Common embroidery mistakes and how to fix them
Puckering, tangles, loose knots and show-through: why they happen and what to do.
- Puckered fabric: usually slack or over-stretched fabric, or stitches pulled too tight. Keep the fabric evenly drum-tight and pull each stitch only until it lies flat.
- Puckering on thin fabric: use fewer strands, or back the fabric with a second layer of cotton or a stabiliser.
- Shadows on the front: long threads carried across the back show through light fabric. End the thread and restart instead.
- Knotted, twisted thread: use shorter lengths and let the needle dangle now and then to untwist.
- French knot pulled through: you went down the same hole. Go down right beside it.
- Hoop marks: take the work out of the hoop when you stop for the day. Gentle washing and pressing face down on a towel usually removes them.
Pinny's tip
If a stitch is wrong, unpick it with the needle eye first rather than cutting, so you do not snip the fabric.
If a stitch is wrong, unpick it with the needle eye first rather than cutting, so you do not snip the fabric.
Watch
Improve your hand embroidery! My 10 tips and mistakes to avoid to help you be a better stitcher. (9:01)
By Sarah Homfray Embroidery · Open on YouTube
Chosen from its title and channel: a 9-minute video from Sarah Homfray Embroidery on the same topic as this guide. Embedded from YouTube with credit; we don't host it. It only loads when you press play.
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Sources
All checked November 1, 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.