HERE'S WHAT I THINK
Hand Embroidery vs Machine Embroidery?
Doodle Stitching: Fresh & Fun Embroidery for Beginners
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Which is Easier?
I started out sewing by hand, not just embroidering by hand, so for me to sew by hand is easier. Several reasons why I find hand sewing easier:
1) Portable. You can take it with you any where you go. This is a BIG plus for me, because I like to do my sewing outside in the garden. You'd be hard pressed to tote an embroidery machine around with you. It'd be even harder to find a couple of miles of extension cord to take it with you on a trip into the woods. So, for me, hand embroidery is easier.
2) Better to see what I'm doing. Hand embroidery you can see the whole area you are working on. Machine embroidery has most of the design area hidden under the machine as you sew, you can see what you are doing. It's annoying for me to not be able to see what I'm doing, so again, hand embroidery is easier.
DMC Color Variations Motif Floss Pack
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Which is Faster?
Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches
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Which Produces Cleaner Results?
Machine with be smoother, but it will scream of factory made and make your garment look like you bought it, it'll say to viewers, "Look at me, I look exactly the same on every one of the thousand or so garments I was sewn on!"... which could be taken as a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it and what the look you were going for was.
Hand will have a "bumpy" texture to it that is not seen in machine, but it will also look "fuller" and more professional than machine embroidery, it will say to it's viewers: "Look at me, I am the only one like me, no matter how many time you copy me, I will always be different!". Again, this could be either good or bad, depending on the look you wanted to achieve.
In other words, if you want to make the same design over and over again and you want it to look the same each time, than you should choose to machine embroider it, because hand embroidery is never going to make each design the same no matter how go you are at mimicking a design.
However if you want the design to be slightly different each time, than you will want to hand embroider it, because the machine is going to make them all the same over and over again with no variations. A machine can not mimic such designs as crewel work or stumpwork either. Also a machine can not do the fancy stitches like chains, raised spiderwebs, or French knots.
It all depends on what end result you want to achieve is.
There is also nothing that says you can't do both on one garment either.
Embroidery Machine Essentials: How to Stabilize, Hoop and Stitch Decorative Designs
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Which Would You Recommend for Someone Who Knows Nothing About Embroidery?
To get started with machine, you'll need the machine first of all, and the cheapest one I ever saw was $349. I have seen machines that cost $7,500 too! Often the machines do not come with the hoops and software either, which is another $20 to $60 per piece. Thread is another thing to consider: $2 to $7 per spool. And once you buy the equipment, than you got to learn how to use it.
The thing is, you really got to LIKE embroidery to want to do very much of it, because either you'll hand embroidery a single project for days and days and days or you'll spend a lot of money on a machine. One is going to take up 5 or 6 hours a day of you life for weeks on end, while the other is going to dig deep into your bank account. Are you willing to devote that much time to it? Are you ready to dish out that much money on it? These are the types of questions you have to ask yourself before you take up embroidery.
You may not want to hand embroider if you plan on doing a lot of embroidery. Like wise you may not want to do machine embroidery, if you are just doing a small one time project.
You really have to look at what you want to do, how much you really want to spend, and how often you plan on embroidering in the future, because these things are going to effect your final decision as to wither you choose to embroider by hand or by machine.
Silk Ribbon Embroidery Bible: The Essential Illustrated Reference to Designs and Techniques
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Will a CosPlay/Reenactment Judge Notice I Used a Machine Instead of Embroidering My Outfit By Hand?
And Will It Effect My Chances of Winning?
I can see a judge, questioning you about it, if that judge is someone who hand embroiders their own things. And if you happen to chance on a judge that is really strict (though it's not likely you will) I can also see them "deducting points" for doing machine instead of hand embroidery.
It depends on where you are being judged too. If you are entering a competition at the SCA, than using machine embroidery could get you disqualified as their judges are super-uber strict and demand historical accuracy right down to the last detail.
Groups similar to the SCA, where you are judged based on historical accuracy, are where you are going to run into the pro-hand embroidery judges who'll dock points for machine.
However, for a CosPlay Con, I don't think you'd have anything to worry about at all, because those judges are not looking for historical accuracy. They'll be looking for your creativity and imagination. They are more interested in how creative you are and that you actually did it yourself, not HOW you did it.
18th Century Embroidery Techniques
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YOUR TURN!
Which do you prefer? And what advice do you have to give?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byHand Embroidery!
drifter0658 says:
I say hand. And you touched on the reason, so eloquently. Shelby Foote, author of ,the 1 million word, The Civil War: a narrative, wrote this beautiful piece of art entirely with quill in ink. His reasoning was that he wanted nothing between he and his words. No machinations to filter his craft.
Posted February 21, 2009
badmsm says:
I prefer to hand embroider myself, but I do have a friend who really rocks machine embroidery. It's a personal choice. More powere to the artisan, either way!
Posted February 03, 2009
EelKat says:
Personally I prefer hand embroidery, because you can use a wide variety of thread textures, and lots of stitches that a machine can't do, plus you can use really think threads, I love using all 6 strands of a floss instead of separating it, because it gives my work and old folk artsy feel to it.
Posted May 19, 2008
Machine Embroidery!
MaryG. says:
Great post, I think you are right about someone who knows nothing should start off with hand embroidery, it does help to know the basics. It has taken a good year to understand my machine and to actually create quality work. I disagree that M/E looks factory made, the M/E is just a part of the overall "project" - pick interesting projects and invest in good quality designs, the stock stuff is just junk. I respect all the great hand embroiderer's they have so much more patience than I, which is why I prefer M/E.
Posted March 06, 2009
KraftyKat says:
I love hand embroidery, but I feel someone needs to stand up for machine embroidery. If you use it properly it can result in some really cool looks. You won't look the "same" as everyone else if you use it creatively, and you can replicate expensive store bought items at a fraction of the cost with your own touches.
Posted February 02, 2009
Floral Stitches: An Illustrated Guide
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Great Embroidery Stuff on eBay
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Beaded Crazy Quilting
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Hand Embroidery is the Best! HELP ME PROVE MY POINT
If you agree, add links (proof!) that help me make my case
Add a link that makes my case.
Machine Embroidery With Confidence: A Beginner's Guide
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DISPROVE MY POINT: Machine Embroidery is the Best! (fine, be that way)
Disagree? Put your money where your mouth is and show us why.
Post links that point out why you think I'm wrong.
Treasury of Crazyquilt Stitches: A Comprehensive Guide to Traditional Hand Embroidery Inspired by Antique Crazyquilts
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My Other Embroidery Lenses:
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Reader Feedback
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- nycelady13 nycelady13 Apr 1, 2009 @ 3:27 am
- A very nice lense! thanks for posting this topic at now i've learn the difference
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- drifter0658 drifter0658 Feb 21, 2009 @ 6:25 am
- Seems kinda funny that I'd be here reading about this topic, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Thanks!
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