Many embroiderers strive to master continuous embroidery that is seamless and flawless. It looks so impressive and with a little planning and the right tools, you can achieve professional results.
You’ll need some basic tools for seamless continuous embroidery:
-Printed templates of the embroidery designs
-Target Stickers
-The right size hoop
-Embroidery machine with 1 degree rotation and the trace feature
-Angle Finder or machine auto-rotation feature
Print templates of the designs. You must see the designs in actual size on the fabric before you stitch the designs to make continuous embroidery seamless! Place vellum in your printer and print templates of each design you intend to use.
Audition the templates on the fabric, connecting the designs as desired. Don’t focus on the center of the designs; look at where one design ends and the other begins.
Once you have the designs connected or linked, slide target stickers under each template.
The target stickers designate the center of each design and allow you to remove the cumbersome paper/vellum templates. Write the design name (on the target stickers (or MI if mirror imaging of any design is required). Keep the templates handy, you’ll need them again to confirm placement.
You’ve heard the adage: select the smallest hoop available for the design. Well, that is good advice because it will give you the best tension on the hooped fabric. But you might want to ignore that good advice if you are creating multi-hooped embroidery. If your design is the same size as (or very close to) the hoop’s sewing field that means you have to hoop the fabric perfectly centered and square. There will be no room for any adjustments such as rotating and positioning. Talk about pressure!
Continuous embroidery often involves minute adjustments of the design right under the needle. If your design completely fills the hoop, then you won’t have any options for making needed adjustments. So select a hoop that leaves you some wiggle room or shrink your design a bit.
Once the first design is stitched, it’s time to rehoop the next design area.
1. Center the second target sticker in the hoop but make sure the lower portion of the first design is captured in the sewing field so that you can connect the two designs.
2. Place the template back on the target sticker. Verify the target sticker is in the correct location. If not, make final adjustments now. Remove the template.
3. Use the Angle Finder to rotate the design so the rotation on the screen duplicates the rotation on the target sticker. You’ll get the full rotation of a design in the center of the hoop so always rotate first, then position the needle over the target sticker.
4. Position the needle over the target sticker.
5. If you’re still unsure of the placement of the second design, trace the new design. Watch the needle as it travels the perimeter of the design. The foot should graze the first design if you are connecting or linking designs. If it doesn’t, place the template back in the hoop and reposition the needle. Repeat this step until you’re confident the designs are aligned. Still not confident? Travel through the design to the stitch that will connect with the first design.
6. Remove the template/target sticker and stitch!
Many embroiderers are leery of attempting continuous embroidery but the truth is, placement mistakes are much more obvious on single design embroidery than multi-design embroidery. If a single design is off just a couple of degrees, it’s glaring. Think of a monogram on a towel. The monogram must be perfectly centered and parallel with the border or bottom edge of the towel, if it’s off just 5 degrees, it’s noticeable. Multi-design embroidery is much more forgiving because the intended result is not always obvious to the viewer. So go ahead and give it try – you’ll be glad you did.
It was so interesting to read last week’s comments on learning to embroider. It seems many of you have been blessed with family members who shared their skills or encouraged you to jump into a new hobby. And how about those husbands who surprised many of you with a new machine? You are lucky ladies.
It’s not always the case for many ‘stitchaholics.’ I remember hearing tales of woe about ladies who had to hide new sewing purchases from their spouses. One lady, who will remain anonymous, used to hide fabric purchases in empty cereal boxes. She saved the boxes in the trunk of her car months before her local annual quilt show. And low and behold, stuffed them with fat quarters! Apparently, her significant other never knew.
How about some of those crazy purchases we’ve made over the years? I remember driving seven hours to attend an American Sewing Guild convention when I first learned to sew. All those hours in the car – it was a big deal for me to be away from my small children overnight. But I was on a mission to go to that show. When I returned, my husband wanted to see what I had purchased. I pulled out two dozen 3” squares of sequined fabric. That’s it. That was my only purchase. I have no idea why I bought them, I wasn’t wearing sequins on regular basis. The only thing I can possibly imagine using them for is applique. Fish, maybe. Who knows?
