Table of Contents
- Introduction to Personalizing Crochet Projects
- Essential Tools and Materials for Crochet Lettering
- Method 1: The Back Stitch with a Tapestry Needle
- Method 2: The Surface Slip Stitch with a Crochet Hook
- Finishing Touches and Securing Your Work
- Unleash Your Creativity: Beyond Names
- From the comments: quick answers
Watch the video: “How to Write a Name on Any Crochet Project” by CJ Design
A name turns a simple make into a keepsake. In this quick, beginner-friendly lesson, you’ll see two ways to write names on crochet: a neat back stitch with a tapestry needle, and a smooth, raised line using a surface slip stitch with your hook. Both start the same way: outline your lettering with a disappearing ink pen, then follow the guide.
What you’ll learn
- How to outline a name or word on crochet using disappearing ink
- Method 1: back stitch with a tapestry needle for crisp, embroidered letters
- Method 2: surface slip stitch with a hook for a raised, continuous line
- How to work curves, keep stitches even, and secure your ends cleanly
- When to choose one method over the other, based on project size and comfort
Introduction to Personalizing Crochet Projects Personalizing crochet can be as simple as adding a name to a pillow, blanket, or sweater. In the video, the instructor demonstrates on a pillow cover and mentions you can apply the same steps to many projects—even non-crochet items with fabric that will hold the stitches. The key is to draw a clear guide and then work steadily around each letter to keep the look tidy.
Why Add Names to Your Crochet Creations?
- Gifts become unmistakably personal: think baby blankets, pillows for a new home, or a sweater with a special nickname.
- Lettering can be bold and chunky or delicate and cursive—both approaches work.
- You don’t need advanced embroidery skills; both methods are beginner-friendly in this tutorial. magnetic embroidery hoops
Overview of the Techniques You’ll Learn
- The back stitch (worked with a tapestry needle) creates a classic, filled line. You control stitch length for neat curves and spacing.
- The surface slip stitch (worked with a crochet hook) draws a continuous line on top of the fabric—fast and satisfying once your hands get the rhythm.
- Both begin with an outlined guide drawn in disappearing ink.
Essential Tools and Materials for Crochet Lettering Gather the basics before you begin so you can stay in flow. The video lists:
- Fabric: a crocheted piece like a pillow front, blanket panel, or sweater; non-crochet fabric works too if it can hold the stitches.
- Disappearing ink marking pen: the guide fades with air or water depending on the type. Retrace if it fades too quickly while you work.
- Either a tapestry needle or a crochet hook (you’ll choose based on your method).
- Yarn for the lettering (contrasting color helps it pop).
- Scissors.
The Magic of Disappearing Ink Pens Draw the name directly onto your fabric. If your pen fades quickly, retrace to keep the guide visible while you work. The instructor’s pen faded with air, so they went over the lines a few times. Cursive looks beautiful on crochet, but block letters are equally effective—choose the style you like.
Watch out
- Chalk: a viewer asked about chalk; the creator responded that chalk likely won’t stay on yarn. If you don’t have the pen yet, another viewer suggested a light touch of white eyeliner as a temporary guide.
- Visibility: if your yarn is very fluffy, it can be harder to see individual moves while practicing, as one viewer noted. Choose a smoother yarn while you’re learning.
Choosing Your Yarn and Tools
- Yarn: pick a color that contrasts with your base fabric for legibility. The video shows a chunky yarn for a plush look; specific fiber or size isn’t specified.
- Tools: pick the tapestry needle for the back stitch, or your hook for the surface slip stitch—try both to see which feels better in your hands. mighty hoop
Method 1: The Back Stitch with a Tapestry Needle This embroidery-adjacent method builds letters one segment at a time along your ink outline. It’s tidy, precise, and great for large pieces where constantly rotating the project with a hook feels cumbersome.
Step-by-Step Guide to Back Stitching 1) Thread the needle. Pull up from the back of the fabric at your starting point.
