Tiling Your Machine Embroidery

Posted on June 23, 2016 by edges

These days, we’re all finding new ways to machine embroider. From quilting to in-the-hoop, to applique, I’m amazed at the new life coming into this part of the sewing scene.

This past week I spent some time stitching out a beautiful pattern from Embroidery Online. Here’s a link to the collection, called Modern Expressions Tiling Scene.

I started with a great palette and moved on from there. I don’t think I ever would have dreamed of putting some of these colors together without the designer’s keen eye. The pdf printout shows a nice layout of the design, and while my personal colors were slightly different, they were very true to the original colors. I also stayed very true to the thread colors of the original design.

The stitch-out was actually pretty light and easy, as nothing about the design is terribly dense. Even at less-than-top-speed, each block took only about 20 minutes.

The pattern instructions called for two layers of tear-away stabilizer, which worked very well. I had my doubts about how nicely it would press out in the end, but it lays really flat.

The end result is a very modern looking design, great for a wall-hanging or a table runner. This was waaaaay easier than I thought it would be. Read the instructions thoroughly, and you’ll have no problems. At the end, you trim each block 1/4 inch from the final thread color, and it really keeps your block sizes uniform. When stitching together, just hold a decent quarter inch and you’ll be fine….it’s a forgiving pattern. Press your seams open.

While I still have to quilt and bind it, I think I’ll just quilt in the ditch. Still, a great weekend project, and I really fell in love with the finished look of this. Have fun!

Are You a Happy Glamper?

Posted on June 14, 2016 by edges

You can’t fool me with colorful new fabrics and joyful projects and slick looking retro-styled trailers and chef-inspired meals on Pinterest, cooked over wood-burning fires with tents and campers lit softly with warm beds and bathrooms and lighting.

I have been camping. And there is nothing “glam” about it.

I pitched tents that required directions and patience to assemble…long before they snapped together in minutes. I canoed down a muddy stream in a strange state in the pouring rain with a boat partner who had no idea how to steer. The couple behind us had a large black snake slide into their canoe. That’s the definition of horror.

I’ve slept on air mattresses that flatten completely by morning, on earth that slopes and slowly rolls me downhill all night till I’m shoved up against the door.

I’ve cooked real meals over an open fire and inhaled more than my share of campsites (especially in a state preserve where everyone is close to the next campsite and all are burning God-knows-what all night long.)

I’ve bathed in lakes and cold community shower stalls, discovered 5 ticks on one foot, and been terrified of the fierce growling in the middle of the night no more than 6 inches from my head on the outside of the tent.

Yes, I’ve been camping. Or do you say glamping.

Love it or not, the trend is hot hot hot.

And sewists are all over it! Take a peak at this link to hand embroidery that everyone is into these days.

Since I’ve been obsessed with in-the-hoop bags, here’s another.

I purchased this design from an Etsy shop called Disorderly Threads. You can purchase the design here.

It’s a lot of steps for a small design but the instructions are pretty clear. I love how it turned out and made a couple of them.

The idea of glamping is 100% fun, and retro and cute.

And if you’re looking for me, I’ll just be enjoying the whole trend vicariously from under the covers in my cozy, warm, dry bed.

Kid in a Candy Shop

Posted on June 9, 2016 by edges

Growing up, we always had a little shop, a shop filled with gag gifts, toys, records (The one near my house always carried the top 30 hits of the week on 45.) And candy. Lots and lots of candy.

Of course.

On this rainy summer afternoon, after a nice brunch, my 13 year old and I stopped at the town candy shop called Rocket Fizz, a place we’d never been before.

What a hoot is this place. And what a throwback to my childhood…at least somewhat.

The places I hung out were often small and dingy. Parents were almost never to be found.

Here, though, we saw crowds of teens moving in and out…boyfriends and girlfriends, parents and kids, you name it. And the kids working there, were forever re-stocking candy and bottles.

