Innehållsförteckning för May - June 2017 från Creative Machine Embroidery

Dear Readers, I recently presented a sewing workshop to 26 eager students. I began by showing a state-of-the-art high-end sewing and embroidery machine and demonstrated most of the features that separate this machine from a standard beginner-friendly machine. From the moment I turned on the machine and music played as the screen came to life, I had a captive audience. Everyone was amazed at all the bells and whistles: embroidery designs the machine stitches by itself; touch-screen technology akin to iPads; a bobbin that can be wound while you continue to sew; tutorials built into the machine so you don’t have to search through the manual. Each person couldn’t wait to try it. Did I mention they were all kindergartners? After the demonstration, we discussed safety at the machine and…

If you’re new to in-the-hoop machine embroidery, this project is for you! This project is perfect for the beginner, but even seasoned embroiderers will enjoy stitching this fun little design. It’s a practical gift for just about anyone. Change up the fabrics to suit the recipient — think florals, bold stripes or novelty prints depending on the recipient. If you have embroidery software, try exchanging the “Bless You” with a name or monogram for a personal touch. MATERIALS + 1 fat quarter of cotton fabric + Mediumweight tear-away stabilizer + Mediumweight fusible interfacing (See “Source.”) + 5x7 or larger hoop + Thread: matching & contrasting + Embroidery tape PREPARE • Download the ITH Just in Case embroidery design from cmemag.com/freebies onto the machine. • From the fabric, cut four 6”x6½…

MATERIALS + ½ yard each of main fabric, lining fabric & lightweight batting + 1/3 yard of vinyl + Paper-backed adhesive stabilizer + Six wooden beads, various sizes + Four 1” D-rings + Jute or other strong, thin rope + Thread: all-purpose, embroidery & bobbin + Fabric clips + Fabric glue or glue stick & permanent glue + Removable fabric marker + Leather sewing machine needle + Small embroidery design (approximately 1¼ ”x1½ ”; see “Design.”) PREPARE • Download the Beetle Bag Closure and Closure Tab template from cmemag.com/freebies. Print and cut out the pattern pieces. • From the main fabric, lining and batting, cut one 10”x24” rectangle each. • From the vinyl, cut two 6” squares (for the closure), one closure tab, two 1”x2” strap tabs and one 1”…

MATERIALS + T-shirt or collared blouse + Water-soluble stabilizer + Temporary spray adhesive + Curved embroidery scissors + Thread: embroidery & matching bobbin + 5x7 or larger hoop + Lace keyhole embroidery design (approximately 3”x5”; see “Design.”) PREPARE • Download the Peekaboo Lace embroidery design from cmemag.com/freebies until June 30, 2017. Find it after the expiration date at shopsewitall.com. • Print a design template, and then load the design onto the machine. • Determine the desired placement on the T-shirt or collared blouse. Mark the center crossmarks on the garment back. • Hoop a piece of water-soluble stabilizer. Spray the garment back wrong side with temporary spray adhesive and finger-press the garment onto the stabilizer, smoothing any wrinkles. Tip If working on a collared shirt that has a yoke, center…

Sewing slippery coated fabrics can be easy with a few simple steps to prevent damage to the fabric and slippage as you cut and sew. • Coated ripstop nylon and non-coated ripstop nylon must be treated differently from each other. • Needle or pin holes may be visible on the surface and will diminish the water-repellant properties of the fabric, so use pattern weights to hold the pattern pieces in place for cutting. • Use a rotary cutter on a gridded surface to cut one layer at a time. The grid helps to keep cut pieces lined up and square. • Use binder clips and double-sided basting tape to hold seams together instead of pins. • Double-sided basting tape works well to hold the fabric pieces in place for topstitching.…

lisa archer (“In the Hoop:Just in Case” — page 28) is the owner and creative director of Pickle Pie Designs. She loves the challenge of creating in-the-hoop designs that reflect her personal style. Home Base: Holly Springs, NC Visit: picklepiedesigns.com sandra geiger (“Peace, Love, Paisley” — page 50; “Hit the Beach” — page 74) loves to experiment with a variety of fabrics and sewing machines to create new techniques and add extra pizzazz to her sewing projects. Home Base: Sheboygan, WI Visit: sandrageiger.com milinda jay stephenson (“Peekaboo Lace” — page 60) Her latest novel, Annie Laura’s Triumph, published by Mercer University Press, documents the lives of sewing women in Florida in the early 19th century. Included are links to free embroidery downloads of heirloom quilting and embroidery patterns…

