Embroidery on your own fabric: how it works

When this route makes sense

Standalone embroidery suits a few situations well:

• You have a plain fabric you love and want a worked neckline area or border on it before it is made up.
• You have a plain dupatta length that you want bordered with embroidery to go with an existing suit.
• You bought fabric for a special piece and want the embroidery done first, with the stitching arranged separately.

Or combine it with stitching

If you also want the fabric made into an outfit, it is usually simpler to ask for both at once. Choose Stitching Only, send the fabric once, and ask for the embroidery as part of the design. Embroidery can then be positioned for your exact measurements, and lace and borders become possible too, because those are added to outfits we stitch. Our Stitching Only page explains that route, and adding embroidery to a made-to-measure outfit covers the planning.

What makes fabric suitable

Not every fabric takes embroidery equally well, which is why we look first. A stable, closely woven cotton, linen, cambric or winter fabric is usually straightforward. Very fine, very stretchy or very loosely woven fabrics can pucker or distort, and some may need a backing or a lighter design. Fabric that is already embellished limits where new work can go.

Size matters too. Embroidery needs a little spare fabric around the worked area so it can be held flat while the work is done, so do not trim a piece to its finished size before sending it. If you are not sure how much you have, our guide to fabric widths helps you measure it.

Step by step

• Photos and notes: start the quote form and choose embroidery on my own fabric or garment. Upload daylight photos of the fabric, its measurements, and a reference photo of the embroidery you like.
• Our confirmation: we confirm whether the fabric is suitable, what is possible on it, the placement and how to send it.
• Quote and payment: you approve one written quote and pay in full, by bank transfer, Wise or a card payment link.
• Stage one: you post the fabric to us in Pakistan, as agreed. Our guide to posting your fabric has packing tips.
• Stage two: once the work is finished, we ship it back. Your quote already includes delivery to your address and any import duties, taxes and customs or courier fees.

Preparing the fabric

Send fabric clean and dry. If it is a cotton that may shrink, consider washing it first, so the embroidery is not distorted by a first wash later; our pre-wash guide explains when that matters. Do not mark the fabric with pen; describe the placement in measurements instead, for example a band starting ten centimetres from one selvedge. Customers in the UAE can read how this works from there on the UAE fancy work page.