Learn to Embroider a Sampler Kit
When I was 7 years old, on an impulse I picked out a small embroidery kit from a local craft store. It depicted a white goose wearing an oversize ribbon… You know the one. I loved stitching up that little goose, and I love that it spawned a lifelong passion in needlecrafts.
All these many years later, I am so excited to share Purl Soho’s Learn to Embroider a Sampler Kit. It’s the same basic idea as the kit I purchased as a kid, but just like me, it’s all grown up.
Our Learn to Embroider a Sampler Kit includes a 24-page, full-color instructional booklet that teaches you all of embroidery’s basics, plus how to create over a dozen decorative stitches and the beautiful Sampler you see here. It also includes fabric, needles, an embroidery hoop, 12 skeins of embroidery floss, and even a dowel for displaying your finished Sampler.
Whether this is the first time you’re picking up a needle and floss, or you’re looking to add more stitches (and inspiration!) to your collection, this Kit has everything you need to get started. But beware… this could be your white goose! -Corinne
Materials
Our Learn to Embroider a Sampler Kit includes …
- ½ yard of woven fabric, in a linen-cotton blend
- 12 skeins of DMC’s 100% cotton embroidery floss in 11 colors. They are …
- Color A: Ecru, Color B: 3820, Color C: 973, Color D: 3341, Color E: 3340, Color F: 3819, Color G: 166, Color H: 3851, Color I: 3811, Color J: 928, Color K: 45
- 12 paper floss bobbins
- 4 embroidery needles
- A 4-inch wooden embroidery hoop
- A water-soluble fabric marker
- A Sampler Stencil
- A 12-inch wooden dowel
- A full-color instructional booklet (included in the Kit and also available separately)
You’ll also need …
- Masking tape
- A straight-edge ruler
These are enough materials to make this Sampler, with some fabric left over for practicing and lots of floss left over for your next project!
Size
Finished Dimensions of the Sampler: 14 ½ x 12 inches
Update: New Colors!
September 20, 2017
An update to our Learn to Embroider a Sampler Kit, this Beginner Sampler may look familiar. It is the same design and set of instruction as the original, but is now available in two additional palettes: Sunny Day (on pink) and Coneflower (on white)!
This is so beautiful! I can’t wait to make this.
I really like your store so far. real nice.
I have done some cross stitch before so am not a total beginner, and I’ve been wanting to learn crewel. Would the stitches for crewel be the same as in this embroidery pattern? If not do you have anything for someone starting to crewel? Thanks!
Hi Jane –
This is a great question!
Crewel is embroidery that uses wool yarn instead of cotton. The stitches are essentially the same, but have a different result based on the materials. Our Learn to Embroider booklet would be a great primer for crewelwork. It covers all of the basics of embroidery and includes detailed instructions for over a dozen stitches. However, if you are looking for something that is more specifically about crewel and crewel patterns, we also carry a wide range of excellent books on the topic! You can find all of our books on embroidery here!
-Corinne
Thank you Corinne. I love this sampler so ordered it today and will segue from it to crewel. The kit has everything to get me started and I know I’ll learn the basics.
Hi, I have received my kit and read the instructions. What is the purpose of washing the fabric? I made it wet and hung it on the line to dry. But I’m wondering if I should actually wash it in soap and water to remove some finish in the fabric(?) and if I should put it in the dryer to shrink it? Thanks for your advise.
Hi Jane –
This is a great question! Most dyed fabric contains residual dye and sizing (a chemical used to stiffen fabrics during production). I always like to prewash my fabrics in the machine (either with soap or without) to remove this excess, and to bring out the true nature and drape of the fabric. Also, many fibers will soften and shrink in the washing process, particularly natural fibers (like the linen-cotton blend included in this kit) and it is a good idea to get this shrinkage out of the way before you start your work to avoid any misshaping that could happen later, once the fabric is stitched.
I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions as you work on your new project!
-Corinne
Where are the prices?
Hi Juel –
You can find all the pricing and product information here!
-Corinne
Hi
I just ordered the Embroidery Kit. I was wondering if you can use a different color in the woven fabric. Something not so grey/tan. More beige. Is that possible? A linen look.
