Bored Panda got in touch with Anna Hultin, to discuss getting into arts and crafts. After all, Halloween (and the fall in general) is a great time to DIY some decorations and even costumes. So we asked her to share some good starting points for novice embroidery artists.

“I think that the best place a beginner can start is by learning a few basic stitches. I'd recommend buying a pattern that teaches you the back stitch, satin stitch and French knot. Honestly, most of my pieces are made with just those three stitches. More complex stitches are certainly fun, but you can create beautiful work with simple, straightforward ones.”

Getting into a new hobby often does mean dealing with the cost of new tools and materials, so we wanted to know how important is the quality of the tools and thread/yarn and should a novice spend their money on it. “The thing I love about embroidery is how financially accessible supplies are.”

“You don't need to spend a lot of money on supplies to make quality work. Once in a while I'll splurge on specialty thread but 99% of the time I stick to the run of mill DMC embroidery floss. If you're going to spend money on something higher quality it should be the hoop. Having a quality hoop will make it a lot easier to keep your fabric taut while you work. I recommend bamboo hoops. Even then it will usually be under $10.”

“The biggest misconception I see around embroidery is the amount of time it takes to create a piece. Remember, this is hand stitching! It's a very slow process. I've had people gawk at my pricing before until they tried embroidery themselves and realized how long it really takes to create a single piece.”

“My biggest advice is just to get started! It doesn't have to be perfect. If you fall in love with embroidery the way I did then your work will become more advanced with time and practice. Do it for the joy of the process, not the expectation of an outcome.” If you want to see more of her work, check out her Instagram page, Etsy account and personal site.