There are many avenues in the craft world community. After some trial and error most people find their niche. But what if we told you some niches could be combined? What if your love for needlepoint and your love for heat transfer vinyl could be one? Well today they can. Today we’re going to show you how to embroider a custom heat transfer vinyl design.

STEP 1: Having the Proper Tools

To do this project you’re going to need an embroidery machine. If you don’t have an embroidery machine per se, check the capabilities of your sewing machine. A lot of higher end sewing machines have this feature. If you’re someone who loves adornment but has never been able to get into the heat transfer vinyl world, maybe this is the project for you!

For those heat transfer vinyl crafters out there interested in doing this project, you can purchase an embroidery machine at any fabric store or online. If you’re just getting started using heat transfer vinyl and haven’t bought a cutting machine yet, maybe this could your new favorite way to use HTV.

STEP 2: Creating a Placement Stitch

Once you have some kind of embroidery machine, you’re ready to create your placement stitch. Using your machine, you’re going to select the layout design that you would like to use. Make sure your fabric is in your hoop and create your placement stitch. This stitch will make it easier to know where you should place your heat transfer vinyl. If this is something you've done before or you don’t feel like this is necessary for your project you can skip this step.

STEP 3: Apply Heat Transfer Vinyl

Next, you’re going to need to cut your piece of vinyl to fit roughly the shape of your placement stitch or hoop. Most vinyl is sold in 9x12 or 12x24 sheets, so this project will work great for any piece of scrap vinyl. Peel off the clear carrier sheet and place your piece of heat transfer vinyl on your hoop glitter side up. Apply another placement stitch over the vinyl.

Your piece should be sewn down and your vinyl shouldn’t move.

STEP 4: Peel Away the Excess HTV

This is where it starts to get fun. After your vinyl is sewn down, peel away the excess vinyl around the outline of the letter. Remember that slow and steady wins the race. It should tear off easily but make sure not to go too fast or rip any part that doesn’t need to be removed.

You should now be able to see your project come to life with your heat transfer vinyl inside your placement stitch. This project is great if you’re looking to make a custom quit or pillow for someone you love.

STEP 5: Press your HTV

Pressing your HTV is something we recommend if you’re wanting your project to last forever. Who doesn’t want that? You’re going to need to put your hoop onto something hard such as a piece of wood or something that doesn’t have any give to it. This will ensure a proper stick to your fabric.

Depending on what kind of heat transfer vinyl you’re using, you’re going to want to adjust your heat settings accordingly. We have heat transfer vinyl settings on our website that you can use. Use our heat setting to find out the pressure, temperature and how long you need to hold heat onto your project. Don’t forget to place a Teflon sheet or piece of multipurpose paper over the top of your vinyl to protect your vinyl from the heat.

STEP 6: Embroider your Project

This is the last and final step to embroidering heat transfer vinyl. Put your project back into your embroidery machine and add an applique around the edge of the letter for a nice finished look. If you’re looking to make customizable designs, feel free to embroider over the top of the heat transfer vinyl to get the look you’re going for.

We hope this blog post helped you find a new way to combine two crafts that you love. If you try out this project please share it with us on our Facebook page. We would love to see the designs you can come up with. And if you would like us to write another blog post on how to combine heat transfer vinyl with something else please let us know. We're always open to suggestions.