If not I’m fine with the fabric. It’s a great kit. Haven’t done needlepoint in awhile and I’m looking forward to begin again.
Thanks so much.
Bonnie Jackson
Hi Bonnie –
Thanks for writing in! I’m so happy that our Learn to Embroider kit has inspired you to take up needle work again!
You can use any color or kind of fabric you like with embroidery (however I recommend woven, natural fibers, especially for beginners). A very popular fabric for embroidery is Robert Kaufman’s Yarn Dyed Essex in Flax, a cotton-linen blend in a natural flax color, but we carry a wide selection of linen and linen blends, any of which would be a great choice!
https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/12-sewing-patchwork-fabric?filters%5B%5D=524
For help choosing the right fabric from our collection, please contact customerservice AT purlsoho DOT com and they will be happy to walk you through all of your options!
-Corinne
Is this kit available now?
Hi Alice-
Yes! It’s available to purchase here: https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/9820
Thank you!
Molly
Hi
Are these now out of stock? Had my credit card ready but can’t select the kit!
Thanks
Ellie
Hi Ellie –
Unfortunately the kit is currently sold out. Please feel free to get in touch with our customer service department (by email at customerservice AT purlsoho DOT com , or by phone at (800) 597-7875) and they can let you know when the kit will be back in stock, or help you gather all of the materials you need outside of the kit right now!
I hope this helps!
-Corinne
I just received my kit and I am smitten!! I am not an embroidery beginner, but I fell in love with these colors and ordered it for the convenience of not having to hunt down all the supplies. I am most impressed with the booklet. It is sturdy and has a nice feel to it. I will put it on my shelf with my other embroidery books after my project is done.
Thanks, Purl! I love what you have been doing with kits over the past few years. Keep ’em coming!!
I am doing the kit now, and wanted to say it’s a great kit to help you decide if you even like doing embroidery! The instructions are great. There’s twice as much fabric as you need so you have a big piece to practice all the stitches on before working on the sampler. And there’s lots of floss. In fact maybe that’s the intention as the book kind of suggests that approach.
At this point I don’t think I am smitten by embroidery but I will complete this kit and have one piece in my collection. And sometimes that’s the point of trying something new.
Thanks!
I cannot find any prices. I want to give this to my 10 year old grand daughter for Christmas. Please advise and also how I get it to Australia
Gwen Nankervis
Hi Gwen –
This would make an excellent Christmas gift!
All prices and shipping information can be found on the Learn to Embroider a Sampler product page here:
https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/9820-Purl-Soho-Learn-to-Embroider-a-Sampler-Kit
If you have any additional questions about international shipping (or anything else!) you can email customerservice (AT) purlsoho (DOT) com and they can walk you through all the specifics.
I hope this helps!
-Corinne
re the embroidery kit, do we draw the design on the fabric ourselves and is how to do it explained in the book? Do we get a special pen/pencil to do this. thank you
Hi Joy –
This is a great question!
The Learn to Embroider a Sampler booklet comes with a circle stencil, and full instructions on how to trace the circles onto the fabric, as well as a stitch guide to follow if you would like to make the sampler exactly as shown.
The Learn to Embroider a Sampler Kit comes with this booklet as well as an erasable fabric marker, fabric, embroidery floss, hoop and everything else you need to finish your Sampler. You can see the whole list of supplies here!
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
-Corinne
This is absolutely beautiful. Can you kindly let me know the size of the circles? Thank you so much!
Hi Cecilia –
Thank you for writing in!
The pattern booklet comes with a stencil to create nesting circles that are 2, 2 1/4, and 2 1/2 inches in diameter. However, the techniques and patterns could work with circles of any size!
I hope this helps!
-Corinne
Hi from Ottawa, Canada! I tried to sign-up for your newsletter and wasn’t able to do it so could you possibly add my e-mail above to your list?
Thanks so much.
Best wishes, Pat
Hello, Pat!
Thank you for writing in! On our end it looks like you’re already signed-up and have received a free pattern. If this is not the case please let us know.