How about you? Do you have a funny story to share about purchases you’ve made? Leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win one of two $50.00 shopping sprees to SewAZ Embroidery Designs! So that means we’ll have two lucky winners to announce next week!
Thank you, SewAZ for sponsoring this weeks giveaway!
Last week we asked how you learned to embroider. The winner of the subscription to Designs in Machine Embroidery is….Grace Chapa!
“I am a self-taught machine embroiderer. For years I watched Aleene’s Craft Shows that featured the Janome Sewing Machines and when I came into a little money I bought an MC-10000. I do craft projects for gifts and keep up with techniques & supply info via various Yahoo groups and newsletters. YouTube is a great source of info and I subcribe to different newsletters and magazines. I just love this hobby!!”
Congratulations, Grace! We’ll be contacting you to get your info.
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Hi Eileen,
I do hide my fabric purchases, I can usually get them in my sewing room before my husband get home. The only time I tell him I bought something is for the quilt I am making for him. He wants airplanes, motorcycles and corvettes…don’t even know how to make all that work! But I tell him I’m working on it!!!
Thanks for all your great instructions!
Mary
Yes, I’ve made some questionable purchases. Many years ago I bought a box of 100 or so zippers from a drugstore that was closing. Metal zippers, all sizes. I still have almost all of them. I’m “sure” I’ll have a use for them one day!
Hi Donna you try to make a functional quilt with zippered pockets to hold different supplies or children quilts. Just a suggestion if it makes sense or just sell them
I was and am a very enthusiastic embroiderer. One of my first design purchases was a group of hearts. I had hearts on everything. One day I took a pair of my husband’s jockey shorts out of his drawer and placed a bright red heart on them in a strategic place, of course. He was not amused!! He did grin and place them on the bottom of the stack back in his drawer. By chance, he accidentally took them on a bird-hunting trip and got lots of ribbing when the other hunters saw them in his duffle bag. They were definitely not being worn. He lovingly threatened my life if I did any embroidery on his belongings again.
He sure sounds like a good sport. Just don’t stitch a target on his briefs – he might be in danger at the bird-hunting camp!
I purchased 1/2 yard of about 12 really cute fabrics, I was determined to make American Girl doll dresses after seeing the prices they charge. My mistake was in the concept that these dresses take a lot of time and a lot of extras, lace, buttons, elastic, velcro, pearls, sequins,etc. and that raises the cost put into them. On some of them I don’t think I saved anything, LOL.
Right now all my purchases are “questionable” as I have a bad habit of getting the cart before the horse…..but I’m working on it. My new years resolution is to use all the fabirc, thread, etc before buying any more! I also resolved to start learning about my machines from “experts” than trying to figure it out myself…..so this year I’m hoping to get some projects done and done RIGHT!
Forgot to mentioned I bought all my stuff a few years ago when the Hancock Fabric in our town went out of business….have a hard time passing on “Clearance” prices. No more…plan to buy as I go :0
Oh, I love that story about the lady and the cereal boxes. What a hoot! I, on the other hand, don’t hide my crafty purchases from my husband. However, when I decided I was ready to get into machine embroidery, off to the store I went to buy a fancy, new and very expensive machine. When I came home with it, I set it up right away and began playing. Hubby curiously asked how much my new toy way and I told him. He said, “Well, for that much money it should sew by itself.” Of course I told him that it did. I don’t think he believed me. Then, one day I had the machine stitching away in the dining room while I was cooking in the kitchen. He came home from work and saw the machine stitching and was in a panic. He shouted for me saying that something was wrong with my sewing machine because it was crazily sewing by itself. I, quite pleased with myself, shouted back: TOLD YOU SO!!!!
I’ll bet that story gets told over and over in your household. It’s a great one.
My biggest downfall to this day is when patterns are on sale for a buck each at Joann Fabric. I can not let that sale pass by. Can I tell you how many dupes I’ve bought? And I don’t even like to sew clothes in the first place!!!
