Follow this step by step tutorial to create your own embroidery hoop art.  This tiny shooting star is simple to make, and a wonderful little project for anyone looking to develop their hand sewing.  I found denim to be an ideal fabric for this piece, putting a pair of old jeans to good use to make this one, so its a great sewing project for upcycling too.

You will need:

• 10cm embroidery hoop
• Dark blue fabric (denim is ideal)
• White embroidery floss
• Needle
• Stitch-n-Tear (or similar stabilizer)
• Pencil
• Pins
• Thread for tacking
• Sharp scissors
• Tweezers

Place your fabric in the embroidery hoop (do this by putting the smallest circle down first, then the fabric, then the biggest circle, and tighten at the top to keep secure).  I found the ‘wrong’ side of my denim fabric actually looked the best for this project.

Download my star design here (or use your own) and trace onto some Stitch-n-Tear.

Place the Stitch-n-Tear on top of your hoop, and take a moment to make sure you are happy with its position (remember the screw needs to sit at the very top, so make sure your design looks right with this).  Pin in a couple of places, then tack in place.

Using two threads of white embroidery floss (or a colour of your choosing), stitch along the star shape using small back-stitches to create an outline.  You will need to stitch right through the fabric and the paper.

Tie off your thread, then start again at the swirls, this time using split stitch to sew along each line.

Now, I found it easier to remove the Stitch-n-Tear paper at this point and do the remainder of the design by eye.  You do this by gently tearing the paper away from the hoop (it helps if you put your thumb over your stitches to prevent them pulling out of place).  You might need to use your tweezers at this point to remove any small pieces of paper or fibres.

(If you’d rather keep the paper in place so you have a guide, go straight to the next step, but you’ll need to take extra care when taking your Stitch-n-Tear off at the end as the next few stitches are quite tiny).

Create the small stars by doing 4 small stitches to make a cross, and then another diagonal cross on top.

Add in 5 small stars altogehter.

Finish by using french knots for the small dots.

Do a final check to make sure your fabric is nice and tight, and the screw at the top is tightened as much as possible before trimming away all excess fabric, cutting as close to the hoop as possible.

And there you have it, a lovely little hanging for your wall; this would be pretty sweet in a nursery, or could add a subtle festive feel to your home at Christmas.  You could use a variety of colours for the background or the thread (I was very tempted to do this in a bright orange to contrast with the denim), or try your own star designs to make a small collection to hang together.

If you enjoyed this tutorial, why not sign up to my Creative Sewing Challenge?  Each month you’ll receive a new prompt to inspire your sewing, along with a new tutorial just like this one.  Click here to find our more, or sign up below:

And feel free to share my pin, thank you!