Stitches

what is the most suitable type of needlework for a complete beginner?

I have never learnt to sew. I just have this glorious image in my head of being able to create lots of small beautiful gifts, but with no prior experience I would like to know if anyone has any advice on where a good place would be to start. thank you.

Public Comments

1. Pick one and try it. I usually start complete beginners off with surface embroidery -- many are the basic stitches of hand sewing, also. See: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090502110428AA4tucF
2. Find one you really like and jump in with as many how-tos and video tutorials as you can find, then try it :). Be patient, it takes some time to really get the feel for how to produce the look you want. I started with cross-stitch, which can be a little limiting on what can be done but it's great for building the muscle memory in your stitching hand ;). Aida cloth already has uniform holes in it so the stitches will be uniform, and there are tons of patterns available to try with it. This is still one of my favorites that I use for making jar tops, sachets, and small pictures to work into my beaded or micro-macrame jewelry, or for decorating my picture frames.
3. You can get a good understanding of sewing by learning how to hand sew first. This is a very good kit for learning 12 functional hand-stitches: www.ezstitchsampler.com It comes with projects and a DVD.
4. Try different types buy small kits to see if they are right for you. A kit will have everything you need to complete a project and instructions.