It’s about as crazy full of candy as any place I’d ever seen. But not just your average candy. It’s full of stuff we saw growing up. Nesco wafers and Clark bars and Pixie Stix, not to mention all the usual suspects, like Mike and Ike, and Nerds.

Beyond all the mounds and mounds of candy, they had the most bizarre collection of soda. I can’t remember all the flavors, but I do recall seeing a bottle with Osama bin Laden’s picture and a reference to Seal Team 6. Also one with Stalin on the label…something about The REAL Red Soda.

But candy and soda were not the only points of interest. Here were the gag toys I remember…some of them updated, some of them exactly the same. Chattering teeth, finger puppets, Grow Your Own Therapist…quite a collection.

As if all this isn’t enough, I asked the gal at the counter what these little Asian packages of Kit Kats were.

Sold in Japan, they are flavored: Raspberry, Green Tea and Sweet Potato. She told me the sweet potato flavor supposedly tastes great heated in the microwave.

Hmmm…think I’ll stick with the old-fashioned American chocolate version, thanks.

We left with a bag full of Ring Pops, a Toblerone, and bottle of Virgil’s Root Beer (for me).

I love retail.

And I love being reminded that shopping should be fun. We all need a reason to come out of the house to shop, a reminder that everything doesn’t have to be a big box store with giant aisles.

Here’s to the little shops, the fun ones, with color and humor and inspiration and reasons for me to return. Here’s to the places where no one working or shopping looks weary or bored or defeated, where delight and surprise is around every turn, in every bin, where the unusual can still be found and the silly still has a purpose. Where you can spend only a few bucks and walk away feeling like you found a treasure.

Rocket Fizz, we’ll be back.

Little Ruby, Little Bags

Posted on June 1, 2016 by edges

So I’ve been having fun with Little Ruby fabric from Bonnie and Camille.

At first I made some larger bags from a layer cake. Then I made a bunch of tiny little coin purse sized bags from a charm pack.

All of this is done with machine embroidery using software.

I took the simple design of the larger bag and reduced the sides and bottom, keeping the zipper positioning lines the same. Then I switched to a larger hoop and made three copies of the bag.

I hooped sticky-back tearaway stabilizer, stitched out the zipper placement lines for all three. Then, I placed the zippers and stitched out the line at the top of the zipper first for all three bags, then the bottom part of the zipper for all three. Those fabrics top and bottom are just folded charm squares, with a small piece of batting in between.

After stitching the first batch, I went back to my software and moved them all a little farther apart from one another, so they don’t overlap. I also added thread color changes between each step, just so the machine would stop stitching for me to place the fabric.

Finally, I put a tiny charm square quilt sandwich on top to form the back and lining of the bag.

Then an outline stitches around each of the bags. It is set as a triple stitch and goes over the same line three times.

NOTE: DON’T FORGET TO MOVE THE ZIPPER PULL INTO THE CENTER OF THE BAG BEFORE ADDING THE BACKING!

That note is mainly for myself…believe me, if you do it once, you’ll remember not to do it again. It’s not a terrible fix, but takes a little time and fidgeting. You have to rip the seam to get the zipper pull through, and then re-sew the outline seam on the machine (not embroidery.)

When I take them out of the hoop, the first thing I do is tear away all the stabilizer from the outside. Then with a little more care, I tear away the stabilizer from the inside of the bag. This is actually pretty easy…a little bit of fussing to get it out, but not much. Because the outline of the bag is a triple stitch, as well as the lines holding in the zipper, the stabilizer tears away very easily.

The final step is to cut away the excess fabric and zipper, and turn the little goodies inside out. I give them a quick press and done!

The final mini bags are about 4 1/4 inches by 3 inches. My main goal was to use as much of the charm squares as possible without wasting.

If you own software…any kind…I encourage you to try building bags like this. The digitizing is only rectangle and lines, and the corners are slightly curved. Your expenses? A charm pack and some matching zippers. You likely have some scraps of batting lying around that can be used.