Machine embroidery in and of itself adds interest and depth to a fabric surface. With a little bit of imagination and creativity, either on the digitizer’s part or your own, it’s easy to incorporate a twist to an existing design and extend your creative options within a collection. Appliqué designs are one of the easiest ways to add depth to a flat surface. Contrasting fabric colors and textures add to the creative palette. Placing stuffing underneath the appliqué piece, creating a trapunto-like effect, can add even further dimension. Compare the three elephant stitchouts created with the same design to see the differences between each technique. Most collections come with stitching directions. Once you have an understanding of how the design works, don’t be afraid to incorporate your own knowledge and…

Shorts that feature full legs and an elasticized waistband look best in a soft, drapey fabric that will gather attractively at the waistline. Choose a light density design that will enhance your garment but not change its soft drape. A monochromatic running-stitch floral works especially well and complements the romantic lace edging. Because elastic-waist shorts need to be large enough at the waist to easily slide over the hips when dressing, alter the pattern to remove most of the shaping. MATERIALS + Shorts pattern (such as BurdaStyle 03/2016 #113) + Soft, drapey fabric (amount according to pattern envelope) + 2 to 3 yards of cotton edging lace (amount according to size) + ¼” elastic (amount according to size) + Stabilizer: water-soluble or self-adhesive water soluble + Pattern or tracing paper…

It’s fun to play with a design, creating all sorts of possibilities in addition to the original intent. In this project, a circular design is used to create a pocket wallet. After completing the decorative embroidery, a layer of fabric is added to form a pocket. The pocket cut edges are included in the final satin stitch around the outside edge. Finish with the snap for a nifty little secure wallet that fits into a garment or handbag pocket. MATERIALS Materials listed are enough to make one 5" mini-wallet. + Fat quarter of fabric + 5” diameter circle of double-sided fusible stabilizer or fusible foam + Water-soluble stabilizer + Embroidery thread + Water-soluble & cellophane tape + Small embroidery or appliqué scissors + Size 16 snap (See “Source.”) + Snap…

S’mores Supply Sack MATERIALS Supplies listed are enough to make one 8”x 9½ ” drawstring bag. + 9”x11” rectangle each of lightweight canvas & flannel + Thread: matching all-purpose & embroidery + Lightweight tear-away stabilizer + Pinking shears + 5 embroidery floss colors + Bodkin + Cord stop + S’mores embroidery design (approximately 3.35”x6.23”; see “Designs.”) CUT • Download the S’mores Supply Sack pattern from cmemag.com/freebiesuntil June 30, 2017. The pattern will be available for purchase at shopsewitall.com after the expiration date. • Cut out the pattern. • From the canvas, cut one supply sack. • From the flannel, cut one supply sack. EMBROIDER • Download the S’mores embroidery design from cmemag.com/freebiesuntil June 30, 2017. The design will be available for purchase at shopsewitall.com after the expiration date. Load the…

Summer is the time for garden parties, soirées and late nights on the town. Instead of pantsuits or short sets for summer party wear, show effortless style in chic, easy-to-style dresses. For an expensive “I-can’t-believe-you-made-it” look, embroider with tone-on-tone color on hems, sleeve edges and necklines. Cotton is always a good choice for summer wear and is easy to machine embroider. Find all the how-tos for this pretty embroidered dress at sewdaily.com/beautyinblue .…