Resell Melissa, I luv Joann’s sales
Your directions for moving the needle over the target sticker isn’t as easy on some machines, namely Pfaff. The same is true when you appear on Sewing With Nancy. Not everyone has the fancy Bernina (altho I wish I did).
Gotta admit, my funniest sewing purchase wasn’t fabric at all! Or even a notion. We went to a yard sale where I found the cutest little bench seat, and the seat flips up to reveal a little storage cubby underneath. Needs refinishing & a cushion, but I just HAD to have it for my new sewing room. Trouble is, there’s no room for it in the sewing room, so it lives in the garage, unloved, un-refinished, and still no cushion. Oh, wait, the foam & fabric for the cushion have been purchased (both at 50% off with coupons, tyvm), and THEY live in the sewing room closet! Far, far away from the little bench I had to have!
I had an old sewing machine that I bought used from an elderly lady. I used it for about 15 years. I asked my husband if I could buy a new sewing machine and he thought we could swing spending the money so I started looking. One day a friend and I went to a quilt shop 1 1/2 hours away. They were demonstrating a machine that I fell in love with but I didn’t feel good about spending that much money without talking to my husband so I tried to get ahold of him at his job. I left him a message for him to call me but I knew it would take awhile so my friend and I went to eat lunch. We returned to the quilt shop after lunch waiting for my husband to call. When he called I was in the bathroom which was a small hot room. I patiently told him all about the machine knowing he would say go ahead and buy it but I stayed in the bathroom so I could have a private conversation with him. After he finely said ok I was covered in sweat. Everyone in the quilt shop thought I was so hot and so excited that I might pass out. But I got my new sewing machine and I was madly in love with it.
When I first started about 4-5 years ago, money was still fairly easy to come by in our family, but I was still new to this idea and very frugal.
My husband and I and a friend went to a local lady who sells thread and notions on eBay. I went there expecting to spend about $250 (which seemed like a LOT of money for a little bit of thread!).
So, we are there in her shop. I am trying to decide on whether to buy one set or another and DH says “Just get both.”
The shop owner, my friend, and my jaw all dropped. This happened a few times. We ended up spending around $500!
I was floored, but THRILLED!
We made some great purchases and I am SEW happy he came along! I always bring him along now – I end up getting more than I would by myself
A VERY LUCKY LADY!!
My other story is also from when I was new t this hobby. We had bought me a Pfaff 2134, which worked great and I loved it. We had some friends who were getting married, but already had everything they needed or wanted, along with better jobs than we did
.
I decided to make them some special pillows, so bought a wedding ring square design. Then I realized it was too big for the largest hoop I had, so paid $200 for a lager hoop, but then realized I had to split the design. Got it split ok, but then couldn’t get the 2 sides to match up, so we upgraded to a Pfaff 2170 with the screen and the precise positioning feature (what a lifesaver!).
We ended up spending ~$3000 to make these two pillows! I keep thanking them for getting married. They got the pillows, but I got the good stuff!
http://www.emblibrary.com/el/elprojects/showcase_elp.aspx?page=sh_061108_C for photos
I have finally, after a few years, tried using the grand hoop again. If I had realized what I was getting into, I would have tried something different
This year, I have used the grand hoop to make lots of calendars for friends and family. There are some photos here http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=596163&id=889135281&l=eb7f7bdfc2 and I am finally feeling like I am getting some of my $$ from buying that hoop!
My unused purchase was a knitting machine (the small ones that are at Michaels). I have had it set up, attached to a special table for about two years now & have never tried it. I was going to get the grandkids involved & make scarves & afghans for charity. And like another lady, I have so many patterns because Joann’s sold them for $1.00. I’m not doing too bad with fabric. The ones that I wonder what I was thinking when I bought it, either gets used as appliqués or backing on a quilt or lining something.
I bought a thingamajig to turn spaghetti straps. Dumb!
I don’t wear spaghetti straps. That would be scary. No one I know wears spaghetti straps. It must have been on sale. You know how we all are about sales. Thanks for all the great give-aways and all the creative tips.
