This guide has everything you need to know about embroidering on paper, from the types of paper to choose, basic steps, tips, and embroidery stitches to practice projects. Learn how to create stunning embroidery designs with nothing but paper, thread, a needle or an awl, and a sprinkling of imagination.
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1. Choose A Type Of Paper To Embroider
Here are our top 10 papers for embroidery:
Cardboard
Paper Ephemera
Tracing Paper
Brown Kraft Paper
Fine Art Paper
Hemp Paper
Recycled Paper
Handmade Paper
Washable Paper
Wallpaper
Having a few years experience with paper embroidery making original paper artwork like the examples below, I share with you how I started.
It is possible to embroider into most types of paper. Since I started experimenting with paper and stitching, I have experimented with many different options.
Cardboard
Cardboard is a great source of paper to stitch because it comes free as packaging and can hold the weight of chunkier wools and threads.
Paper Ephemera
Embroidering paper items never intended to be preserved and embellished, like postcards, bank notes, music sheets, bus tickets and concert tickets is challenging and exciting!
Tracing Paper
Tracing paper is a more robust material than you give it credit for. I have experimented with threads, silks and lace-weight yarns with success.
Brown Kraft Paper
Kraft paper is one of my favourite papers to embroider with its vintage-like, bohemian feel. It also has high elasticity and resistance to tearing due to the pulping process it uses. The durability is why kraft paper is most commonly used for packaging material and makes an excellent base for embroidery, taking wool weights up to DK weight with no problem.
Fine Art Paper
I love printing images of my pressed flowers onto museum-quality papers and embroidering into them like in the two examples of embroidery on paper art, above. The textures and weights of fine art papers make them brilliant bases for embroidering with chunky DK weight wools. They provide a stable base without bowing, which a standard piece of paper would need to contend with.
Read the post Stitching On Bespoke Floral Paper to see a step-by-step demonstration of a piece of floral art been made.
Hemp Paper
Hemp paper is a new kid to the paper scene, but its green credentials and long flexible fibres are excellent for embroidering. The paper I embroidered below was of a weight similar to fine art paper and also printed well with the pressed flowers.
Recycled Paper
I love printing my embroidery patterns onto recycled paper. Can you see the lovely flecked fibres in the paper below? This paper is smooth but with this beautiful detail. You can obtain paper samples from printing companies to compare their weight, textures and how easily they stitch.
Handmade Paper
Embroidering handmade paper can be tricky, depending on the type of pulp used. It has more crunch and can be hard when stitched compared to other paper types. The above handmade paper wasn’t too thick, so my needle went through fine, just in a crunchy manner!
The below handmade paper reminded me of an egg box. It wasn’t very pleasurable to embroider with a needle, but I’d give it a go again, making the holes with an awl. Browse handmade papers on Etsy.
Washable Kraft Paper
This paper is slightly different to the other papers discussed above; it looks and acts more like a fabric and is extremely difficult to tear. I loved experimenting with stitching this paper as the durability allowed for far more detailed and small-scale embroidery work. However, it would be more difficult than other papers to pull thicker DK and chunky-weight wools and threads through. This is the washable kraft paper I used from Etsy shop Fibala Supplies.
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is also a forgiving paper to embroider, making it one of the easiest. The composition and coatings used on wallpaper make them very durable and robust. It works well as a canvas for chunkier yarns too.
2. Choose A Needle Or An Awl For Hole Making
It depends on what type of paper you are piercing as to the best method of hole punching. I love using a needle, so favor soft types of paper. However, you can also pierce thicker cards and papers using an awl.
Needles For Embroidering On Paper
Darning needles are the best type for paper embroidery as they are long, giving better grip and control of hole-making. Shop darning needles on Etsy here.
Awls For Embroidering Paper
An awl is a long sharp tool for piercing used for making small holes in leather and can also be used for paper embroidery. Shop awls on Etsy here.
3. Transfer Your Design Onto The Paper
Grab yourself a piece of corrugated cardboard, a ball of wool, or some thread, and embroider a practice project with me:
Make up a pattern or draw a simple shape like a flower. The flower below was a free pattern I found in an old Stitch-craft magazine from the 1950s. You could trace the shape of a flower or something you like from a magazine or book!
First, I traced the pattern of a flower with tracing paper, and then transferred it onto the cardboard using a standard hb pencil.
Punch holes into the paper.
Next, I started punching holes around the first part of the flower I wanted to embroider and set about creating the embroidery.
Piercing Paper Top Tips:
Use a corrugated piece of card or cork as a mat when pierce the paper.
Pierce the centre of each dot marked on a template.
Some papers are made of layers, like a corrugated card, pierce straight down and not at an angle
Respect the material and its limitations
Embroidery On Paper
Experiment with different stitches or choose just one, I chose a whipped backstitch to use here, so I worked a simple backstitch outline and then wove wool under and over each stitch to make a whipped backstitch.
After completing the embroidered flower, I moved on to the scroll-like leaves.
I worked the embroidery around the entire shape until I was finished.
Embroidering Paper Top Tips:
Balance larger pieces on the edge of a table to embroider to allow easy access to the back of the piece
Have fun! It’s like a woolly dot-to-dot!
Turn the paper around as you work for ease
Other Useful Resources
Paper Embroidery Stitch Tutorials
Want to learn embroidery stitches that look beautiful when stitched into paper? Below are links to my step-by-step tutorials:
Backstitch
Learn backstitch, a basic outline stitch perfect for creating shapes on paper.
Rose Stitch
Master a 3D rose stitch in paper. This stitch is also called and referred to by their names like a woven wheel stitch, wagon wheel stitch, spider stitch, and many more names.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will The Paper Rip?
Yes the paper can rip; however, following the above advice, it is improbable because the spacing of the holes will prevent this.
Only use the needle and embroidery wool supplied in your kit. Handle your paper with care. Pierce the circles marked on your paper through their centres.
If you are making up your own design, experiment on a scrap with how far holes need to be spaced apart.
Will My Fingers Get Sore Doing Paper Embroidery?
Your fingers shouldn’t get sore from sewing one piece of paper embroidery. However, some people naturally feel more comfortable using a thimble. I tried a leather thimble, although a rubber thimblette, or even a sticky plaster on your finger would do the job.
Practise Project Ideas
Honey Bees Embroidery On Paper
Stitching into paper has many therapeutic benefits besides being good fun. That’s probably one of the reasons that it’s a craft that has survived from ancient times. Read about the techniques I use for Stitching On Bespoke Floral Paper.
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Contempfleury
Contempfleury is an studio run by leah Nikolaou. Trained in Constructed Textiles at The Royal College Of Art in London, Leah has a wide collection of embroidery stitched into paper. Be inspired by her pressed flower art collection, which showcases her hand embroidery skills.
