5 Things Every Beginner Embroiderer Actually Needs (No Overwhelm, I Promise)

Your first choice here will shape your whole experience. If you're learning cross-stitch, Aida cloth is your best friend — it has a visible grid of holes that makes counting stitches almost effortless. For freestyle embroidery like satin stitch or floral designs, a smooth cotton fabric works beautifully. And if you want something with natural texture and a bit more character, linen is gorgeous (though slightly trickier for beginners). I also love using felt for small brooches — it's sturdy, doesn't fray, and forgives a lot of beginner mistakes.

And here's one more idea that might surprise you: denim. That old jacket sitting in your wardrobe or a pair of jeans you don't wear anymore? Perfect canvas. Embroidery is a wonderful way to give old clothes a second life — and it's more beginner-friendly than it looks. I actually documented exactly how I did this in a step-by-step dandelion tutorial on my jeans pocket — have a look if you're curious!

My tip: Start with Aida 14-count white fabric. It's cheap, forgiving, and available everywhere.

Supply 02 Embroidery thread (floss)

Standard 6-strand cotton floss is what you'll use for 90% of your projects. The trick is that you usually split those 6 strands and only use 2–3 at a time — this controls the thickness and texture of your stitches. Once you get comfortable with the basics, the world opens up: metallic threads for a shimmery effect, silk for a luxurious sheen, viscose for intense color, and even glow-in-the-dark threads (yes, really!). My personal favorites are DMC, Madeira, and Anchor — they're widely available, colorfast, and the color ranges are incredible.

Start with a basic set of DMC or Anchor floss in colors you love. You can always expand later. 

Supply 03 An embroidery hoop

A hoop isn't just a decorative frame — it's what keeps your fabric taut while you stitch, and it makes an enormous difference in the quality of your work. Loose fabric leads to puckered, uneven stitches. Taut fabric? Smooth, satisfying results. I personally prefer round wooden hoops: they're sturdy, easy to tighten, and look beautiful displayed on a wall when you're done. Start with a simple 6-inch or 8-inch hoop and go from there.

Don't leave your hoop on fabric when you're not stitching — it can leave marks over time.

Supply 04 The right needles

Needles seem simple, but choosing the wrong one can make embroidery genuinely frustrating. The key things to look at: size (smaller number = larger needle), eye size (must fit your thread without struggle), and tip type — sharp tips for woven fabric, blunt/tapestry tips for Aida and canvas. Good needles glide through the fabric smoothly and don't leave big holes. Investing in a quality set early on is worth it — cheap needles snag and bend after just a few uses.

For standard 6-strand floss on Aida, start with a size 24 or 26 tapestry needle.

Supply 05 Small, sharp scissors

You'll be cutting thread constantly — trimming ends, snipping mistakes, switching colors. A large pair of kitchen scissors is going to make this painful. What you need are small, pointed embroidery scissors, ideally with fine tips that can get close to your fabric without accidentally cutting a neighboring stitch. The classic stork scissors you've probably seen are popular for a reason: they're precise, lightweight, and honestly just delightful to use. Once you have a good pair, you'll wonder how you ever managed without them.

Keep your embroidery scissors only for thread — using them on paper will dull them fast.