Creative Machine Embroidery Winter 2019

Dear Readers, Here we are again! The year is ending, and we’re embracing our holiday issue and all the fun projects that come with it. I’m personally super busy at this time of year — I have a bunch of family birthdays to celebrate in addition to getting ready for the holidays. That’s one of the reasons I love machine embroidery. It lets me elevate otherwise simple projects into something special with just a little extra effort. We have several projects that fit into that category in this issue. I love the idea of adding embroidery to a purchased knit hat (see page 58) to make a quick and personalized gift. I’m also a huge fan of the cute wall hanging and pillow sham set on page 24. The red…

STABILIZER SAVER If a piece of stabilizer is slightly too small to hoop, adhere a small piece of masking tape to the outer edge of the inner hoop. Hoop the stabilizer, and then finger-press the stabilizer edge to the tape. The tape secures the stabilizer, preventing it from slipping out of the hoop during embroidery. Betty D., Facebook GREAT WEIGHT Use 60-wt. embroidery thread when embroidering small lettering and numbers. The lightweight thread prevents tangles and bunches on the fabric right and wrong side. It also creates crisp, easy-to-read lettering. Linda D., Facebook STATIC CLING When using tweezers to remove small Mylar pieces from an embroidery design, place the pieces on a paper towel to prevent them from clinging to your hand. Grace, email EASY EMERY Use an emery board…

1. Decorate your tree with the adorable animals of the CME Cozy Creatures Ornament Collection. These in-the-hoop ornaments use a combination of appliqué and embroidery to create a truly special set of barnyard friends decked out for winter weather. Use the same appliqué fabric to make a coordinating set or give each animal its own unique style. ($25.99/collection,interweave.com/sewing) 2. Any embroiderer will feel special while using the Eiffel Tower Embroidery Scissors. These elegant snips are 4” long and make from nickel- and 24-carat-gold-plated carbon steel. They make a great gift for any sewist (or yourself!). ($24, brooklynhaberdashery.com) 3. Get into the spirit with the Christmas Wreath Embroidery Design. This lovely wreath is made of intricate white foliage with snowflake accents. A bright, beautiful red poinsettia makes a striking focal point.…

NEEDLE ANATOMY A wing needle has two small flanges on each needle blade side, resembling wings. During embroidery, the needle pushes away fabric to create a hole. Some stitches use a back-and-forth motion to hold open the hole, adding dimension and texture. Wing needles are available in sizes 100/16 or 120/19. A larger needle size creates a larger hole. Use a smaller needle when embroidering delicate fabrics, such as batiste, and a larger needle for heavyweight fabrics, such as linen or denim. FABRIC Use natural fibers, such as cotton, linen or silk. Synthetic fibers, such as rayon, can be used. Don’t use polyester, as it won’t produce permanent holes due to the fabric elasticity. Fabric blends work only if the majority of the blend is a natural fiber. STABILIZER Always…

Bobbinwork allows you to use thick or unspun threads that will not go through the eye of the sewing machine needle. Use bobbinwork to embellish crazy quilts or create your own textured fabrics for piecing. Using bobbinwork with your embroidery machine can add a new design element to your embroidery and quilting. Often you will see this technique used with built-in decorative stitches such as feather and ladder stitches. Follow these steps to set up your machine for bobbinwork embroidery: • Have second bobbin case on hand so that you can loosen the tension to accommodate the thick threads. As always, make a test sample before starting your project. This will allow you to make any necessary adjustments to the bobbin tension to achieve the desired look. • Select a…

Fringe designs are created with overly long stitches, either loops of satin stitches or jumps, depending on the digitizer’s creative inspiration. The long stitches are accompanied by a series of compact stitches to hold them securely. The bobbin stitches are most commonly snipped or removed in order to free the top thread and allow the fringing to occur. CREATE A FRINGE DESIGN Embroider the design. When complete, snip just the bobbin thread with sharp embroidery scissors on the embroidery wrong side (A). On the design right side, use the end of a new, clean pencil to gently pull up the long stitches (B). Hover a steam iron over the stitches to fluff them and remove kinks from the edges. Depending on the digitizer’s instructions, the cutting of the threads to…