2) Go back down in the same spot (or very close) to anchor the start.
3) Bring the needle up a short distance ahead along your letter shape—this sets your stitch length. 4) As you pull through, form a small loop on the surface ahead of your next insertion. Keeping the needle inside the loop helps you maintain control.
5) Insert the needle back where the previous stitch ended, then come up a little ahead again. The yarn path locks into the loop you pre-placed, forming a solid line.
6) Continue around each letter, rotating your project as needed to keep your wrist comfortable.
Tips for Achieving Neat Lettering
- Aim for medium stitch lengths. Very long stitches can look uneven on curves; very short ones can feel fussy.
- Keep tension consistent—snug enough to lay flat, but not so tight that it puckers the fabric.
- Pause to realign on tight curves. Shorten your stitch length slightly to keep curves smooth.
Quick check
- Are your segments even in length?
- Does the line follow your drawn guide without gaps?
- Is the fabric laying flat without distortion?
Pro tip If your ink guide fades mid-letter, stop and lightly retrace before continuing. You’ll save time you might otherwise spend unpicking uneven sections.
Method 2: The Surface Slip Stitch with a Crochet Hook Think of this as “drawing” with your hook on top of the fabric. It’s fast once you get the feel and produces a smooth, raised line that looks especially polished on pillows and sweaters.
Mastering the Surface Slip Stitch 1) If needed, retrace your ink guide so it’s easy to follow.
2) Insert your hook from the back to the front at your starting point and pull up a loop. 3) Insert the hook a short distance ahead along the guide, yarn over from the back, and pull through the fabric and the loop on your hook to make a surface slip stitch.
4) Repeat this rhythm—insert ahead, yarn over from the back, pull through both the fabric and the loop—to build a continuous line on the surface.
5) Work around curves by taking smaller advances with the hook to keep the line smooth.
When to Choose This Method
- Choose the hook method if you like a raised, continuous line and don’t mind rotating your project frequently. It’s a bit quicker once your hands learn the flow.
- For very large pieces (like a super big blanket), the creator suggests the tapestry needle method might be more comfortable since you won’t have to maneuver the entire blanket as much.
Watch out
- On very holey or openwork fabrics, it can be difficult to anchor stitches exactly where you want them. The creator answered a comment noting it works best on surfaces that don’t have a lot of holes or spaces.
- Keep an eye on tension: too loose and the line looks wobbly; too tight and it can compress the fabric.
Finishing Touches and Securing Your Work When you complete a letter with surface slip stitch: - Cut the yarn and pull the last loop through so the end goes to the back.
- Use your hook or tapestry needle to bring both ends to the wrong side and secure. For a pillow (as in the video), a simple knot on the back is sufficient because the wrong side won’t show.
How to Secure Your Yarn Ends
- Hidden back: on items with a lining or an enclosed wrong side (pillows, some bags), knotting and trimming on the back is quick and practical.
- Blankets and reversible items: there’s no explicit method shown in the video for making the back decorative. If the back will show, you might weave in tails carefully and keep floats short. Some viewers suggested stitching names on a separate strip and sewing it on, or placing names on the front of a double border so the back stays concealed.
Quick check
- Are all ends secure on the back?
- Does the lettering match your drawn plan?
- Is the surface smooth, with no snagging or loose loops?
From the comments: quick answers
- Chalk as a guide? The creator said it probably won’t stay on yarn; a viewer recommended a light touch of white eyeliner if you’re in a pinch.
- Which surfaces work best? The creator confirmed it works on any surface that doesn’t have lots of holes/spaces.
- Making the back neat on blankets? The creator mentioned they don’t do anything special and simply use the item as is. One viewer suggested making a separate patch/strip to appliqué or hiding the back inside a double border.
- Hook size? A viewer asked, but there’s no specific answer in the thread. Try a hook that easily passes through your fabric without splitting it; exact sizing wasn’t specified in the video.
