We hope you enjoyed our second Facebook live this week but due to technical difficulties we decided to re-shoot a video just for the blog! Take a look below to learn more about magnetic hoops and why you shouldn’t be afraid of the Snap Hoop Monster.
Archive of ‘Alignment and Placement’ category
How to Hoop a Tote Bag
Just about every tote bag can benefit from the addition of embroidery but hooping one can be challenging. Here’s how I do it – on a single needle machine or a multi-needle.
Place a target sticker 4” below the center top of the tote. Place the tear-away stabilizer over the metal frame of Monster Hoop.
Turn the tote inside out and center the tote over the stabilizer (centering the target sticker). Place the magnetic top over the tote. Use the edge of the tote as an alignment guide. If it’s straight, the design will be straight. 
Attach the hoop to the machine and lift the tote over the machine head. Keep an eye on the straps and make sure they are not caught under the hoop. 
Multi-Needle Machines
Place a target sticker 4” below the center top of the tote. Place the outer ring inside the tote and lay a piece of tear-away over the outer ring. Insert the inner ring, keeping the target sticker centered. 
Or if you’re using Multi-needle Monster, then insert the magnetic frame into the bag, centering the target sticker. Position the metal frame on top of the magnetic frame and attach to the machine. 
Easy peasy!
Embroidered Eyelets
When I log into this blog to add a new post, I can see what information people are searching for online. I often use that info to help me write blog posts. After all, if the blog information isn’t relevant to the reader, what’s the point in writing it?
This week, I noticed many embroiderers are looking for information on how to make embroidered eyelets because laced necklines and sleeves are popular in ready wear. And when you have digitizing software, you don’t have to wait for a design company to offer a new trendy design – you can do it yourself. Of course, I (and all of us) would be lost without the BEAUTIFUL AND ARTISTICALLY digitized designs embroidery companies furnish for us to purchase. The techniques I teach here on Software Saturday do not replace the embroidery designs available at reputable companies, these techniques complement those designs. I am not an artist and never will be but I can do awful lot with Inspirations’ Perfect Embroidery Pro to bring my ideas to life.
Here’s how to get the fun ‘laced up’ look. Set the measurements to millimeters by clicking on the ruler at the top of the screen. Select the ellipse tool and draw a circle with a 11.3 mm diameter. Select the circle, right click and select Convert to Steil. 
The inner dimension of this eyelet is 6.0mm, a comfortable opening for the standard eyelet cutter of 3.0mm.
Click on the ruler to set the measurements to inches. Select the eyelet, and click on the Repeat tool. 
Change the numbers in the preview screen to 2 across, 5 down, 1 in distance for both Horizontal and Vertical. Click Apply.
The eyelets are evenly spaced and measure 1.75” x 5.91”. 
This spacing is a good starting point for most projects. To customize the space, measure the area of the garment where you want to stitch the eyelets. For instance, if you want to fill a 7” vertical space, draw a 7” vertical line to use as a guideline. Select the bottom eyelet and align it with the bottom of the line. Hold down the CTRL key and use the keyboard’s down arrow to move it straight down. Select the whole left column of eyelets and click on the Distribute Vertically tool. Boom! The eyelets are evenly spaced. 
Now repeat the process for the column on the right. You’re ready to stitch.
It’s a good idea to test one eyelet on your fabric. Cut it open and insert the yarn you’ll use to lace the eyelets. Once you’re satisfied everything works as planned, then add the eyelets to a bag, neckline or sleeve.
Stitching Split Designs
It’s easy to split designs in software but the challenge for many embroiderers is in the stitching. I use a combination of templates, Perfect Alignment Laser and the advance stitch feature on my machine. First, split the design in Inspirations Perfect Embroidery Pro. Click here to review the steps. Send the two designs to your machine.
Print a template of both designs. I use Print & Stick Target Template Paper because its adhesive back will stick to the fabric. Align the two templates on the fabric focusing on placement of the entire design. For instance, if you’re embroidering a pillow, center the monogram (both designs aligned) on the pillow. Then remove the second design template (the second hooping). Hoop the fabric centering the crosshair of the first hooping. Stitch the design. 
Remove the fabric from the hoop. Place the second design template on the fabric aligning the template with the stitched design. 
