Do It Yourself Project: Embroidered Table Numbers

Whether suspended or incorporated into a centerpiece, these embroidered table number accents, kept in their embroidery hoop, add quaint charm to any event.

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What You’ll Need

Embroidery Hoop (Ours is 6″)
Lightweight Linen
Embroidery Floss
Sewing Needle
Embroidery Transfer Pencil
Scissors
Fabric Glue (Optional)
Felt (Optional)
Our Number Guide PDF (Available Here)

Iron a square of lightweight linen that is at least 2″ wider and taller than the diameter of the hoop. Unscrew the embroidery hoop so it loosens, then put the linen into the embroidery hoop. Begin to tighten the screw on the hoop, then tug the linen so that the fabric inside the ring lays flat. Cut out the number you need from the guide template. Place it over the the flat fabric and move it around until you have the number in the position you want it to be in.

Trace the number template with an embroidery transfer pencil. Light pencils should be used on dark linen colors and dark on light fabric – you want to see the contrast while you’re stitching and any lines that are still exposed can be rubbed out or removed with a little bit of water. Thread your needle and double it over, cutting the embroidery floss when you’ve reached your desired length. It should be long enough that you’ll get a good amount of stitching out of it, but not so long that it becomes unmanageable and tangles easily. Working from the far right working left (or the other way around if you’re left-handed) stitch within the lines running vertically. Where areas break up, such as the right side of the “3” in the example above, create one stitch on the top curve, pass your needle through to the other side in the negative space, then bring your needle around for a second stitch in the lower curve. When you reach the bottom, pass the needle through to the back and return to the top of the number and repeat.

When you have finished the number, or if you run out of embroidery floss before finishing, knot the floss with the stitches that appear on the back side of the embroidery hoop. If you want to add any other design elements or motifs to the surface of the linen, take the opportunity to do so before finishing it off.

To complete the design cleanly – an optional step that is recommended if there is a chance your guests may see the back – cut a circle that covers the inside diameter of the back of the embroidery hoop. Draw a circle of fabric glue inset slightly from the edge of the felt circle, then draw an x through that circle. Press the felt circle down firmly into the back of the hoop onto the linen, and set aside to dry. Display the embroidery hoop table number as part of a larger centerpiece or, if it has a hanging ring as mine does, cut a length of ribbon, feed it through the ring, and knot the ribbon at the top in order to suspend it.

Images from Maddy Hague.