The quality of embroidery depends not only on the workmanship, but also the quality of the fabric, threads, the intricacy of the design, the closeness of the stitches, and the color combinations. Almost all types of fabric can be used for hand embroidery. However, the commonly used fabrics for hand embroidery are linen, satin, cotton, silk, crepes, georgette, chiffon, velvet, tricot, polyester, etc.

The selection of the size of the needle is done based on the weight or thickness of the material, the required fineness of the embroidery and the kind of thread to be used, e.g., if silk thread is being used on chiffon or silk-like soft material, a very fine and high numbered needle would be required.

Like the selection of fabric, needle and style of design, it is important to learn about the selection of thread used for embroidering a particular design. The factors to keep in mind while selecting a thread are color, texture, length, thickness and suitability to the final effect of the embroidery pattern.

Threads are one of the basic materials needed for embroidery. The most commonly used threads are stranded cotton threads. These threads have mostly six separate strands which can be used together, or separated and used singly or in groups. The benefit of stranded cotton thread is that the strands can be separated and recombined in any number to achieve differing thickness and effects. Sometimes, different brands offer different numbers to the thread. The embroiderer can select the threads according to his/her requirements. Wonderful effects can be achieved by using different threads, like pearl cotton, silk threads, metallic thread, fine wool thread, and viscose rayon thread—the list is endless.