How to Embroidery on Burlap?

If you love warm, rustic and homespun looks then embroidery on burlap is certainly something you will be interested in. burlap refers to a rough woven fabric which is made of vegetable fibers also known as jute. If you have been keen in observing the makeup of the sacks used to ship coffee beans as well as other foods around the world then chances are you have seen burlap. When learning how to embroidery on burlap, one of the first things you will have to do is to give the fabric a bit of special treatment to convert it into a fun surface for cozy embroidery.

This article shows you some of the tips and tricks that will guide you all the way to coming up with the most artistic embroidery designs that will make you treasure your burlap all the time.

Choice of Material

Burlap is a fabric readily available in many stores. When learning how to embroidery on burlap, you can even utilize your burlap sacks if you have them. In general, burlap is a rough and loosely woven fabric but other varieties exist which are much finer and tighter. These varieties can help in displaying your embroidery better than the rough variety.

Stitching Designs

The type of stitch designs that work well with burlap are the solid, stitch-filled varieties. Fill stitches are usually preferred when filling large areas with color. Also, these types of stitch designs can be used in creating an underlay foundation above which complicated embroidery designs are sewn. When embroidering on burlap, avoid similar running stitch designs or red work as well as designs that have thin areas of stitching because they will easily disappear into the rough weave of burlap. Country and primitive style designs are the best when working with burlap because they allow your imagination to run wild and experiment on all kinds of possibilities.

The Choice of Needle

The best needle to use when embroidering on burlap is the 75/11 sharp sewing needle. This needle will ensure your design stitches come out as neatly as possible.

The Stabilizer

A medium-weight cutaway stabilizer is the best when working with burlap. The stabilizer should be attached with temporary spray adhesive at the backside of your burlap fabric. This is important because burlap is extremely coarse and loose. If your fabric is extremely loosely woven, you may have to back it with a light colored fabric. While embroidering, use a water-soluble topping to help prevent the stitches from sinking into the burlap fabric hence making them neat and visible.

You can apply a fusible seam tape along the burlap seam line to stabilize the area and further strengthen the seam.

Tracing onto Burlap

When tracing onto burlap, use a washable marker and ensure there is a sufficient seam allowance to enable you cut off the marks when trimming. If you are tracing onto muslin, a fine marker will give you the best results.

Prewashing Burlap

Burlap can be dirty and dusty, so ensure you prepare the material adequately before starting your project. The best way to clean burlap is to use a wet sponge and dab any visible stain. If you have a washing machine, you can also toss it in with some detergent to clean it. If your burlap has loose weave, the best approach is to hand wash it. Before putting the fabric in the dryer, ensure the lint catcher is clean because the lint and fuzz from burlap can easily fill it up. Before cutting burlap, ensure you iron it because the washing process can wrinkle it.

Cutting Burlap

When learning how to embroidery on burlap, you will be forced to make cuttings at several stages depending on the kind of designs you are embroidering. You can comfortably cut burlap with scissors but ensure you do not use the finest sewing scissors because they can become blunt easily. If you are using a rotary cutter, you need to change the blade once in a while to ensure you do not lose the edge. A rotary cutter is good when cutting out rectangles for the burlap sandwich.

Your burlap may threaten to come apart and the best way to prevent this is to use zigzag stitches along the edge. This is particularly the case when using burlap to make pillows and table runners. You can also finish your seams clean with a serger. If you are working on small stuffed projects, you can use a liquid seam sealant to minimize the burlap frays.

The Practical Front on How to Embroidery on Burlap

The first step when embroidering on burlap is hooping. This is easily done by spraying a temporary adhesive on a piece of medium-weight cutaway stabilizer after which you gently smooth the fabric on top. Thereafter, lay a piece of water-soluble topping over the fabric and tightly hoop the whole arrangement.

The second step is to embroider your design either using an embroidery machine or by hand depending on how you want it. When doing machine embroidery, the designs are usually fed into the machine during manufacture or sourced from the internet and transferred through USB connectivity into the design library. This process should not take a long time because the machine will direct you on the stitch length to use and the selection of needles.

The third and final step is finishing up your embroidery project. When practicing how to embroidery on burlap, winding up your project may seem an engaging process. However, with time, it will become easy and simple. All you need to do is to tear away the water-soluble topping and thereafter dab some water on the bits that are remaining to completely remove them. You should note that due to the loose weave of the burlap, you may not be able to see the stabilizer through the little holes in the fabric. This is why a light-colored fabric placed behind the burlap can come in handy.

Additional tips to help you out when learning how to embroidery on burlap include a reduction of stitch length to capture as many fibers as possible within the seam to help in both strengthening the seam as well as preventing fray. Also, it is important to clean your machine after the sewing process so as to remove the loose fibers and lint from the basket.

Info source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hessian_fabric

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