Hi Sewing Friends,
Sewing skills skipped a generation, but sew what? You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to use your microwave, and you don’t have to be an expert tailor to enjoy your embroidery machine!
So you’ve invested in embroidery and if you’re like most of us you’re looking for inspiration. Staring with a pile of potential projects wondering what to do next… I’m talking about that extra spark – the “THAT’S IT!” moment in your mind when the spotlight goes on and the sewing dance leaps into action… then you know you’re following your inspiration.
If your embroidery well seems a bit dry, try adding a new element to the designs such as appliqué. You can do this when the embroidery design has open spaces and does an outline stitch around a particular block. There are embroidery designs digitized specifically for appliqué but I have used small added pieces of fabrics in designs that weren’t designed for that technique.
Another option is to incorporate an interesting material such as Angelina Fibers, Mylar or Lame. They add a bit of sheen, sparkle and BLING to an otherwise flat design. This works particularly well on insects, wings and flowers.
You can also embroider on vinyl, lightweight leather, suede and even paper and plastic, so keep an open mind when considering your materials.
- Run the outline stitch of the block you want to cover in fabric
- Place the appliqué fabric piece over the outline and run it again
- Use your duckbill appliqué scissors to cut away the excess material around the stitching
- Continue to embroider your design. You can repeat this on other blocks in the same design
Your results will be interesting and look professional!
Yummy… almost looks good enough to eat! The faux fur on top adds texture and a three dimensional quality to the frosting. This design was digitized specifically for applique embroidery but the dragonfly below wasn’t.- Use your machine’s trace design or a template to determine exactly where the insect will stitch.
- Place the Mylar sheet over the area and lower the presser foot and begin stitching. You can see the Mylar peeking through the spaces on the wings.
- When the design is complete, you can simply tear away the Mylar without leaving any shreds or distorting the design. Use small embroidery scissors if there are tiny spaces (between wings) that wouldn’t tear away with your fingers.
- Be COURAGOUS! Try different things. The world of embroidery is expansive!
WHEN TO WATCH
- August 2nd: A NEW Today’s Special from Singer!
- 12 a.m., 1 a.m., 8 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. & 10 p.m.
See you next month!
