(What to Use and What to Skip)

Who this tutorial is for:

This tutorial is for people who want to start hand embroidery but are stuck on one question: What fabric should I use? If standing in a fabric aisle makes you freeze, or if you are worried about picking the wrong thing and ruining a project, this guide is for you. You do not need specialty fabric or expensive linen to get good results. By the end, you will know exactly what fabrics work best for embroidery, which ones to avoid, and how to choose fabric without overthinking it.

What actually matters when choosing embroidery fabric

For embroidery, fabric weight and stability matter more than anything else.

Good embroidery fabric should be:

• Medium weight
• Non-stretchy
• Smooth enough to stitch through easily
• Able to hold tension in a hoop

If fabric fights you, stitching stops being fun fast. 

The best fabrics for hand embroidery

These are beginner-friendly, affordable, and easy to find. 

Cotton (your safest choice)

Cotton is the easiest fabric to start with and the most forgiving.

Why cotton works well:

• Easy to find
• Affordable
• Stable in the hoop
• Shows stitches clearly

Look for:

• Quilting cotton
• Plain cotton fabric
• Cotton with a tight, even weave

Avoid:

• Super thin cotton
• Anything stretchy

If you are unsure, cotton is almost always the right answer. 

Linen and linen blends (great once you feel comfortable)

Linen is popular for embroidery, but it is not required.

Why people like linen:

• Natural texture
• Holds stitches well
• Looks great for simple line designs
• If you use linen, a linen blend is often easier than 100 percent linen, especially for beginners. 

What to watch out for:

• Loose or uneven weave
• Very thin linen
• Slub fabrics*

* Slub fabrics have intentionally thick-and-thin irregularities in the yarn, creating a textured, slightly bumpy surface with an uneven appearance. Common in linen and some cottons, these deliberate imperfections give fabric a casual, organic look but make embroidery more challenging since the uneven texture affects stitch tension and placement.

Heavier fabrics

I prefer cotton twill with some heft—think light chinos or khakis. The tighter weave prevents knots and threads from showing through, though tracing designs with a light source is slightly harder.

I've embroidered on Converse high-tops, and find canvas and duck cloth more challenging. If you need a leather thimble to pull the needle through or your hand tires quickly, the fabric's probably too heavy.

Colored fabrics

Colored fabrics can be fun, but avoid patterns. Your background shouldn't compete with your design, so consult a color wheel when choosing thread colors or stick with blackwork or redwork (single-color embroidery). 

Upcycled fabrics

Yes! Grab an old pillowcase, sheet, men's dress shirt, handkerchief, cloth napkin, or apron. If you can cut a swatch that fits your hoop with about 2.5" excess on all sides, it's a great way to start your hand embroidery journey.

Fabrics beginners should skip (for now)

These fabrics are not wrong forever, just wrong at the beginning.

Stretchy fabrics

If you have ever tried to embroider on a baby onesie, you already know that knits and jersey stretch as you stitch, which makes tension uneven and frustrating. You can use stabilizers to keep the fabric tighter, but as a beginner, I would steer clear. 

Slippery fabrics

Silk and satin are beautiful but unforgiving. Stitches slide and mistakes show easily.

Very loose weaves

If you can see large gaps between threads, stitches will shift and lose shape. Avoid anything gauzy. Start simple. Fancy fabric can come later. 

How to test fabric before committing

Before you start a full project, do a quick test.

1. Put the fabric in a hoop
2. Pull it tight
3. Stitch a few lines to see if anything from the back shows on the front

Ask yourself:

1. Does the fabric stay taut?
2. Do the stitches sit flat?
3. Is it easy to pull the needle through?

If the answer is yes, you are good to go. 

To wash or not to wash:

This is personal preference. I wash and iron my fabrics before stitching, but as a beginner, you may prefer the crispness of store-bought fabric and want to start your project immediately.

Want the fabric shortcut?

If you want a one-page cheat sheet that shows:

1. The best embroidery fabrics
2. What to avoid
3. What to look for when buying

You can download it here.

Printable: Beginner Fabric Cheat Sheet
(email signup box) 

Patterns designed with beginners in mind

All Hooplethreads embroidery patterns are designed and tested on basic cotton and linen blends. You do not need specialty fabric to get good results.

If you want to practice on something beginner-friendly, these patterns use simple stitches and stable fabrics.

• Beginner embroidery pattern PDF
• Simple modern embroidery design 

What to read next

Once you have fabric picked out, the next step is getting your pattern onto it without stress.

How to Transfer an Embroidery Pattern (4 Easy Methods That Actually Work)