One of the most frequently asked questions by machine embroiderers is how to handle graphics. In embroidery software, vectors are handled differently than bitmaps. But the first step is to understand whether you are looking at a vector or a bitmap.
The main difference is that a bitmap is composed of pixels. Here is a (very) brief presentation that will help you to understand. In the next post, I will offer a few options for auto-digitizing vectors and bitmaps in Bernina Embroidery Software 7.
Still working on this one.
![IMG_1700[1]](https://i0.wp.com/edgestitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/IMG_17001.jpg)
Projects have a life of their own, you know. Once you are hooked, they know that it will be difficult for you to just walk away.
That’s when they set their plan in motion. They become difficult. Tricky. More complex than you expected. They create challenges for you to overcome. They set up roadblocks to test your patience. Sometimes you are even physically harmed. (Yesterday I cut myself with my embroidery scissors trying to pry my project from the nest that had formed under the embroidery hoop.)
There’s no cure for this.
An unruly project cannot be beaten into submission. You have to get in the saddle and ride it, until it, or you, collapses from exhaustion. You must never, ever submit to the tyranny of a project with a bad attitude.
Here’s the glimmer of hope:
You will learn something. Even if the only thing you learn is that you will not do this again. But more likely, you will learn perseverance. You will learn technique, born of necessity, fired in the kiln of frustration. You will learn to push through.
And when you are done, you will be stronger, grittier, one step closer to accomplishing almost anything.
Bravo.
![IMG_1697[1]](https://i0.wp.com/edgestitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IMG_16971.jpg)
About 25% done. Machine embroidery on a sweatshirt
Quilt label for my son’s quilt
I have a confession. I am not very good at remembering to make quilt labels. Yet I know just how important they are and how much character they add to a quilt.
And the thing is, I love to make labels. The one pictured above is digitized (I knew absolutely nothing about digitizing at the time) from a picture of my son when he was 4 years old. He was blowing a dandelion. I made him a quilt that year, from fabric that he loved, and I wanted it to be a remembrance of that time in his life. It includes his name, the date the quilt was finished and of course, “Made with love by mommy.”
Right now, I have at least 3 quilts which need labels. I can no longer remember exactly what year I made the quilts. (Sometime in the last 5 years).
I am especially guilty of not labeling anything that I make for myself or for our house. When giving something away, I am a little better at the labels. A little.
It seems irresponsible to make a quilt, put it out there in the world and not give it a label, an identity, a reason, a meaning.
At work, a customer told me she never puts on the binding of a quilt until after she adds the label. I think that’s a good recommendation. We all know that the last stitch of binding means we’re done. Complete. Finished. Put it away. But making sure that label is in place before the binding is on, is a way to trick ourselves into getting it done.
So let’s agree to make the effort. We never pass this way again. My son will never be 4 years old again. But we can capture that tiny little season, and wrap ourselves up in it with a cup of hot chocolate on a cold October evening.
I’ve been in training the past couple of days learning Bernina’s new embroidery software…Software 7.
Here’s the verdict. I love it.
And believe me, if I didn’t love it, this blog would be about something else!
My first impression was that the new interface with its bright colors and larger icons made the software feel remedial — like entry level stuff — when we all know this digitizing software is probably the most complete consumer embroidery software on the market.
As I played around, I found all my “usual” icons in places that are far more intuitive than they were before. I think beginners will have a much easier time understanding all the capabilities of this software.
A few general highlights:
–More single run lettering capabilities and fonts which will be perfect for quilt labels, recipes etc.
–Micro lettering, which will allow tiny satin stitch fonts
–A “Paint Bucket” which allows you to change colors in small parts of a design very quickly
–Easy-to-use, intuitive navigation…lots of little surprises here, but all good
–Improvements in slow redraw, including being able to redraw in artistic view
–Ability to change from Metric to US measurements with the click of a mouse
–Ability to add an article of clothing in the background of your design to calculate position, sizing
–“Quick trace” ability in Artwork Canvas (turning a bitmap into a vector)
–Stumpwork, trapunto, and raised satin stitch capabilites
Overall, the improvements were easy to figure out and to use. That’s the hallmark of good design…when you “get it” right away.
I was able to load Software 7 on the same computer as Version 6, but most of you will want to simply update.
I can’t wait to spend a little time working on projects. FYI, Bernina’s Software Sampler will continue to focus on Version 6 until the end of the year, at which point everything will be focused on Software 7.
Here’s a video provided by Bernina that will give you an overall idea of their new Software 7.
Transparency Quilt
I started this quilt for my great-nephew weeks and weeks ago. But, of course, life gets in the way. Thankfully, he won’t arrive until sometime early November. But this week, I got it pin-basted and quilted. I am really liking the look of this quilt as it is very simple, yet sophisticated.
The baby’s room is grey, and the parents are not really into “baby-cutesy”, so I think this will work.
The quilting is very simple , with an overall pattern of horizontal stippling. While I really love some of the very intensive, complicated quilting that is really popular these days, I also think there’s a time and a place for simplicity….and this quilt needed simplicity.
Getting started with machine quilting.
Have to say, I love Machingers for machine quilting. I’ll never go back to any other type of gloves for control and gripping. They also keep my hands very cool, which can be a big deal. No one wants to work up a sweat while machine quilting.
Also big on my list is the Bernina Stitch Regulator. Whatever your quilting skill level, this adds an ease that I have just come to appreciate. I can go at any speed and have the stitches be consistent every time. Now, I have done enough machine quilting that I don’t necessarily need the stitch regulator, but I have found that it makes the job so much easier on me. My shoulders don’t hunch quite as much. And I go way faster because the size of the stitch is not a struggle.
