Embroidery hoop art appears to be having a resurgence with many fun designs being shared across social media, from cacti to beautiful flowers to inspirational quotes. Several of my creative friends have been inspiring me with their makes. It seems about time I try my hand, naturally, I have turned to denim as my base fabric – I just love working with worn out jeans, repurposing them to give new life to this wonderful strong fabric.

Personally, faith is an important part of who I am, but not something I wish to impose on anyone else. So my choice of words are inspired by my faith. I have chosen to stitch Faith, Love and Hope.

Embroidery Hoop Art Quote

RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES:

Denim Fabric
Fusible interfacing
Embroidery Hoop (this one measures 17cm, 7″ )
Iron
Embroidery Threads
Freezer Paper and printer
Word template
Felt

Iron fusible interfacing to the back of your denim, do not be impatient – ensure it fuses well! This is particularly important for denim which has any stretch to it.

Place the inner circle of the embroidery hoop on to the felt, mark and cut out.

Cut a small strip of felt and sew near the edge of the felt as a hanging loop. Set aside.

Cut a piece of freezer paper to fit through your printer, here in the UK this is A4. I used a piece of printer paper as a template and cut out using a craft knife and quilters ruler.

Download the template then print onto your freezer paper.

Carefully cut the letters out.

Fold your denim fabric in half and finger press to provide a central guide for your letters. Place the I of faith next to the edge of the fold and press in place.

Carefully place the letters so they match the original layout and design of the lettering, ensuring the words are aligned down the middle.

Place the denim fabric centrally inside the embroidery hoop. Ensure the denim fits tightly.

Using embroidery thread start making french knots around the edge of each letter in the same colour thread.

If you have not made a french knot insert the needle in the location of the knot, pull through to the right side of the fabric. Wrap the embroidery thread around the needle twice, close to the fabric.

Pull the thread so the wrapped thread is neat and semi-taught. Insert the needle back through the fabric, pulling the thread right through until it reaches the wrap, this creates the knot look.