Hoop adhesive stabilizer and remove the protective paper. Attach the hoop to the machine and stitch the first color of the second hooping, the alignment line. Remove the hoop and position the hoop under PAL aligning the horizontal beam with the horizontal marks on the hoop and the vertical beam with the stitched line. 
Place the embroidered fabric on the sticky stabilizer aligning the stitched line with the vertical beam and the horizontal beam with the template’s horizontal line. 
Double check the placement by lifting the fabric and checking that the stitched line on the fabric is aligned with the stitched line on the stabilizer. 
Attach the hoop to the machine and return to the beginning of color 1, the stitched line. Advance through color 1 watching the foot trace over the stitched line. It should align with the stitched line, if not, adjust the fabric until it does.
Stitch the second design. Now take a closer look. 
My sample is not perfect. 
The four circles illustrate where the two designs connect. The connections are fine in the blue circles but the areas in the red circles need some help. I would fix these disconnected areas by sewing a narrow satin column (zigzag stitch) on the sewing machine to join the two areas. No one would ever know!
I hope you’ll forgive me for this not-so-perfect project and the poor photography on the laser shot. We’re moving our offices this week so my working environment is not quite up to what it should be. Hope to have everything back to normal in a week or two!
Last week’s winner of Quilt with an Embroidery Machine in 8 Easy Lessons is….BRENDA KENNEDY! Brenda said, “I have four tops that need to be quilted.Just purchased the Brother Dream Machine. I need to do something to justify the cost of the machine.I also have a Quattro 2.”
Brenda, we’ll email you to get your mailing address. Congratulations!
Small Hoops – Jumbo Designs
If you love jumbo designs but don’t have a jumbo hoop, you can easily split a design in Inspirations’ Perfect Embroidery Pro. Follow along with me to learn how.
Open a new file in Perfect Embroidery Pro. Click on the Monogram tool and select Mono17. Type in the letter P. Change the height to 6” and click Apply. 
Select the design on the screen and click on the Split Design icon. 
The Split Design screen appears. Click on the arrow in the Hoop field and select your hoop. I entered 130×180. The red boxes illustrate two hoopings: 1:1 and 2:1. You can move the boxes to select what portion of the design you want to stitch in the first and second hoop. It’s a good idea to move the boxes to split the design at a natural point. In this instance, where the upper right of the P meets the left leg of the P. Click on Split Preview to see the actually split.
The first hooping appears in the preview window.
When you click in the second hooping area, the preview window changes to the second hooping. 
Toggle between the first and second hooping to view each individually. If you want to adjust the split, click on Split Preview again. Move the boxes around each portion of the design. Click on Split Preview again to see you changes.
Once you’re satisfied with the split, click Save and the software will save the design into two separate files and templates of both portions.
Print a template of each design and send the designs to your machine. Splitting designs has never been easier. Give it a try, this is a skill you’ll use over and over again!
Tropical Summer Stitching
The May/June issue of Designs in machine Embroidery featured one of my favorite new projects: Hints of Havana. This project could have easily been called Hints of Hawaii summer Splash, Tropical Flavors or well, you get the idea. You’ll find this look in the women’s department of any retail store this summer. If you missed the issue, here’s how to do it in Inspirations’ Vintage Embroidery Software.
Open a new file in Vintage Embroidery. Click on the Designs Library icon and retrieve the following designs: ABS_0090_D, ABS_0093_D, FLO_0028_Flower, FLO_98_LilyD and FLO_0097_Flower.
Place Abs_0090 in the center. Place ABS_0093 below it. Flip 0093 vertically. Ungroup 0093 and remove the leaf at the top right. 
And the top left. 
Add FLO_0028 at the top right. Copy, Paste and flip it horizontally. Move the second repeat to the left of the center designs. Use the alignment tools to position the designs symmetrically. 
Merge FLO_0097 into the screen. 
Delete the running stitch outline around the flowers. Carefully group each individual flower. One by one, select each flower and position it around the four larger motifs. The fastest way to do this is to position all the flowers on the right side then copy, paste and mirror image. Move the second set to the left of the larger motifs. The Group and Ungroup tool is helpful here. Use it when moving all sections and you won’t leave any stray stitches behind.
Merge FLO_0098_Lily_d into the design. 
Move the lily design to a clean area and delete the first two colors. Select the remaining portion and mirror image it vertically. 
