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As seen in this piece, the thread goes thru the plexiglass (not sure if it is plexiglass) at the beginning and at the end of the word. But I don't see how the thread is being fixed onto the plexiglass for each letter in between.

enter image description here

How is each letter being "glued" to the surface?

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    Your question update is problematic for 2 reasons: 1st: it invalidates all of the answers you were given until now and you force everyone who tried to help you to edit their answer to fit your updated question. 2nd: Your new question is completely subjective. What's simple or easy depends on the experience and capabilities of each individual person. We cannot answer that question for you. In terms of materials every answer seems to be equally simple because you need one tool and thread. You have to choose your preferred method now, we cannot do it for you.
    – Elmy ♦
    Commented Dec 3, 2020 at 5:42
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    The point is that any question asking for the best/simplest/easiest (i.e. 'most something-est') is subjective by nature. While every individual case might be able to get properly argued, we simply don't allow that type of question here (or almost anywhere on the Stack Exchange platform), because potential answers can only be judged by the one who posed the question, which might invalidate objectively right answers.
    – Joachim ♦
    Commented Dec 5, 2020 at 8:46
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    Updating questions to pose additional questions is simply not allowed, because the structure of this platform is not appropriate for that: it requires users to edit and possibly rephrase high-quality answers, it might invalidate accepted and otherwise perfectly informative answers, change the helpfulness of comments, &c.. Besides, we have an alternative for that, which is to ask a new question :)
    – Joachim ♦
    Commented Dec 5, 2020 at 8:51
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    I edited out the update in your question. You can still access your additions using the revisions link, if you want to post a new question (but be sure to rephrase it in such a way that it can be objectively answered). Good luck!
    – Joachim ♦
    Commented Dec 5, 2020 at 8:53
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    Or, as is often, done ask for clarification in the comments of the answer(s) you are interested in, not in edits to the original question.
    – rebusB
    Commented Dec 8, 2020 at 0:06

3 Answers 3

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That is done with a tambour needle. You can buy them at Amazon or craft stores. You punch a hole and do a chain stitch as you embroider.

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  • Ah... and being clear plastic it is easy to layout and punch the holes over some drawn or printed template.
    – rebusB
    Commented Dec 8, 2020 at 0:11
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As you've noted, the thread passes through holes in the plastic sheet. The process appears to mimic the mechanics of a sewing machine. A loop is pushed through the hole to the underside. Another thread is passed through the loop.

Looking up "hand stitching awl" presents a method likely to be used in the photo collection. This method uses a single thread, while a sewing machine uses a second thread in a bobbin located under the machine arm.

For this project, the loop is pushed to the underside of the sheet. The awl is removed and placed in the next hole. The new loop is then passed into the previous loop and tensioned.

The new loop becomes the previous loop for the next hole.

stitching image

From the above image, it appears that the underside thread is pulled mostly to the top. The underside thread is not visible on the underside, but it has to be there and may be the angle of the photograph.

A YouTube video shows one method of connecting the loops, although there may be other methods possible.

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  • great answer, thank you @fred_dot_u. i looked up "hand stitching awl" and found leather stitching awls. do you think a leather awl would work?
    – Gaia
    Commented Nov 30, 2020 at 5:59
  • also do you think that the loops connect to each other? from this pic i.imgur.com/HbuPlNq.jpeg looks one standalone loop per fixing point
    – Gaia
    Commented Nov 30, 2020 at 6:01
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    I've added a useful video link to the answer body.
    – fred_dot_u
    Commented Nov 30, 2020 at 10:12
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    After researching the tambour needle option, I think that's going to be the easiest of the bunch. It's mostly a specialized crochet hook with a handle. All three of these options depend on the same pattern, looping thread through holes and other thread. Your challenge is going to be creating the holes, but that should not be too tough either. Print out a pattern, tape it to the plastic and punch holes along the lines, then perform the threading.
    – fred_dot_u
    Commented Dec 3, 2020 at 0:53
  • well, thanks again fred. your answer shows the most research and has the most explanation, but the newbie takes the cake home this time - it is the most appropriate for me, and I think that most ppl would also be looking at the simplest way to do this. I don't think i've ever marked an answer by a 1 point member as the answer ;)
    – Gaia
    Commented Dec 3, 2020 at 1:07
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This could be done using different embroidery techniques, just using a sturdy transparent sheet instead of fabric as the carrier medium.

The stitching looks a lot like chain stitch, which can be easily achieved with a simple crochet hook using the traditional Indian Aari technique. See a video with simple instructions here.

When embroidering fabric, you can simply push the hook through the fabric. In this case I suggest punching the holes through the sheet before embroidering, otherwise you might bend the sheet. A thick needle or awl heated over a candle should suffice to poke neat holes. Make sure you cover your working area with something disposable like old newspaper to avoid damage to your table top.

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