Summer is the season to enjoy leisure time on outdoor decks, patios, and screened-in porches. Home decor items made for these areas usually are made of sturdy outdoor fabrics - the most popular brand name today is Sunbrella.

Most commonly found in these areas are umbrellas, chair cushions, slip covers, and grill covers. They're often blank and boring. But with the right tools and tips, you can spice up these items and more with your favorite embroidery designs.

Because outdoor fabrics are so sturdy, embroidering on them is a breeze. Designs of every complexity - from light and airy to more intense and stitch-filled, work extremely well.

The smooth surface of the fabrics allows lighter designs to stitch cleanly, while the fabric's sturdiness holds up heavier designs as well.

I stitched the Daisy (Toile) design onto this striped fabric without a hitch. If you're covering a large area, like an umbrella or a grill cover, the one-color toile designs are fast and fun to repeat.

Next I tried a design with more complexity. I stitched the medium size of the Keeper of the Flame onto this patterned fabric and it stitched out well, too.

A nice benefit to embroidering on outdoor fabrics is that a whole range of designs, from light and open to more complex, work extremely well. You can easily find embroidery designs to match your taste and decor, and not be concerned with how the complexity will work on your fabric choice.

I selected the bright and colorful  Suzani Chrysanthemum Medallion.

First, I tested the design on outdoor canvas using one piece of medium-weight cutaway.

To make sure that there's a nice and tight bond between the fabric and stabilizer, I sprayed the stabilizer with a bit of temporary adhesive (KK100), then smoothed the fabric on top.

Outdoor fabrics are a little thicker than the garments and indoor fabrics that I'm used to working with. I found I needed to be a little more bossy with the hoop than usual; you may need to press down a bit more than usual on the top hoop.

Don't worry if the fabric outside the hoop puckers a bit (as you can see in the photo on the left). Just make sure that the fabric inside the hoop is nice and smooth.

Embroider the design. I mentioned earlier that outdoor canvas is sturdy, and heavier than other fabrics. Because of this, I'm using a 75/11 sharp needle. The sharp point penetrates the fibers cleanly. You can use an embroidery needle, but expect slightly larger perforations.

Here are the results with the cutaway stabilizer. You can see that the stitches are crisp and clean, and the alignment (also called registration) is perfect.

No gapping, crisp edges - beautiful!

I repeated the process with tear-away stabilizer. There were a couple of issues that, frankly, not many non-stitchers would notice.

Do you see the gapping in the ring of satin stitches? This gapping occurs with tear-away stabilizer. As the needle perforates the fabric and tear-away stabilizer, the stabilizer deteriorates, leaving nothing behind to support the fabric. Even though outdoor fabrics are thick and sturdy, they need the support of a cutaway stabilizer to get the best registration and look.

That being said, I use the "galloping horse" rule. If no one is going to notice it from a galloping horse, then it looks good enough.

As you notice outdoor fabrics in your favorite fabric store, you'll likely find a variety of prints and patterns (usually floral). It can be tricky to add designs to these prints. Oftentimes it's best to accent an existing pattern with simple designs.

On the left is the Mola Amaryllis design which is primarily composed of satin stitches. It's a subtle addition to the fabric. I stitched it in pink so that it stands out, but I'd also like it in a coordinating red or green, to pick out some of the colors in the fabric.