In a day, you can have stacks of lovely little bags to give away or to keep. They are just about the perfect size for credit cards, ID, business cards, etc.

Here are some peonies for you, just for fun. Because they’re blooming and are gorgeous.

Little Ruby in the House…or Hoop

Posted on May 27, 2016 by edges

I’m so spoiled by these in-the-hoop little bags. I’ve made them before, and on a day when I want to be productive, they are perfect. They don’t require a lot of concentration, and they stitch up pretty quickly if you build them assembly line style.

I have learned to cut my fabric and batting ahead of time and line it all up on an extra table. I add in the matching zipper, and it’s ready to go. I love these bright layer cakes from Bonnie and Camille for projects like this. “Little Ruby” suited me just fine. But the advantage of a layer cake is that most of the cutting is done. All the pieces are 10 x 10 or various cuts by 10 inches.

I cut the sticky back tear-away stabilizer all at the same time as well, and that’s ready to go.

I stitch everything down on all the bags, take them out of the hoop and toss them aside while the next one sews out. When they are all sewn, then I sit down and pull out the tear-away stabilizer, trim the edges and finally, press.

Tonight, I’ll head to the store and see if I can find some little charms to add to the zippers.

People just love these little bags…they can be used for anything. The bright color combinations are so cheerful. I think I’m going to see if I can make some that use charm packs. These are “cosmetic bag” sized. Charm packs would be “coin purse” sized, but they would really go fast, and I might be able to put a few in a hooping.

That will have to be my next experiment.

Lilacs and Chaos

Posted on May 24, 2016 by edges

When the chaos in my mind and in my sewing room reaches the breaking point, it helps for me to get out and smell the lilacs.

This is my favorite time of the year. The promise of warm weather, the anticipation of wonderful, summery things. Those last few days before the kids are out of school, when expectation runs way ahead of itself. Lemonade and carnivals and rides on golf carts.

Green leafy things and colorful blooming things, and thunderstorms and sprinklers and fresh sweet corn and tomatoes. Farmers markets, and sandals, swimming pools and vacation adventures. Road trips and plane trips and hikes in the woods. Barefoot feet and long conversations on patios, decks and kitchen tables with air conditioners humming.

Trashy novels with no deep meaning, except maybe a lovely or surprisingly sweet ending. Grilled chicken and kabobs and sun on my painted toes. Lawn mowers and bicycles and screen doors. Red, white and blue, or basically white with any color.

Big juicy watermelons and fruit salads for breakfast with a warm croissant. Sunsets and bug spray, sparklers and beach towels. Water slides, hoses, and ice cream trucks.

Parades, tears, laughter, dirt.

Lilacs open the door to it all.

My sewing room is in chaos. I have at least 3-4 projects running simultaneously.

But all is well and all will be well.

The lilacs are in bloom.

Fun With Chalk Cloth

Posted on May 20, 2016 by edges

I’ve been meaning to work with chalk cloth again for awhile now. I had made a table runner at work with “Chips”, “Dip” and other appetizers scrawled on it in the chalk marker. It turned out great and has inspired many others to try their hand with chalk cloth.

I made this one to sit on our kitchen island. With a busy household, we all come home at different times. This way, anyone can make the grocery list right on this cloth and text me a picture, or I can leave another non-urgent message…(Hint: Clean your room!) It also serves as a decorative table runner. I could easily add a dowel across the top and hang it on a door so no one can miss it.

I added a little holder for the marker so it doesn’t disappear as so many things do in our house. The thing to remember about chalk cloth if you’re thinking about using it, is that you do need the special marker that washes off with a damp paper towel. If you choose not to use the marker, you can certainly use regular chalk, but that involves a lot more chalk dust…and you must first prime the cloth by covering it entirely in chalk. Use the side of a piece of chalk and run it from end to end. Once all that is erased, your chalk cloth will then be ready for use with chalk and an eraser. In the kitchen, I prefer the markers, which you can get in multi colors if you are so inclined.

