Sew Today

Monograms & custom embroidery

Love these two!

Recycled sweater stocking

1. Cut the sweater to the shape of a stocking

2. Cut lining Material to the same shape

3. Put lining pieces right sides together and sew around the edges leaving the top open

4. Sew outside of stocking right sides together leaving top open

5. Stick one stocking inside the other right sides together and stitch around leaving a whole big enough for turning inside out

6. Turn right side out

7. Top stitch around the top of the stocking

8. Stitch cording to side to hang

You are done!

Embroidered beach totes

Lately I have come to really love my embroidery machine. I have been playing with the different fonts available and making beach totes for people. Here are some samples. Hope you like them.

New embroidered cream Pillow

Custom embroidered pillows

The above embroidery is one I decided to do for myself.  Originally I was just going to do my name so I could see what the color combinations would be like and what the size porpotion would be.  I really liked it. 

A couple of days later I decided to do something on the back.  I thought it would be a lot easier than it was.  I had to do each design seperately so I don't know the number of times I threaded and unthreaded the needle.  It took longer than I thought, but I love it.  It's called something like lovebirds.  So cute.

A new client sent me an email and I designed this pillow for her with my 5D software.  I worked hard on this one.  I ended up using two spools of thread to get the desired effect I wanted.  I was very happy with the effect I received.

Embroidery problems

Today I learned that when you are trying to do out and embroidery and it doesn't look right it might be your bobbin.
First off I thought it might be the needle, I don't remember the last time I changed it.  Who really does? So I changed the needle still same problem, it wasn't smooth. I could see the white outline around some of my design.
I tought maybe the bobbin is getting low, no it was fine. I have been using store bought prewound bobbins, so I decided to wind my own sure enough the design came out beautiful.  Sometimes it's something so simple as replacing your bobbin and we waste your time thinking something is wrong with the design or something we did.
Hopefully next time this happens that will be the first thing I check.  I wish my machine had a little beep and said did you check the bobbin. It just beeped at me and showed the thread broke, so why not that?

Snowman embroidery pros and cons

Today I tried a new embroidery the snowman. It was cute and I thought why not. The first one I tried with home decorating lining for the body parts, but it didn't look the way I liked. It as fleece, but the wrong kind for sure.  At bottom when it started doing the satin stitch the threads started to pull and it will unravel sooner or later.  For me that is not good enough.

My next try I just happen to have polar fleece in my stash and it came out so much better. The design just seemed to pop off the towel, it is softer to the touch. I know for a fact that it will not unravel. This just goes to show that I was right to save all my fabric.  I'm really starting to love my fabric stash.

Kid's aprons

Hope you enjoy the slide show of some of my children's aprons.  I just love the dress form I used to take the pictures on hope you do too.