Marsha,
Those thingamajigs make great piping. Maybe you’ll find a use for it yet. Or someday, somewhere, some overly seductive prom dress will need you to rescue the wearer with spaghetti straps. You’ll be a hero!
I used to be Verrrrrrrrrry Baaaaaaaaad about buying material and trim!! I literally have a basement full of it! Ok, and I have to admit that I have a ton of those $1 patterns from JoAnns too!! Most of them are sizes infant to sz 6, which of course, my gandchildren have looooooooong outgrown! We won’t mention the number of duplicates of those patterns either! Then there are all of those boxes of embroidery thread! I guess my two granddaughters will have to start sewing more so they can help gramma use it up!
Gail
I try to stash some cash away little by little, that way when I go on the shop hops or just out shopping and I want something that is somewhat expensive I can use my stash instead of the “debit card”. If I use the “debit card” my husband knows what I spent before I ever get home. My husband is a very good husband because he never does ask me what I spent my money on!!!!!
Years ago, when a local fabric shop was going out of business, I purchased a whole rack of zippers and buttons for a rediculously low amount – if memory serves, somewhere around $10. Although I still have many of both, I have used so many of them (especially the zippers) in countless projects. I consider it the best buy I ever made!
I was given an embroidery machine in 2001 by a finace. I then went into a store to buy some thread and was hired to teach Auto digitizing. That is if I could take it home and learn it and show what I could do with it, then make up a demo to give a seminar type sales meetings. Well I did and in no time I was not only selling Auto digitizers, and emb. machines but managing my own store.
I love this business. However due to some health problems and after 911, I was forced to give up my job. The store was going to have to close and I became ill. Now I own a bigger better machine and do my own digitizing with a 4-D program. I have always enjoyed your inspirations. love your blogs, and the magazine.
Carol Thomison
Carol, your story is similar to mine. When I purchased my first embroidery machine, the dealer asked if I would teach embroidery club the next week. Yikes! I had no idea what I was doing but neither did the students! We all learned together and the rest is history.
My downfall is gadgets. I am addicted to purchasing sewing/embroidery gadgets that are supposed to make our projects easier to complete. I have several deep drawers full of sewing gadgets. I need to get them organized so I can find the perfect gadget for my projects. Hmmm, maybe I need to purchase some organizing gadgets.
Oh…gadgets! We didn’t hit on gadgets yet! I too, love, really love, tools. I like to use them, buy them, design them, stash them, lose them and buy them again! And scissors? I could outfit an entire football squad of Eddie Scissorhands! Of course, I only have a favorite pair and can’t always locate them.
Hi Eileen – G’Day from “Down Under”
While not new to embroidery (I have been trying to improve my skills for 25 years or so) I am relatively new to your website and after reading some of the posts about useless purchases one particular purchase of mine really qualifies as What the ……?I was at a craft fair thing and came across a stall selling these you beaut back supports and at the time I was suffering terribly from a prolapsed spinal disc so sitting at my machine was almost impossible. This wonderful apparatus was the answer to my prayers!!!!! NOT. It took ages to put on and adjust, was very uncomfortable and then you couldn’t move without taking most of it off. What was I thinking? Used twice (the second time just to show my husband and I am happy to say he saw the humour in the situation!)and now lies undisturbed at the back of the fabric cupboard – any takers!
Welcome to our blog! Stop back often – there’s a ton of fun (and knowledge) here!
This is about my granddaughter and the apparent ingrained desire to have a “stash”.
I took her to Martha Pullen’s Kids School in July and she was having a ball. Her friends told her about the “grab bags” available at 6:30 in the am. She wanted to get up and go and received a ticket to pick out 3 items in bags at a reduced price. She picked up waist elastic, knit to make a shirt and a package of robin’s egg blue batiste with lace that was in her words: “too cute to pass up”!
That is when I knew that she was “hooked” as she had the first item in her “one day stash”!
