Hand Embroidery Companion Cards: Expansion Deck

The Expansion Deck is the second set of Hand Embroidery Companion Cards and it includes a deck of 31 cards: 30 additional 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 4 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 focuses on a different stitch use
• Sampler 4: This sampler includes all 30 stitches arranged in a tree to explore stitch families 

Options for purchase

1. Expansion Deck plus the 4 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 four designs. The printed templates are permanent, so be sure to cover these guidelines with your stitches.

3. The deck, patterns and printed fabric above, plus the following supplies to complete all seven designs ($40+ value):

• Variety pack (3/9) of embroidery needles from Clover
• DMC thread pack (the 12 colors used to create all four sample designs pictured)
• Four beechwood hand embroidery hoops: Size 4 (x3), 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. 

 Ways to use the decks

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!

Looking for the original deck? The Foundation Deck is available here: Foundation Deck

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