks in any way you like appearance-wise.
Embroidering designs onto socks is the exact same process as embroidering other clothes. Embroidering clothes can be done in two ways: by hand or by sewing machine. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but no matter which way you do it, you will first need to know how to embroider.
Embroidery is not as easy as stitching a pattern straight onto a piece of fabric. This can distort the fabric and on clothes, it can make them lose their shape.
This is why everyone who embroiders by hand will recommend you use tracing paper while embroidering.
So, to start embroidering on fabrics, you will need the following materials:
Once you have gathered all of these materials, you can start practicing embroidery.
To start, you will need to draw out your design on your piece of tracing paper. Then, cut out the design and leave a thin outline of tracing paper all the way around. Lay out your fabric flat and in the paper to the fabric where you want to embroider.
With your design laid out in front of you and your fabric is read, you can start to thread your needle and start embroidering.
Remember to double or even triple knot the end of your thread so you won’t accidentally lose your thread from your needle in the middle of embroidering.
Then, start embroidering! All you need to do is hand sew through the clothing and the tracing paper, following the lines of your design.
Once you are done, tie a double or triple knot on the inside of your fabric to secure the end. Snip off any excess length and rip the tracing paper away carefully (try not to fray or bunch up the design in the process).
Then you are done!
While embroidering, you are probably wondering what stitches you are most likely to use. There are a few simple ones that will come in handy, so we will be going through these stitches with you so you can embroider in confidence.
A running stitch is also known as a Straight Stitch, and is one of the most basic stitches to learn even outside of embroidery.
All it contains is pushing the needle through one side and then back through the other, leaving a very small space in between. It may not be the best stitch to use for embroidering socks because of the tracing paper, but give it a go!
A back stitch creates a solid line and it is an ideal stitch to use when embroidering with tracing paper.
To start, first do a simple running stitch and skip a length. Then, instead of moving forward like with the running stitch, you go backwards and attach the second stitch to the end of the last stitch. This will create a solid line of stitching.
This is a great stitch for making more complicated and interesting textures and designs to your embroidery.
To do a split stitch, you have to first do a normal stitch, then push your needle through the middle of the stitch and create a new stitch from there.
Keep repeating this process over until your line is done, and your line has a pattern that kind of resembles a braid.
The Peking knot is a stitch that a lot of embroiders tend to use as it is a handy stitch for some amazing patterns.
A Peking knot will appear like a small, round circle on your piece of fabric so this stitch is great for floral designs. However, it can be used in any design you like. We recommend it also because it is very easy to do so it is a great stitch to use if you are starting out with embroidery.
We also recommend that you practice the Peking knot a few times on scrap pieces of fabric before you start on working on your socks, just so you can get into the groove before you move on to the main event.
To use the Peking knot, you will need to come from the back of the fabric and make a look with the loose end ending under the thread that is attached to the fabric.
Insert the needle through just above the point where the threat exits the fabric, but don’t pull through straight away. Instead, you should slowly pull the threat until the loop is the size you want.
Hold the loop in place and pull the needle through. Do not pull too hard otherwise the knot will tighten.
This will leave you with a small loop - perfect for little rosebud and floral designs!
Embroidering socks can be tricky due to the elasticity of the sock but be patient and careful, and embroidering socks will eventually be just as easy as embroidering other kinds of clothes.
We also recommend embroidering by hand instead of using a specialized sewing machine because this will allow you to create more detailed patterns with a lower chance of making a mistake. It may take more time, but so will trying to undo any mistakes your machine makes!
So, now you know how to embroider socks and which stitches you should use, why not grab some training paper and spare fabric and start practicing now! Good luck!
