Hand Embroidery Companion Cards: Foundation Deck

The Foundation Deck includes a deck of 31 cards: 30 foundational hand embroidery stitches plus one key card.

Each stitch card includes:

• A diagram illustrating how to perform the stitch accompanied by a written description
• Codes designating stitch family, stitch use, and relative difficulty
• A photo of the stitch and stitch variations
• Tips and tricks
• A QR code linking to an online video tutorial 

Your purchase also includes a set of 7 hand embroidery sampler patterns that utilize all 30 stitches included in the deck. These patterns explore the relationships and categories established in the cards:

• Samplers 1-3: Each sampler uses stitches of the same relative difficulty
• Samplers 4-6: Each sampler focuses on a different stitch use
• Sampler 7: This sampler includes all 30 stitches arranged in a tree to explore stitch families 

Options for purchase

1. Foundation Deck plus the 7 hand embroidery patterns described above. These embroidery patterns will be printed and included in your package. If you'd like the digital version of these patterns please include a note at check out with your email address so I can send it to you. If you do not need the printed version please let me know!

2. The deck and patterns mentioned in option 1, plus printed fabric for all seven designs. 

3. The deck, patterns and printed fabric above, plus the following supplies to complete all seven designs ($50+ value):

• Variety pack (3/9) of embroidery needles from Clover
• The May 2021 DMC thread pack (the 12 colors used to create all seven sample designs pictured)
• Seven beechwood hand embroidery hoops: Size 3 (x2), size 4 (x4), and size 5 (x1)
• A pair of silver stork embroidery scissors

If you prefer to grab supplies a la cart you can find floss bundles here and beechwood hoops here. 

 4. NEW! Digital Foundation Deck. This is a great option for International stitchers! This digital file includes images of each card, organized by stitch family as indicated by the Foundation Deck key card on page one of the document. Your purchase also includes the seven hand embroidery samplers.

 Ways to use the deck

1. Stitcher’s block. Are you stuck using the same old stitches and need some inspiration? Shuffle the deck and let fate decide which stitch to use.
2. Stitcher’s challenge. Shuffle the deck and pull 5 cards. Use only these five stitches in your next project.
3. Stitcher’s reference. Grab the cards needed for your next project and keep them with your work in progress in case you need a refresher on any of the stitches.
4. Self-paced learning: New to hand embroidery? Start with your “0” cards and move through the deck at your own pace. A simple way to slowly expand your horizons through the huge library of embroidery stitches in the world.
5. Embroidery Bingo: Enjoy a private round of hand embroidery bingo by yourself or with your embroidery friends. Feel free to use the bingo templates from previous online rounds here.
6. Deep dive: Spread the cards out on the kitchen table and look for relationships. Maybe pile them by difficulty or lay them out as a big family tree. Or perhaps organize by stitches you’ve tried, stitches you want to try, and stitches you plan to avoid at all costs.
7. What else? Tag #JLECards on Instagram and share how you are using your deck!

NEW! The EXPANSION DECK is now available: Expansion Deck

Discover all 60 stitches included in the decks through this free downloadable document: Family Trees