How to Make an Embroidered Father's Day Card

Stretch a piece of grey linen or light cotton tight inside a 4-inch wooden embroidery hoop. Loosen the screw at the top, separate the two rings, lay the fabric over the inner ring, push the outer ring down on top, and tighten until the fabric is drum-tight.

Trim the excess fabric so it sits roughly flat against the back, or leave a generous border for tucking later. The fabric needs real tension - any slack and your stitches will pucker.

Write 'Dad, I love you' onto the stretched fabric in the center of the hoop. The fastest way is a water-soluble fabric pen and a steady hand - draw the phrase like you'd write it on paper.

If your handwriting isn't where you want it, print the phrase in a script font, slip transfer paper between the printout and the fabric, and trace the outline. Either way, keep the letters centered and the line about an inch tall.

Cut about 18 inches of yellow embroidery floss. DMC six-strand floss is the standard, and for letters this size you only want three of the six strands.

Separate three strands from the bundle, thread them through the eye of an embroidery needle, and tie a small knot at the long end so the very first stitch holds against the back of the fabric.

Bring the needle up through the back of the fabric at the very start of the 'D'. Take a small forward stitch along your drawn line - about a quarter inch - and push the needle back down through the fabric.

For the next stitch, come up one stitch length ahead and go back down where the previous stitch ended. Every new stitch goes backwards into the end of the last one. That's the back stitch, and it's what makes the line read continuous.

Follow the curve of each letter with short back stitches. On tight curves like the bowl of the 'D' or the loops in 'love', shorten your stitches so the line bends smoothly instead of going faceted.

Take your time. This is the part where most beginners rush and end up with wobbly letters. Stop, breathe, and look at where the next stitch needs to land before you put the needle in.

When you finish a letter or run out of floss, end the thread on the back by weaving it under two or three of your existing stitches, then snip it. Don't carry long strands of floss across the back to the next letter.

Why it matters: light grey linen is thin enough that long carries show through to the front as faint shadows. Clean ends keep your front looking crisp.

Once you reach the period after 'you', bring the needle through to the back, weave it under your last few stitches twice, and snip the floss close. No knot needed - the woven tail holds.

Re-tighten the hoop screw so the fabric is fully taut again. Stitching loosens the tension a little, and a final tighten makes the finished piece look crisp.

Now turn the finished embroidery into a card. The simplest finish: trim the fabric into a circle slightly larger than the window in a pre-cut card blank, then glue the fabric behind the cut-out so the embroidery shows through the window.

For a gift-style version, leave the embroidery stretched in the hoop, trim the back fabric flush with the hoop, glue a backing felt over the back to hide the stitches, and tie a ribbon at the top. Hand-deliver with the card folded around it.