Machine Embroidery: From Fabric Strips to a Stitched Landscape

Video reference: “Machine Embroidery: From Fabric Strips to a Stitched Landscape” by stitch and create.

A small pile of fabric scraps becomes a textured landscape—stitched, blended, and beautifully calm—before you even add a single flower or seed head. This guide distills the full process so you can cut, pin, and free-stitch with confidence and finish with a background that makes any foreground sing.

What you’ll learn

• How to cut and arrange fabric strips so the surface feels tidy—not ragged—when turned under.

• How to choose tonally related threads that blend and unify, rather than compete.

• How to set up your machine for free motion: foot choice, feed dogs, stitch length, tension.

• A clear stitching sequence to lock edges, add texture, and carry colors across seams.

• Ways to plan crisp foregrounds (like seed heads) and a simple cord-making technique for dimensional stalks.

Primer: What This Landscape Technique Achieves This method builds a serene stitched background from layered fabric strips, then reserves visual contrast for the foreground. By turning the strip edges under, pinning, and free-stitching simple lines, you gain a unified surface with subtle texture. The result is a landscape that feels coherent—ready for high-contrast elements like turquoise seed heads or bold stalks.

Why it works

• Tonal thread choices blend sections so the eye reads one continuous scene.

• Simple “wiggly” lines give tactile depth without cluttering the composition.

• Carrying a thread slightly into the next color ties neighbors together.

- Turned-in edges stay neat and are easily secured during stitching.

From the comments

• A reader praised turquoise as a striking contrast for warm backgrounds; it’s a smart option when autumnal tones would disappear.

• Another asked about a studio object; it was a handmade velvet-and-organza vessel with embroidered, cut-away leaves, beading, and a cord-wrapped handle—proof that cord techniques can be decorative as well as structural.

Pro tip If you plan to add statement foregrounds, keep your background quiet: let texture and tonal blending do the work so your top elements pop later. embroidery magnetic hoops

Prep: Fabric, Thread, and Workspace Materials and tools

• Fabric strips: warm gradients (reds, oranges, browns, neutrals). You can add or extend strips later.

• Thread: tonal selections that enhance and blend—several reds/oranges, mid browns, a neutral yellow.

• Pins: to secure strips and hold turned edges.

• Sewing machine (the creator used a Pfaff) with darning/embroidery foot.

What to prepare

• Cut your strips and tidy their edges so you can turn them under cleanly. The artist chose a non-ragged finish for this piece.

- Fill the bobbin before you start; running out mid-pass interrupts your flow.

• Clear a small working area for pinning and an open, well-lit space at the machine.

Decision points

• Edge style: Turned-under neatness versus raw, embellished edges. For this piece, turned edges won—calm background, focus reserved for the foreground.

• Strip length: If a strip comes up short, add another section—fabric is forgiving.

Quick check Lay your threads across the pinned fabric. If the thread “shouts,” go one step more tonal; if it disappears, try a shade up or down.

Checklist — Prep

• Strips cut and edges tidy.

• Threads selected in tonal families.

• Bobbin filled; spare close by.

• Pins at the ready; workspace clear. magnetic hoops

Setup: Configure Your Machine for Free Motion Install the right foot and settings

• Fit a darning/embroidery foot.

• Lower the feed dogs so you—not the machine—move the fabric.

• Set stitch length to zero; you’ll control the length by how you move the piece.

- Reduce top tension if your machine prefers it for free motion. Adjust to your model.

Comment insight A reader asked about twin needles. The artist has tried them and doesn’t use them for this style; single-needle free motion keeps it simple and textural.

Watch out If any setting is off—feed dogs still up, wrong foot, stitch length not zero—you’ll fight the fabric instead of flowing with it. Double-check before the first stitch.

Checklist — Setup

• Darning/embroidery foot installed.

• Feed dogs lowered.

• Stitch length at zero.

• Tension test stitched on scrap. magnetic embroidery frame

Operation: Stitch the Landscape in 7 Clear Passes 1) Pin and turn under Pin your strips with edges turned under so they meet or overlap slightly. Leave enough turn-in to catch with stitching.

Expected outcome: A stable, layered base with neat, turned edges and even pinning.

2) Anchor the first color section Start on one section (e.g., a red). Stitch simple, relaxed lines—across the strip’s width—to begin flattening puffiness and securing edges.

Expected outcome: Texture appears, edges start to lay flat, surface feels calmer. hooping stations

3) Blend across the seam Carry the current thread slightly into the neighboring color. This micro-overlap blends transitions without calling attention to itself.

Expected outcome: A seam that reads as a gentle gradient, not a hard boundary.

Quick check Look across the strip junctions. Do you see one continuous surface? If not, add a few passes that cross the join.

4) Manage edges that want to lift Where an edge wants to pop up, hold it firmly and stitch forward and back a couple of times to tack it. Remove pins as you secure the area.