Center it under the newly-created design.
Save the designs as PB. The PB design measures 230mm x 240mm. Since I don’t have a hoop that wide, I’ll split the design in Perfect Embroidery Pro.
Open PB in Inspirations’ Perfect Embroidery Pro. Select the design and click on the Split Design icon. 
The Split window appears. Select your hoop from the drop down Hoop menu. 
Place the cursor in the 1:1 and 2:1 segments to toggle back and forth until you have a split that you are comfortable with. 
Click Save and the software will split and save the design into two files. Both files include a long basting line. Use this line to align the two hoopings. 
I’ll use my PAL 2 (Perfect Alignment Laser) to align the second hooping with the first. Love that tool – it’s makes aligning designs a breeze!
Volume 104 Subtle Tees – Leaf Lesson Part 1 of 2 – Software
By Denise Holguin
This is expanded coverage of the Subtle Tees project featured in Volume 104 May/June 2017.
Lesson Highlights:
Copy, paste and rotate designs in embroidery software to suit your needs.
Design: Leaves & Branches Garland Frame
Company: Stitchtopia / http://www.stitchtopia.com
I like to let the creative process unfold. Initially, when I purchased this design I planned on placing a word in between the frame. But the more I thought about it, I decided to transform the design to a 4-sided frame to showcase a spray painted leaf.
I think the process of creating and transforming is the most enjoyable part of stitching a t-shirt.
Open the Leaves & Branches Garland Frame in Perfect Embroidery Pro or similar design editing software. I used the 4” frame to accommodate the scale of the shirt and the size of the leaf stencil I will be using. (This very generous collection includes multiple sizes including: 4”, 5”, 6”, 7”, 8”, 9” and 10”.)
It’s easier to group each row of garland separately before we start rearranging and copying. To do this, select the top garland. Right click with the mouse button. Select Group. Repeat this step for the bottom garland. If you choose not to group, it can be a little tricky to select the correct elements that make up a single garland design.
Select the bottom design. Copy and paste. Slide the design to an empty space.
With the newly copied design still selected, go to the Transform Tab. Type 270 in the Rotate box and click Apply.
Reposition the design so that it is to the left of the original frames.
Slide the top and bottom garland designs to make room for the new vertical garland.
Select the left garland. Copy and paste the garland. Slide it to the right side of the design.
Go to the Transform tab. Click on Flip horizontal. Press Apply.
Rearrange the garland designs as needed until you have a pleasing shape. Once finished, go to Edit / Resequence by color.
Save the design, print a template and send to the embroidery machine.
Design Bigger than Your Hoop? Split it!
Serious machine embroiderers never let hoop size hold them back. When they think big, they stitch big. But that doesn’t mean they have to have a big hoop. No, they just need the right software and some handy notions (okay, the notions are optional but really helpful!) to get the job done. Here’s how to do it.
Select a large design. My sample is the letter M from http://www.EmbroideryArts.com, Arabesque 9 XL. I enlarged the design to a height of 262 mm – a whopping 10.31” in Inspirations Perfect Embroidery Pro. Now that it’s so big, it won’t fit in my largest hoop. But Perfect Embroidery Pro has a great splitting feature. Open the design in Perfect Embroidery Pro. Click on the Split Design icon. 
The Split Design screen appears. Click on the arrow in the Hoop field and select your largest hoop. I entered 200 x 300. 
The preview screen shows two hoopings: 1:1 and 2:1. 
Click in either hooping to move the split. Toggle between the first and second hooping to view each individually. Look for a natural break in the stitches. for instance, I would avoid splitting the column of satin stitches. It’s better to have one leg of satin stitches in one hooping, and the second leg in the second hooping. Once you’re satisfied with the split, click Save and the software will save the design into two separate files. Print a template of each design and send the designs to your machine.
Place the templates on the left side of fabric (allowing room for the second hooping). Slide a target sticker under template Hoop 1:1 and align the target sticker’s and template’s crosshairs. Remove the template. Hoop the fabric with tear-away stabilizer, centering the target sticker.
Stitch the first design: Hoop 1:1. The last color is a vertical basting line (placement line) which will align with the second hooping. Stitch the line in a contrasting color to make alignment easy. 