I had a lot of lace from my mom’s stash, and so I added a little border. Also, as you can see, I added a binding. I do have a backing, but no batting in the middle. I added the binding by sewing it first to the back side, and then bringing it around the front and using a simple straight stitch along the front. Fast, simple, easy!

I used the Chalk Cloth florals embroidery designs from OESD.

They stitched out beautifully, although were a little denser than I expected.

This was a simple and inexpensive project that functions well in our house. Don’t be afraid to try some new things with chalk cloth. Just a few other ideas:

Use as a wall hanging
Frame like a picture with a saying or just a cute embroidery design
Fun placemats for kids (and give them each their own marker)
Hostess gifts
Wedding shower gifts (Wouldn’t it be great to embroider Mr. and Mrs So and So on it as a table runner when they entertain?)
Little gift bags made of chalk cloth personalized with someone’s name

The possibilities are endless…and if you run out of ideas, don’t forget to head to Pinterest to be overwhelmed with them. Have fun with this versatile and quirky product.

Machine Embroidery News

Posted on May 12, 2016 by edges

I have long thought that someone needs to create a place where we can all share news and ideas about machine embroidery. All the information seems so scattered online.

It’s a lot of work to find out what designs are new out there on all the different sites and to see some inspiration.

So I thought that once in awhile, I might put together a bunch of links to things that are new, or hot, or just inspirational in machine embroidery. I come across things regularly in my online travels, so I thought it would be fun to share…even if I haven’t had time to stitch some of it out yet.

Chalkboard ideas:

I’ve seen this in a number of places, and by now most of you are familiar with the chalkboard fabric out there. It’s easy enough to purchase at your local quilt shop or hobby shop.

Embroideryonline.com has some great new chalkboard floral designs. These are next on my list of embroideries to try.

Here’s another link to chalkboard ideas from emblibrary.com.

Need some ideas? Chalkboard creativity is everywhere on Pinterest. Check out this and this.

Machine Cross Stitch:

Here’s something else that’s fun. I made a few cross stitch designs last Halloween and loved it. I think the cross stitch look for the holidays is charming. Here’s a peek at my previous Halloween post.

But I found a site that specializes in machine embroidery cross stitch. They have designs for all occasions. They are appropriately named machinecrossstitch.com.

Again, on my list to do. I am intrigued by the possibilities.

New Releases as of May:

This is obviously not a complete list, but I hope to be able to build on this list every time I publish a Machine Embroidery News blog. So many times I have wished that someone would organize all this info for me. So now I’m doing it, and sharing it with you. And I’ll update it as often as I can.

embroideryonline.com (new releases)

emblibrary.com (new releases)

urbanthreads.com (new releases)

amazingdesigns.com (new releases)

I prefer to stay with major digitizers until I have some idea of the quality, but I am happy to publicize the place where you purchase your designs if you want to share.

In fact, if you have something you’d like to see with regard to machine embroidery, feel free to leave me a message in the comment bubble at the top of the post. I’d love to hear what you want to see more of in machine embroidery…whether it’s in the hoop, freestanding, contemporary or all of the above. Let me know, and I’ll try to do a little homework on it for next time.

For now, happy stitching!

Splendid Sampler Update

Posted on May 1, 2016 by edges

I love a good visual.

So I thought I would open with a map of all the participants in this project. Pretty impressive, right? Here’s a link.

According to Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson, the coordinators and people who apparently never sleep, we are now somewhere between 20,000 – 30,000. Could that be right? Many are not following on Facebook, but are making the blocks at their own pace. (Just an aside, I ran into Pat Sloan at the local Panera while in Paducah. She is absolutely as tireless and upbeat in real life as she seems online…and she looks just like her pics!)

