Хоть бы вышивку натянули без складок.

Here хоть бы expresses a wish, complaint, or mild irritation. It often means something like:

• if only ...
• they could at least ...
• I wish they would at least ...

So Хоть бы вышивку натянули без складок is not a neutral statement. It sounds dissatisfied: the speaker thinks this should have been done properly.

This is a very common point of confusion.

After хоть бы, Russian often uses a past tense form to express a wish about the present or future, not just the past. So натянули is grammatically past tense, but functionally it means something like:

• if only they would stretch it
• they could at least have stretched it properly
• I wish they’d stretch it without wrinkles

This is similar to how English sometimes uses forms that look past for unreal or wished-for situations, such as I wish they did it properly.

The plural form often works as an indefinite personal construction in Russian. It can mean:

• they
• someone
• the people doing the work

The speaker may not care exactly who the people are, or may prefer not to name them directly.

So натянули does not necessarily mean a specific known group. It can simply mean whoever was responsible for stretching the embroidery.

Not exactly.

An imperative would be something like:

• Натяните вышивку без складок.

But Хоть бы вышивку натянули без складок is not a direct command. It is more indirect and emotional. It sounds like the speaker is complaining that this basic thing was not done right, or wishing that it would be done right.

So the tone is closer to:

• If only they’d stretched the embroidery without wrinkles.
• They could at least have stretched the embroidery without wrinkles.

Because it is the direct object of натянули.

The verb натянуть means to stretch / pull taut something. The thing being stretched goes in the accusative:

• натянуть ткань — to stretch the fabric
• натянуть холст — to stretch the canvas
• натянуть вышивку — to stretch the embroidery

Since вышивка is feminine singular, its accusative form is вышивку.

Here натянуть means to stretch tight / pull taut over a surface or frame.

In the context of embroidery, it usually means stretching the fabric neatly so it lies flat, for example in a frame or for finishing/display. The idea is that it should be smooth, not puckered or wrinkled.

This verb is perfective, so it focuses on the completed result: getting the embroidery properly stretched.

Без складок means without wrinkles / without folds / without creases.

The preposition без always requires the genitive case, so:

• складки is the nominative plural
• складок is the genitive plural

Examples:

• без ошибок — without mistakes
• без проблем — without problems
• без складок — without wrinkles/folds

In this sentence, it describes how the embroidery should be stretched: smoothly, with no wrinkles.

Yes, складка literally means a fold, crease, or pleat, depending on context. In fabric-related contexts, без складок often naturally translates as:

• without wrinkles
• without creases
• without folds

So the exact English word depends on the situation. With embroidery or stretched fabric, without wrinkles is often the most natural translation.

Russian word order is flexible, and this sentence puts the focus naturally on the object вышивку and the desired action done to it.

This order sounds natural for a complaint:
At least the embroidery could have been stretched without wrinkles.

Other word orders are possible, but they would shift emphasis slightly. For example:

• Хоть бы натянули вышивку без складок — a bit more focus on the action
• Хоть бы без складок вышивку натянули — stronger emphasis on without wrinkles

So the chosen order is not the only possible one, but it is perfectly natural.

It can feel a bit mixed, which is normal for this pattern.

Grammatically, натянули is past tense. But with хоть бы, the sentence expresses a wish or complaint about how things should be or should have been done. Depending on context, it can imply:

• a present complaint about the current result
• a past complaint about what someone failed to do properly
• sometimes even a desired future action

In practice, the speaker is reacting emotionally to the situation, not calmly locating it in time.

It is fairly natural in spoken or everyday written Russian, especially as a complaint or irritated comment. It is not slang, but it is emotionally colored and conversational.

In a very formal context, someone might choose a more neutral phrasing. But as an ordinary human reaction to poor workmanship, this sounds normal.