Remove from the hoop. Hoop another piece of tear-away stabilizer. Stitch color 1, the placement line, of Hoop 2:1 on the hooped stabilizer. Remove the hoop from the machine. 
Place the hoop under PAL, Perfect Alignment Laser, aligning the stitched placement line with PAL2’s beam. 
Spray the wrong side of the embroidered fabric with temporary adhesive. Slide the embroidered fabric under the beam aligning the stitched placement line with PAL2. Finger press the fabric to the stabilizer. 
Attach the hoop to the machine and restitch color 1 to verify the design is aligned. 
Stitch the remainder of design Hoop 2:1. 
Wasn’t that easy? I often approach splitting designs with a bit of intimidation but I’ve learned if I take my time and pay attention to the details (like aligning the fabric with the laser crosshair), the results come out as planned.Splitting designs is very rewarding – people will think you’re an embroidery rock star!
Embroidering on Onesies
Is there anything sweeter than welcoming a new baby into the family right at the holidays? It brings the meaning of Christmas home…time to focus on the important things in live and leave the mall hustle and bustle to others. One of our team members, Sandy Griggs, became a first-time grandma on Dec. 18th to Bo Braun – a beautiful, healthy 8.3 pound cherub.
We couldn’t be more thrilled for her family and since Sandy is a previous collegiate softball star, I thought it was only appropriate to stitch a onesie for Bo. It’s a little cold up there right now but come spring training, he’ll be ready for batting practice!
I purchased a baseball applique design at Applique For Kids and added lettering to personalize it for Sandy. 
Here are the easy steps for stitching an onesie. Fuse polymesh cut-away stabilizer to the wrong side of the onesie. Place the onesie on a work surface and position the Children’s Perfect Placement Kit Center Chest template on the shirt. Match the shirt’s vertical center with the template’s vertical line and the curved neckline at the bottom of the ribbing. Place a target sticker in the opening. 
Turn the onesie INSIDE out. Slide the top magnetic frame of Snap Hoop Monster into the shirt, centering the target sticker. You’ll have to peek into the garment to see if it’s centered. Attach Hoop Guard to the frame and pull the shirt over the Hoop Guard as shown. 
Carefully transport the hoop to the machine (use the magnetic shield that came with the hoop). Attach the hoop the machine. Use the machine’s editing features to center the needle over the target sticker. Rotate the design so that it will stitch in the proper orientation. 
Stitch the first color, the placement guide.
Place the applique fabric over the outline and stitch color 2, the tackdown. Trim the applique close to the stitching and continue with the embroidered details. 
Remove the hoop from the machine, turn the onesie inside out and trim away the excess stabilizer. Fuse a soft, tricot knit interfacing over the wrong side of the embroidery to protect the baby’s skin. 
If you like this baseball applique, then there’s a good chance you could win a $20 gift certificate at Applique For Kids. Just leave us a comment and we’ll pick FIVE winners next week! Since Applique for Kids designs are just $2.00, that’s 10 designs! Pop on over to Applique for Kids and tell me what’s your favorite category of designs – they’ve got plenty!
Happy New Year!
Crucial Embroidery Placement with Success!
Often placement is crucial to embroidery success and little bit of planning will make your embroidery look professional. I recommend printing templates of your design so you can see it in actual size. Once the template is printed, audition it on the garment. In this case, it’s a small flower for a collar point.
Take your time with the placement and try different positions. It’s helpful to use a digital camera (or your phone!) to take a photograph of the placement. Every time you move the template take another photograph.
Do this a couple of times and then review the images on the camera. You’ll quickly know which one is the most pleasing. Tape the template to the collar. Spray the wrong side of the collar with temporary adhesive.
Hoop stabilizer (tear-away, cut-away or wash away depending on your fabric and design). To achieve perfect placement, use PAL, the Perfect Alignment Laser. Place the hoop on a flat surface and turn on PAL. Align the beams with the horizontal and vertical markings on the hoop.
Slip the collar over the stabilizer aligning the template’s crosshair with the beams. Finger press the collar to the stabilizer. For added security, you can always add tape to the edges.
Carefully transport and attach the hoop to the machine, retrieve the design and verify the needle is perfectly aligned with the template’s crosshair. Remove the template and embroider the design.
Using a template, camera and laser ensures a professional finish on your embroidery. What tools do you use when placement is crucial?