A few observations…Japan and South Korea are in the house, but no one from China…a reflection of their internet access? So odd, because a disproportionate number of modern day sewing machines distributed here and around the world are built in China.

And no one from Greenland. Or Kazhakstan. (I know there are quilters there.) No one from Mongolia or from the middle of Africa. Much of the middle east is silent.

A surprising number from South America. I did not know we had so many quilters in that area. Australia and New Zealand, no surprises there.

Still not on board? If you are mildly curious, here’s a link to all the block patterns so far. They come up every Sunday and Thursday. If nothing else, it’s a great way to become familiar with new designers and block patterns.

We are somewhere around 22 blocks at this point.

Those are 6 1/2 inch blocks. As you can see, they are getting harder and harder for me to fit into one frame.

Lessons I’m learning about myself:

I like to piece. Easy, repetitive, simple piecing is unbelievably relaxing for me.
Paper piecing needs to be done in the morning or afternoon, but not after a big meal or if I’m tired or stressed in any way. I need all my focus on getting everything in the right place.
I didn’t realize how much patience I have lost for anything done by hand. Hand embroidery seems like it takes a lifetime. All I can think of is that I could have digitized this and had it done days ago. And yet, I love the way it looks and I love the threads.

This little design took me weeks. Of course, I’m not working on it every minute, just a bit of time here and there. Yet I am loving the texture of this thread.

I found this thread at the Wonderfil booth in Paducah. I’m sure many of you have heard of it before. It’s called Razzle. (Yes, they have a metallic looking thread that is called Dazzle).

Razzle has the weight of about size 8 perle cotton, but it’s a rayon. So for those of you who are cotton purists, you’ll just have to look away. Me, I fell in love with the sheen and the weight of it. It was a pleasure to use for hand embroidery.

This project is only about one fifth of the way done. Eighty or so more blocks to go.

Will my stamina hold up? Will I have the patience to learn more new techniques? Will I lose interest in the color scheme half way through? Will I actually create a setting for these blocks after the project is complete and finish the quilt instead of leaving the blocks neatly in their cellophane pockets in the binder?

I don’t know. I really don’t. A lot of life can happen in the next 8 months. We’ll both have to wait to find out.

Stay tuned.

Paducah in Springtime

Posted on April 26, 2016 by edges

For the first time ever, I headed out to Paducah for AQS QuiltWeek. It’s almost impossible to get a hotel there during that time. But a local expert who teaches every year had a conflicting teaching engagement and offered her room to me and a fellow quilter, with the request that we book it again for her next year….a great chance to see the show!

This opportunity came up fairly quickly, so I didn’t book any classes. The two of us were free to roam around the town in addition to the convention center and National Quilt Museum. Paducah is an industrial town, with a lot of old world charm and history…cobblestone streets, cozy shops and restaurants, and a beautiful riverfront area with a flood wall painted in murals that tell the town’s history.

The convention itself is enormous, with vendors spread out on two floors and a separate pavillion. This made it a bit confusing to find everything, and certainly a lot to walk through.

Along the way, we found local art quilter Emily Parson, with her quilt on display in the gallery.

Is that teal color stunning or what? The quilt pattern – Windy – is available now at Emily’s etsy shop. Check out her website or contact her at info@emilyquilts.com for more teaching information.

No trip to Paducah is complete without a stop at Hancock’s of Paducah.

I tried to take a panoramic shot of the store, so you could kind of see how enormous it is, but I don’t think it captures the whole thing. It’s an overwhelming adventure in itself and women were going by with cartloads full of bolts.

Finally, I highly recommend a stop at Kirchoff’s Bakery downtown. What a place to have a special treat–old fashioned bakery goods with artisan breads, muffins, and cookies. (Of course, you don’t want to miss the boy scout strawberry shortcake just outside at the convention center either!) Whatever else happens, you won’t starve in Paducah during QuiltWeek.

Edgestitch

Sewing is life. Life is art.

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