Expected outcome: Edges sit down without puckering; pins exit safely as you advance.

5) Change color thoughtfully Swap to a slightly darker/lighter tone to match each section—but keep it tonal, not contrasting. Audition by laying the thread over the fabric; trust your eye.

Expected outcome: Each section reads as itself yet still belongs to the whole. brother sewing machine

6) Keep the orientation easy Rotate the piece if needed so you’re stitching in the direction that gives you the best control and sightline. Free motion means you can turn the work as you like.

Expected outcome: Smooth, confident lines that follow the terrain you imagine.

7) Repeat, refine, and unify As you move into mid-browns or neutrals, resist the urge to introduce glaring contrast. Let the background stay quiet; future seed heads will do the talking.

Expected outcome: A calm, textured field with subtle strip-to-strip blending.

Watch out

• Bobbin roulette: running out mid-line breaks rhythm. Keep a spare wound and ready.

• Overworking: too many dense passes can make the surface heavy. Aim for even, breathable texture.

Checklist — Operation

• Pins removed as you anchor each area.

• Each thread carried a touch into its neighbor.

• Edges secured with short forward-back tacks.

• Bobbin monitored and swapped promptly. magnetic hoop embroidery

Quality Checks: What ‘Good’ Looks Like Surface feel

• The piece should feel less puffy where you’ve stitched; the hand of the fabric becomes more unified and pleasantly textured.

Visual read

• From arm’s length, the palette should look cohesive—tonal thread choices and micro-overlaps soften transitions.

Edges

• Turned-in edges look intentionally wobbly in places—that organic line is part of the charm. They should be held down without raw fray showing.

Back of the work - The reverse will show simple, consistent lines that mirror your stabilizing passes. It should look tidy and even.

Quick check If one strip still pops visually, it may need a few passes in a mid-tone thread that blends toward its neighbors. dime snap hoop

Results & Handoff: Background Done, Foreground Next Your stitched background is complete—calm, textural, and ready for a foreground motif. The artist considered seed heads in several forms and sizes, exploring options before committing. Ideas include:

• Poppy seed heads: cut paper templates to audition scale and spacing.

• Umbels (cow parsley–like forms): bold, simple silhouettes can be very effective.

• Grassy arrangements: a sweep of stems to break the horizontals.

Planning tools - Tiny sketches help you decide number, placement, and scale before stitching.

- Paper cut-outs let you try compositions directly on the stitched ground.

Color strategy

• A vibrant turquoise reads crisply against warm earth tones; autumnal browns on top would disappear into the background.

Dimensional stalks - You can zigzag over a strand of wool or string to “make cord.” This makes a firmer, slightly raised line that stands up more than a plain zigzagged yarn. When you later stitch this cord down (with zigzag), it flattens a touch but keeps presence.

Expected outcome

• A clear direction for motifs, colors, and textures that will sit on a stable, understated stage. magnetic embroidery hoops

Troubleshooting & Recovery Symptom: Bobbin thread vanishes mid-line

• Likely cause: Bobbin ran out.

• Fix: Refill immediately; start again with a tiny overlap to secure the line.

Symptom: Edges lift or gape

• Likely cause: Insufficient anchoring at the fold.

• Fix: Hold firmly and stitch forward-back at the edge; add a pass that crosses the seam.

Symptom: Seams look harsh, not blended

• Likely cause: Thread change too contrasting or no carry-over.

• Fix: Blend by stitching a few lines from one color into the neighbor, then return with the neighbor’s thread.

Symptom: Fabric puckers when moving the piece

• Likely cause: Feed dogs not lowered, tension too tight, or moving too fast.

- Fix: Confirm feed dogs are down; test a slight tension reduction; slow your hands so stitches land evenly.

Quick isolation tests

• On a scrap with similar fabrics, try three tension settings and pick the cleanest back.

• Practice a seam-crossing pass: does the join soften after two gentle overlaps? magnetic hoops for embroidery

From the comments: Helpful clarifications and tips

• Cord-making clarity: A reader asked how to avoid tangles and whether multiple strands work. The creator will demo in a future session, but the core idea here is zigzagging over a strand of wool or string to form a cord that remains slightly raised when attached.

• Machine sourcing: Another reader noted UK availability issues at the time and suggested checking second-hand listings.

• Twin needle use: The creator tried twin needles but doesn’t favor them for this texture-driven approach. They purchase compatible embellisher needles online (including options for Babylock) from a specialist retailer.

• Color contrast: The turquoise idea for foregrounds received a nod for how strongly it reads on warm backgrounds.

Appendix: Rationale at a glance

• Turned-under edges: chosen for intentional neatness so foregrounds stand out.

• Tonal threads: blending ensures the background is supportive, not competitive.

• Free motion basics: darning foot, feed dogs down, stitch length zero, adjust top tension to taste.

• Stitch language: Simple lines are enough—you’re building texture and cohesion, not drawing the scene yet. magnetic embroidery frames