Embroidery · starter kit
What you need to start embroidery
Three things — or four if you’re sewing. Total cost: ~£20. Everything you need to follow our top course pick, with budget swaps if you’re not sure yet.
Matched to our top course
Following Contemporary Embroidery for Beginners? You’ll need the specific items below. That’s the whole point — no generic “best of” list, just the exact kit for the course we recommend.
The top-pick kit
What we'd buy for a friend starting today.
Total: ~£20. These are the specific items we use and recommend — not the cheapest, not the fanciest, just the ones that get out of your way.
Beech wood embroidery hoop (6 inch)
Our pickWarmer, lighter and gentler on fabric than plastic. 6 inch is the sweet spot for beginners.
DMC cotton floss starter pack
Trusted quality, smooth stranding, and enough colours for your first few projects.
John James crewel needles + plain cotton
Sharp crewel needles + tightly-woven cotton gives crisp stitches with no snags.
Total to start: ~£20
See all on AmazonSome links on this page are affiliate links — we earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend things we’d use ourselves.
On a tight budget?
Under £8 if you go for the swaps.
These will absolutely get you through your first course. The top-pick kit is nicer, but the budget kit works while you’re finding out if this is your thing.
Plastic hoop
instead of beech wood
Anchor floss single skeins
instead of DMC starter pack
Standard sharp needles from a sewing set
instead of crewel needles
What to skip
What we wouldn't recommend
All-in-one kits sold as “complete beginner sets”
The cheapest kits usually include a plasticky hoop that warps, random acrylic floss, and a blunt needle. You’ll fight with it for an hour and blame yourself. Buy each of the three staples separately — a proper beech hoop, decent floss and a sharp crewel needle costs barely more.
Got your kit?
Now pick your course.
We’ve reviewed the best beginner embroidery courses — find the one that suits how you like to learn.
Starter-kit questions
- What's the absolute minimum I need to start?
- The three items in the kit above. Anything else is optional — fancy accessories can wait until you know you're sticking with embroidery.
- Can I use supplies I already have?
- Yes, where you can. Our budget kit lists the household swaps that work. The only things we'd replace are anything that would actively frustrate you while you're learning.
- Why do you recommend this specific brand?
- Because we've used it. Each pick is the one we'd buy for a friend starting from zero — not the cheapest, not the most expensive, just the one that gets out of your way and lets you focus on the craft.
Ready when you are
You’ve got the kit. Now make something.
Pick your course and you’ll be making something real within a week.