Celtic Knot Shamrock Embroidery Hoop with HTV
Create a beautiful Celtic knot shamrock embroidery hoop using Heat Transfer Vinyl and embroidery! This mixed media project makes a special decoration for St. Patrick’s Day or any time of year!
Hello Crafty Friends! Today’s craft project is a fun mixed media craft that combines Heat Transfer Vinyl with simple embroidery. I love creating embroidery hoops using HTV. It’s a quick project that is perfect for holiday decor.
I used my Cricut Explore and green Cricut Iron-On to cut out a beautiful Celtic shamrock design. The design is so intricate and striking on it’s own you don’t need to add embroidery, however I love the extra detail it gives the hoop!
Using green embroidery thread, I added a simple running stitch around the border of each clover leaf keeping my stitches in-between the lines of the HTV. After that I added a bit more stitching inside the four Trinity knots at the center of the design. For this section, I used a stem stitch and the same green floss. The stem stitch creates a raised rope stitch that adds subtle dimension to the design.
I framed the design in a 9″ wooden embroidery hoop that I painted and distressed with green acrylic paint. You could also stain the hoop using gel stain or leave the hoop it’s original bamboo color.
Below is the tutorial for creating your own Celtic embroidery hoop. It’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day but it could also be displayed all year round to celebrate your Irish heritage.
Looking for more St. Patrick’s Day projects? Check out my St. Patrick’s Day craft page for more fun DIY craft tutorials for the holiday!
Supplies Needed
- 9″ Embroidery hoop
- Green paint – I used Folk Art Multi Surface Paint in Classic Green
- 11″ x 11″ piece of cotton fabric – I used Kona cotton fabric
- Green Cricut Iron On
- Cricut Cutting Machine, Standard cutting mat and Cricut Tools
- Iron or Cricut EasyPress and EasyPress mat
- Green embroidery floss – I used DMC 912
- Embroidery needle
- Embroidery scissors
- Beige thread
- 12″ x 12″ piece of green cardstock
- Shamrock Design in Cricut Design Space
Cutting the Design
Start by cutting out the design using your cutting machine. Use my Cricut Design Space file which is already formatted to fit a 9″ embroidery hoop. The design uses the top layer of image #M25085A76 Shamrock Mandala.
Don’t forget to hide the embroidery hoop layer, then cut out the design from green Iron-On.
This design is intricate and will take a bit of time to weed. You can use a lightbox, like the Cricut BrightPad if you are having trouble seeing. I took my time and made sure to hold my design up to the light to make sure I weeded everything I needed to!
Painting the Hoop
You can paint your embroidery hoop green as I did, stain it, or leave it as is. Since I was using a beige cloth, I thought the green would be a fun pop of color around the edges of the design. I painted the hoop with acrylic paint and then immediately rubbed some of it off using a piece of paper towel to give the hoop a distressed look. I gave it a coat of sealer once the paint was dry.
Ironing the HTV Image
Center the design on a piece of cotton fabric that measures 11″ x 11″. Use an iron or a heat press to transfer the image. This was my first time using the Cricut Heat Press! I had a lot of fun using it but found it worked better with the Cricut heat pad underneath than a towel.
Frame the Design and Embroider
Center the design in the 9″ embroidery hoop, being gentle as you stretch it and tighten the hoop. As you are tightening the hoop and getting the fabric taught, be sure to check that you aren’t warping the design.
Once the design is in the hoop, grab some green embroidery floss and start stitching. I used two strands of floss and added a running stitch around the border of each leaf and a few stitches in the center diamond of the design.
After the running stitch, I used a stem stitch to fill in the inside of all four Trinity knots (Triquetras). This video, from NeedlenThread, will show you how to both a simple running stitch and a simple stem stitch. You can use any stitch you’d like and add embroidery anywhere within the design.
Finishing the Hoop
Once you are done embroidering the design, your hoop just needs to be finished off and you are done! Start by cutting the fabric so there is about 1-1.5″ of fabric left around the hoop.
Using a couple strands of embroidery floss or thread, stitch around the edge of the fabric using a small running stitch. Pull the thread and gather the fabric to the back of the hoop.
You can leave your hoop as is or cover the back with felt or cardstock. I chose to cover the back of mine with cardstock. I put a line of clear glue along the back of my hoop then set it on a piece of 12″x 12″ cardstock. The hoop sat overnight with a few books on top of it and then I used a scissors to trim the paper away.
The hoop is finished and ready to be displayed! Hang it with a piece of ribbon on the wall or use an easel to display it on a shelf or mantel. I love how the hoop turned out!
