Threadpaint Embroidery Without an Embroidery Hoop, and Bonus Fruit Slice Embroidered Brooch Pattern

I wanted to find out if I could complete a threadpainting embroidery without a hoop. This Instructable is the experiment to find out how.

Firstly, I’ll answer the question you may be asking “why would you want to undertake a threadpainted embroidery without a hoop”? Well, perhaps you have no hoop! Or perhaps you don’t like those tiny little threads you see at the edge of threadpainted stumpwork pieces (or maybe that’s just me!). You may also be working on a piece for stumpwork and don’t want to waste fabric, or you might be travelling and looking to save space.

For whatever reason you decide to threadpaint without a hoop, I can confirm after this test, it is entirely possible and to prove it, here’s a pattern to make an easy fruit slice brooch threadpainted embroidery to give it a go. I have made three brooches to this pattern in each of the bases I tried and all worked a treat!

Firstly the tools:

This experiment was undertaken using the same tools to make all three brooches:

• embroidery scissors
• embroidery or crewel needle
• needle threader
• thread conditioner like Thread Heaven or just a wax candle (colourless). The thread conditioner is great for all embroidery to reduce knotting as you work.
• 2b pencil
• Light box or well lit window to transfer the design
• My design sheet, attached as a PDF here
• Older scissors to cut felt
• iron and ironing board

In addition I backed each brooch with a scrap of felt in a like colour – green, purple or orange

I also attached a brooch back to each, and I used three different ways, which I will show you

You could stitch these on, glue these, or cut holes to hide these.

Embroidery threads for each brooch:

Orange slice

I used four shades of orange and yellow for the segment colours (DMC 743, 741, 608, and 900), plus white for the segment surrounds and DMC 608 again for the outer edge. I also highlighted three of the segments with a single strand of silver metallic thread DMC E168.

Lime slice

I used four shades of green for the segment colours (906, 16, 14 and 909, plus white for the segment surrounds and DMC 906 again for the outer edge. These came from some leftover colours from a kit, so I can’t give the exact numbers. I also highlighted three of the segments with a single strand of silver metallic thread DMC E168.

Grapefruit slice

I used four shades of pink and purple for the segment colours, plus white for the segment surrounds and a different purple for the edge. These threads came from some leftover colours from an old kit, so I can’t give the exact numbers. Perhaps use the photo as a guide to choose your own colours. I also highlighted three of the segments with a single strand of silver metallic thread DMC E168.

The final ingredient in my test was the base “fabric” to embroider onto that did not require a hoop. I wanted to steer clear of traditional fabric because I thought I needed more control over the painting

In my test, I tried 3 options to see what worked best.

I tried:

• 2 layers of heavy weight fusible interfacing ironed back to back
• 1 layer of light weight fusible interfacing and 1 layer of heavy weight interfacing ironed back to back
• Lacey’s Stiff Stuff

The Lacey’s Stiff Stuff is the base “fabric” bead embroidery jewellery makers use and I had a bit left over from years ago.

The reason I used these three products was because I knew they would be a little stiff so they could support the weight of thread painting, they would be fray proof and able to be washed if needed, and they are fairly readily available. They also all a quite easy to colour with paint or dye if you need a colour other than white for the base.

I started by dry ironing the layers of interfacing together on thetwo interfacing sets.

• One set (the light and heavy weight combination) was ironed with the “grain” of the fabric in the same direction.
• One set (the 2 heavy weight pieces) was ironed with the fabric “grain” at 90 degrees to each other.

This was not intentional but I did notice that as I stitched the combination with the grain at 90 degrees was better to work with. The set with the “grain” the same way developed a “wave” in the tension of the embroidery as I worked In the end it did not matter, but just so you know.

I transferred the embroidery design to each of the three bases using a 2B pencil and a light box. A well lit window would also do. All three bases were easy enough to see the pattern through, although the Lacey’s Stiff Stuff was the hardest to see through. All three accepted the pattern equally well.

As you can see from the photos I have labelled each base with the type of “fabric” it is.

I completed all embroideries in the same manner. The instructions for this will follow the test results.

As I stitched I noticed the Lacey’s Stiff Stuff was the hardest to get the needle through smoothly, but all three were comfortable to work the needle and thread through. I used two strands of thread for almost all of the stitches and there was no issues with getting this through. The tension was pretty good as I worked for all too. The one thing I noticed was that the Lacey’s Stiff Stuff developed a bit of “puckering” around the edges of the work will in progress. See the photo for the comparison of how all three looked mid-way. This disappeared when I cut out the finished brooch and to be honest they all feel the same now and all a pretty much the same size with no real loss of size. As I mentioned the light weight heavy weight combination base had a little wave due to the “grains” in the base, which you can also see.

The best to stitch was the two layers of heavy fusible interfacing. It was smooth and comfortable and I will definitely be using it again. I liked the clean edges to all results. The finished pieces were all 2 inches so my test was small scale but I think they worked well.

All three brooches are worked the same way. I worked the embroidery in the following order:

Complete the coloured segments first. Each is completed in two strands of embroidery thread and I completed two segments of each fruit slice in each of the four colours for that slice. I did not have a specific pattern other than I did not put two of the same colour segment beside each other.

Each segment starts with an outline in backstitch. If the segment has a pip, I also outlined this in backstitch. I then worked long and short stitch to fill starting at the top edge of the segment and working toward the point. The first row is built up and then each row builds on the last with some stitches going back into the previous row to merge the surface. This is why it’s called “painting”. When you do this with different colours they blend with each other. This embroidery is simple so I did not bother doing this blending here.

Each row is worked in towards the point of the segment.

After you complete a segment, work a second in the same colour. Complete all eight segments in the same way.

The pips are worked in two strands of white thread and just a couple of satin stitches will fill the space.

The segment surrounds are worked in two strands of white thread as follows:

• Outline the inner circle in white split stitch.
• Outline each segment in white split stitch.
• Work 2 – 3 rows of white split stitch inwards from the inner circle until you reach the segments.
• Work split stitches between segments as needed
• Work the centre as a “wheel” of long and short stitch working into the mid point of the slice.

I also added a one strand thick outline to three random segments in silver metallic thread in backstitch. This thread sucks to work with so be warned, but it does look pretty!

Now that most of the slice is embroidered, it’s time to join in a felt backing and work some final blanket stitch to neaten the edges and give the skin of the slice. Choose your method of attaching the back now and read ahead to confirm instructions.

Match a scrap of felt in a like colour to the colour you are using for the skin of the fruit to the back of the stitchery, just a little bigger than the stitchery panel.

You can hold these together with a dab of fabric glue stick or a pin if needed.

Work a line of backstitch through both the embroidery and felt next to the inner circle of white thread in two strands of your skin colour. Knot off this stitching.

Neatly cut around the outer edge of the embroidery and felt (this is at the 2 inch mark).

Using two strands of the skin colour, work TWO circuits of the outside edge of the fruit slice in blanket stitch. Why two? The first was relatively neat but the send looks even better!

I did not knot off the thread as I worked. I buried tails in the stitches as I went to keep the outline smooth and I used tiny stitches.

This is the part where I varied my approach across all three brooches. For one brooch back (the orange slice) before attaching the felt, I worked out where the pin back needed to be to go through the felt and cut a couple of small holes in the felt backing. Then I used a dab of PVA glue under the felt to hold the back in place.

For a second back (the grapefruit slice), I just glued the back on with a dab of PVA glue.

For the third (the lime slice) I stitched it on with whip stitch. All three worked out fine. The glue takes time to dry though.

The brooch (or many) is now ready to go!