RUBBER BANDS & BOBBINS For better organization, wrap a fully wound bobbin around the matching thread spool using a rubber band. Vanessa L., Facebook NEEDLE LIFESPAN Change your embroidery machine needle every 8 hours of embroidering for best results. Angie P., Facebook IDEA JAR Put inspiration photos or list ideas of projects you wish to make into a jar. On a rainy day, shake up your jar and pick out a project to make for the day. Brenda L., Facebook RECYCLED STORAGE Organize fabric in previously used shipping boxes. Decorate the boxes using fabric applied with spray adhesive for a cute look. Corrine H., email PULLING STRINGS Always bring the bobbin thread up first before starting a new color change (if the machine doesn't feature a one-stitch-stop to prevent thread…

MATERIALS + 4 coordinating fat quarters, including 1 neutral linen + Fusible stabilizer + Coordinating embroidery thread + Two 6” hand embroidery hoops + Acrylic paint & foam brush + Mini pompom trim + Glue + Embroidery floss & needle + Removable fabric marker + Bird & alphabet embroidery designs (sizes vary; see “Designs.”) PREPARE • Cut the linen fat quarter in half and fuse stabilizer to each wrong side. • From each remaining fat quarter, cut one 8”x10” rectangle. • Cut three 8”x10” stabilizer rectangles and fuse them to the cooresponding fabric rectangle wrong sides. EMBROIDER • Download the Banded Bird embroidery design from cmemag.com/freebies until June 30, 2017. Find the design after the expiration date, and the rest of the collection, at shopsewitall.com. • Hoop the stabilized linen…

MATERIALS + 2 yards of 55”-wide white gauze fabric (See “Sources.”) + ¼ yard of mediumweight fusible non-woven interfacing + Stabilizer: paper-backed self-adhesive tear-away and water-soluble topper + Thread: all-purpose & 40-wt. embroidery + ½ yard of woven scrap fabric or non-woven pattern tracing fabric + Removable fabric marker + Fine-point permanent marker + Paisley embroidery design collection with coordinating elements (See “Designs.”) PREPARE • Prewash and dry the fabric according to the manufacturer's directions. Most gauze fabrics will shrink after washing. • Square up the cut edge of the gauze using the steps in "Going Gauze" at right. From the gauze, cut a 50”x the width of the fabric rectangle for the embroidered top layer. Cut a 30”x the width of the fabric rectangle for the self lining. Tip…

MATERIALS + Lightweight denim fabric (amount according to measurements; see “Sources.”) + Mediumweight cut-away stabilizer + Thread: all-purpose & embroidery + ½ ”-wide elastic (amount according to measurements) + Pattern or tracing paper + Removable fabric marker + Safety pin + Nautical embroidery design (See “Design.”) PREPARE • Take your natural-waist measurement, and then multiply it by 1½ . Divide the multiplied measurement by two; record as the skirt-panel width. For example, if the waist measurement is 36”, the skirt-panel width is 27”. • Determine the desired finished skirt length. (The featured skirt is 18” long.) • Add 4” to the finished length to account for the elastic casing and seam allowances; record as the skirt-panel length. For an 18” skirt, the skirt-panel length is 22”. • Wrap a piece…

MATERIALS Note: Materials listed are enough to make one 58”x102” blanket and one 16”x22” tote bag. + 2½ yard of 60”-wide silicone-coated nylon ripstop in royal blue (See “Source.”) + 1½ yard of 60”-wide silicone-coated nylon ripstop in yellow + 1½ yards of 60”-wide silicone-coated nylon ripstop in turquoise + 2 yards of 3/8”-wide nylon webbing in teal + 3½ yards of 1”-wide nylon webbing in royal blue + ½ yard of polyester dive mesh in royal blue + Cutaway stabilizer + ½” metal leash clip + ½ yard of ½ ”-wide clear elastic + 10” non-separating nylon zipper + ¼ ”-wide double-sided acrylic adhesive tape + Needles: embroidery size 12 and universal size 14 + Thread: embroidery and UVresistant + Binder clips + Pattern weights (optional) + Removable fabric…