Unleash Your Creativity: Beyond Names The same approach works for short phrases, initials, and simple motifs. Cursive flows beautifully with both techniques, but block letters can be easier when you’re starting. If you’re decorating a heart-shaped pillow or a beanie, draw your guide to match the curvature, and keep stitch lengths short around tight bends for smoother results. The instructor also referenced a paid “Isabella” pillow pattern on their site; details beyond that aren’t specified in the video.
Pro tip Practice on a swatch first. Trace a few letters, try both techniques, and see which feels more comfortable—especially if your project yarn is very plush or fuzzy.
Watch out If your working yarn is very fluffy, visibility can be tougher as one commenter noted. You can still succeed—just slow down, shorten stitches on curves, and keep rotating the piece for a better working angle. snap hoop monster
Troubleshooting at a glance
- Guide line faded: retrace lightly before continuing.
- Uneven curves: shorten stitch length and rotate the project more frequently.
- Fabric puckering: reduce tension; your stitches should sit on top without distorting the base fabric.
- Letter spacing off: lightly redraw guidelines between letters to balance spacing before you stitch.
Quick check: choosing your method
- Go with the tapestry needle back stitch if you prefer precise control on large projects or want to minimize rotating a bulky piece.
- Choose the surface slip stitch if you want speed and a raised, continuous line—and your project is a manageable size to rotate as you go.
From the comments: enthusiasm and use cases
- Viewers used the tutorial to personalize gifts, including baby blankets, beanies, and heart-shaped pillows. Several people mentioned this was exactly what they needed and felt confident after watching.
A note on stitch naming A couple of viewers discussed whether the needle method is a back stitch or chain stitch. In the video, it’s identified as back stitch in the embroidery sense. There’s no further technical breakdown provided beyond the demonstrated steps.
Project walk-through snapshots - Base fabric and tools gathered, guide drawn with a disappearing ink pen.
- Back stitch method in action: thread the needle, bring yarn up, form loops ahead for smooth progress, and repeat around letters.
- Surface slip stitch method in action: pull up a loop from the back, slip stitch along the guide, and finish by pulling the loop to the back to secure.
From the comments: expanding your toolkit (optional) This tutorial is entirely hand-worked—no machine embroidery involved. If you also enjoy machine embroidery, some makers use accessories to stabilize projects. For example, larger or slippery projects may benefit from frame systems that hold fabric securely. If that’s your world, you might explore tools such as magnetic embroidery frame or systems compatible with your brand of machine like brother embroidery machine or janome embroidery machine. If you’re in the Baby Lock ecosystem, you may also encounter accessories like baby lock magnetic hoops. These aren’t used in the video, but they can be helpful for machine-based lettering and monograms.
Creative variations to try
- Outline and fill: Work a back stitch outline and add a second pass for a bolder line.
- Two-tone detail: Use a contrasting color for shadowing—trace a second, thinner line just offset from the main letters.
- Mixed styles: Combine block capitals for initials with cursive for the rest of the name.
Quick practice plan
- Trace a simple curve (like a U) and an angle (like a V). Practice each with both methods.
- Time yourself to see which method flows better for you. The video doesn’t specify times; go by comfort.
- Photograph your tests and compare readability and texture.
Care and durability The stitches sit on top of crochet fabric. As with any surface embellishment, be mindful of snagging. On items that will be washed frequently, weave in ends securely on the back and consider gentle laundering inside a garment bag. The video doesn’t include specific care instructions.
From the comments: practical reminders
- Several viewers thanked the creator for clarity and speed—the tutorial is short, understandable, and easy to follow.
- If you’re new to personalization, start with a short name or initials to lock in your technique before tackling long words.
Wrap-up With a disappearing ink guide, a tapestry needle or hook, and steady tension, you can customize almost any crochet surface with names and words. Back stitch or surface slip stitch—both are accessible, neat, and satisfying. Start small, practice curves and spacing, and your next gift will have that just-for-you magic. magnetic embroidery hoops