 A firm fabric is required to support the weight of the stitching.It is best to use a crewel needle to execute the stitches as a needle with a wide body, large eye and a sharp point is required.The outlines of the design to be worked are often screen printed onto the fabric or can be transferred to plain fabric using modern transfer pens, containing water-soluble ink or air-soluble ink, using a lightbox and a permanent pen, or iron-on designs applied using transfer sheets.