Quilting is finished. Pattern by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr from their new book, “Transparency Quilts”.
Finally, I used a bias binding, as I want this quilt for my great-nephew to last a long time. Bias binding has more fibers running along the edge of the quilt, so it will handle more washings, more rubbing, more overall use. I always stitch the back of the binding by hand. I’m not one to use the machine for this final touch. I’m not even sure why, except that I love the feel of hand-binding, I love the look, and I think it adds a touch of hand-sewn love to every quilt.
All that’s left at this point is a quilt label for my great-nephew.
Well that’s a lot of black and white for one blog post, even though I am a big fan of black and white.
So here’s a finished pic of the fall placemats. They are colorful, completed and set up on the table.
Happy Stitching!
My favorite moments are when the parent birds bring their babies to our feeders and show them how to eat. I don’t know why but it stops me in my tracks every time. The natural and spontaneous affection between Mama Cardinal and Baby is both endearing and instructive. The baby is trusting. The parent is protective and gentle.
It scares me when I watch the animals for any length of time. It scares me because they behave just like we do in so many ways.
They are us. We are them.
And I wonder if, just because we can agonize over every move, (Am I at the right feeder? Will this feeder always be there for my baby? Is the food here healthy? Am I teaching my baby the right things?) does that make us any different than the birds? When all is said and done, we may be a little more complex and wonder about a few more things.
But it’s all a matter of degree isn’t it. I can question more, care about more, work more, worry about more, suffer more. But do I enjoy more?
The animals in our yard seem blissfully content with their lives.
Every day they teach me something new.
World’s Most Relaxed Squirrel
Oops I did it again.
I bought a sewing machine.
But this one is cute.
1934 Singer Featherweight
This one has a beautiful straight stitch, comes with its own case and accessories, and similar machines are owned by millions of people.
But this one is from 1934. That’s one year after they started making them in 1933. These crazy little reliable sewing machines were made in virtually the same design from 1933 to sometime in the sixties. They can be looked up by date by checking their serial number on the bottom. Older Singer Featherweights are worth a little more, but a lot depends on the condition. This one has some wear and tear from use, but I would guess that’s to be expected. I have some wear and tear from use and I was not born in 1934.
Featherweights really still hold charm in the eyes of many sewists. Without any gimmicks or heavy duty electronics, these little machines just keep going. And going. Parts for them are readily available on the market. Resale value still holds. Collectors are all still interested. Some things just never appear to lose their value.
I painted both of these…probably 20 years apart. One was from a place I had actually visited, and the other from a postcard.
Can you tell which is which?
Maybe it’s obvious to you. It is to me.
I worked hard on both of them. One is a study in nature, the other…a study in nature. If you’ve ever painted, you know that when you are in the middle of a painting, you are in that location. You have to be. Whether it is coming from your imagination, or from a picture, or whether it was your experience in real life, at the moment that you are painting, you are there.
It would explain why I love to paint landscapes, scenes of tranquility or astounding beauty. Whether I am in that location or not, I have most certainly traveled there in my mind.
But a painting done from life experience almost always has more courage. It is more expressive, and usually more emotional. It may not be the best at capturing details but it captures a moment. And, on a good day, lets the viewer in on the wonder.
Ready for the answer? I gave enough hints. I’m sure you know by now.
The top one was from our honeymoon in Hawaii. I dragged my not-a-morning-person newlywed husband out over a bluff along the shore in Kauai. We sat together in the dark, listened to the relentless surge of the ocean and watched the sun come up. It turned out to be a stunning display, becoming more brilliant with every passing moment.
The other is a painting I did a few years after high school, from a lovely postcard. I don’t really even know the exact location. Wyoming, maybe? But I do love the mountains and so painting it was joyful.
Which is the better painting?
Well. I leave that up to you.
I’m teaching a class at Sew Generously in November about using metallic thread for machine embroidery. The look can be absolutely stunning, perfect during the holidays or special ocassions.
Or it can make you want to throw your thread against a wall and storm out of the room. (Ask me how I know.)
But some basic tips can go a long way. Troubleshooting is another issue, and is exactly the reason I offer a hands-on class. Until you try and fail, you will not know what works and doesn’t on your machine.
Here are a few very general tips on using metallic thread:
1. Use good quality thread.
This should go without saying, but you know, I always run into people who will pay thousands for a machine and then purchase thread that is garbage. Thread manufacturing is a science and it can be made to excellent standards or made on the cheap and, let’s face it, when it comes to thread, you get what you pay for. I always recommend Superior Threads. I have used their products numerous times with success IF you follow some of the following tips.
2. Use a topstitch needle.
They have a larger eye and that gives the thread some room, so it cuts down on breakage.
3. Don’t be afraid to change your upper tension.
Most of the time, you have to reduce the top tension all the way to 1.
4. Use the correct thread in the bobbin.
I have had some success using OESD bobbin thread, but nothing works better than Superior’s Bottom Line in the bobbin. It’s a lightweight poly, and is a perfect match for their metallic thread. Use Bottom Line in the bobbin when sewing with monofilament too.
5. Know when to use your upright thread spool holder.
It may be easy to think this one can be overlooked, but you would be surprised what a difference it makes. If your thread is straight wound, as this one is, make sure it’s on the upright holder. If it’s cross-wound, as many other metallics are, you should be OK on the horizontal spool holder.
To learn a little more about horizontal vs. vertical spool holders, click here.
Metallic thread looks so gorgeous during the holidays–on linens, home decor accents, even on apparel…especially on apparel.
Work through your fear and try it!