Best,
Kumeko
Hi, I am absolutely new to embroidery. How should I prep the fabric. It looks like you may have washed first. Should I do this and, if so, how? Thank you!!
Hi Nicole,
Great question! For this project you will not need to wash the fabric to prepare it. You may just want to run an iron over it to flatten out the creases and any wrinkles before you begin. If you will be embroidering onto a piece of clothing that you will want to wash in the future, you will want to wash, dry and iron the fabric as you would want to treat the finished product as washed fabric tends to shift a little bit.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Can you tell me the brand name and color of this fabric? I want to make another one for a friend and would like to buy the same fabric.
Thanks very much!
Karen
Hi, Karen!
Thank you so much for your question. For this kit we used Robert Kaufman Essex in the color Pewter. Please let us know if you have further questions! Again, thank you for writing in!
Best,
Kumeko
I just bought the alphabet sampler and circles patterns. Can you please give me a list of the colors in Sunny Day? Im so excited to find these!
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for writing in! I am so glad that this kit excites you! The DMC colors in Sunny Day are:
Ecru
3706
3341
721
742
444
834
727
353
3856
225
Best,
Cassy
Hello,
I was given the embroidery sampler pattern as a gift. Could you please give me a list of the embroidery thread colours in coneflower .
I am excited to start this gorgeous sampler.
Thank you,
Wendy.
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for writing in! The colors of DMC embroidery floss we used in our Coneflower sampler are:
921
356
754
945
Ecru
453 (two skeins)
3743
211
209
3836
153
If you would like to order them all together, we do offer an Embroidery Floss Bundle in Coneflower to make everything easier!
Happy stitching!
Julianna
I am working on this but have a question. There are no instructions for how to space the verticals lines in the circle that has the fly stitch and straight stitch running verticle. Similarly there are no instructions on how to draw/space the lines for the circle that has the basic running stitch and straight stitch intersecting in diagonals. Any advice on this…otherwise I’ll just be guessing and afraid I may find out I”m not spacing right the wrong way.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for reaching out! You are correct that we do not provide spacing for these two patterns. This is because with this sampler, we want to encourage you to explore and work the patterns as you see fit. That said, I am happy to provide a bit of guidance about how we spaced them!
For the circle with the vertical lines, the small yellow v’s are placed on the middle line and then halfway between the middle line and the edge. We then placed the orangey-yellow checked line halfway between the v’s and the v’s and the sides with the white lines running down either side.
For the circle with the intersecting diagonals, we placed an x through the middle of the circle and then divided the remaining space on each side by 3, placing the remaining 2 lines on the 2 third lines. This will give you a total of 5 lines going in each of the two directions.
I hope that this helps and happy stitching!
Cassy
I have been trying to purchase the beginner embroidery kits for months. You keep posting them on Instagram but are always out of stock. I have signed up many times for you to let me know when they will be back in stock. When will they be back? I am anxious to begin.
Hi Camille,
Thanks for reaching out, and I’m so sorry that these have been out of stock for so long – I know that is frustrating! I assure you that they will be back as soon as we get a few missing packaging components back in stock, but unfortunately we don’t have an ETA. We do sell all the materials separately, so if you would like to get started now, you can purchase our Beginner Sampler Pattern, a 1/2 yard of Essex, an embroidery floss bundle, bobbin cards, embroidery needles, a blue Chaco pen, and a 4-inch embroidery hoop.
I hope that helps, and I do apologize for the delay!
Julianna
Hi,
I had a question about trying to fix something. I made a mistake on the satin stitch circle and filled in the outer circle with all satin stitches (sort of like a checkerboard pattern with the inner circle). I want to go back and change it to have the straight stitch lines alternate with the satin stitch boxes. Does that mean I have to undo the outer circle or would it be possible to remove the incorrect stitches? I’m a little worried about removing the whole thing and redoing it because it will have so many holes but I like the pattern better with the lines.
Thanks,
Ariel
Hi Ariel,
Thanks for reaching out! I believe it would be possible to just undo the incorrect stitches as long as you can secure the floss so that the rest wont unravel. If it’s not possible to secure, I would recommend taking out the entire circle.
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Gianna