I buy all sorts of embroidery designs. Packages I have never opened yet. I see one at a store, on some garment, on a quilt, etc. and just fall in love with it. I buy it then and there so I don’t forget which package it is from, or who the designer is. Some I put on my computer right away so I don’t “lose” it. Others I put on the shelf, where I am constantly looking, find it and remember that I have to do something with, and there it stays. I need a program where I can find the design I want when I want it. Don’t we all have that problem? I have gone to Sew Expo several times and have bought patterns and designs, and yet they sit on the shelf. … One day…. soon, yes soon… ?
Hi Eileen: Can I add a little to your 25 steps? Maybe this tip should already be known to all of us embroiderers, but I learned the hard way. I did a stitch out of a cute design (it was actually two designs combined). Yes you probably already know where I am going with this. The stitchout was wonderful. I hooped the shirt, did a flip of the design, and low and behold the two designs did not flip quite right. I forgot to “group” my designs before saving. Also, when I flipped, it turned the number backwords. So another tip is, remember to group your designs and always flip or rotate your practice piece.
Hiding stuff from Hubby? Never!!! I just “forget” to tell him what I bought until later, then say “I have had it for a while, didn’t I show this to you before?” Makes him think he was not listening to me, and will not admit it. (sneaky)?
Hi! My name is Judi and I am a shop-a-holic, a tool-a-holic, a machine embroidery-a-holic, fabric-a-holic, craft-a-holic and everything to do with sewing-a-holic. Did I mention magazine-a-holic? I am recently retired and have time to sew but I am sew busy buying and organizing that I know I can’t possibly create all the projects I have, with all the machines/tools/fabric I have; however, I LOVE IT! This is one of my only vices and I am having a blast. Please keep the blogs, ideas, tips, tools coming!
Eileen,
How fun it was to read all the stories from the fabri-holic and other kinds of holics. I think I must be qualilfy to all of them, especially the “sales” from fabric stores going out of business. I came home one day with two large heavy bags of fabric. My husband asked me if I would ever use all of this fabric and I replied “of course” and said to myself as I walked into my sewing room, “if I can live to be 150 yrs old”. I am such a sucker for beautiful fabrics,I just can’t pass many of them up – I regularly take several pieces out of their container just to feel them. I am a hopeless “holic”, but I can think of worse vices that I don’t have and that is my “reasoning”. Some “lucky”? relative will probably inherit a lot of it, just hope they love it too. (Oh,yeah, I also own 3 computerized machines, a serger and a quilting machine – ain’t life grand!)
I’ve just read the directions for continuous embroidery. I have always wanted to do it but didn’t know how to get things lined up. It’s always been a hit or miss endeavor. My machine is a Brother ULT2001 and there hasn’t been anyone in the area to give basic lessons on it. Maybe now it will be something I can accomplish. Thanks, JoAnn
I just took an online class at Craftsy that Eileen teaches that includes continuous embroidery, as well as continuous appliqué. It also has the patterns to download to make an embroidery quilt. great instructions and I can review the class whenever I want forever. Of course, I haven’t tried it yet, but I will. I am on vacation right now and that my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
what is the name of the class on Craftsy? I need to take it!!
I think I already find a wonderful place where to dream and do projects with the beautiful ideas you have and the inspiration you show here.
I am 82 yrs old and so enthusiastic about embroidering and sewing things for family and friends. I am delighted with the Designers Bag I just watch in the “itisseweasytv” with you as the instructor. Dear, I need to buy that design or project, whatever you can call it, I have a Ruby Designer from Husqvarna…will it be so much to ask for details on how I can get what I am asking for…I am hook to your blog, as soon as I go to another get together class…I will surely pass on the address of your blog, I want everybody to enjoy what I find, dear and remember to tell me if this project and embroidery is compatible with my 5D Professional System software.
Thanks.
I just started out with a janome 8000 machine doing small embroidery and have worked my way up to a babylock ellisimo machine. I attended one of the sewing sisters events where they were saying you couldn’t do quilting on an embroidery machine. I thought wow as I had embroidered and quilted 14 lap quilts for Christmas the previous year. I love all the new ideas and the advice is really great. I am signed up for the machine quilting class and just waiting for yard work to stop so I can really set down and do it right. Thanks so much for all your tips.
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