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Christmas Village Sewing Instructions

November 22, 2017 by Denise Holguin / Blue Hair Girl, Current Posts, Holiday Stitching, Home Decor, In-the-hoop, Just for Fun / 4 Comments

This is Part 2 of the Christmas Village series. If you missed the software instructions, click here. If there’s one thing you take away from the series it should be this: You are permitted to break the rules. Experiment. Try. Learn. Succeed!

Refer to the original instructions with the collection to familiarize yourself with the overall process. Don’t stop at one house – make multiple houses for an entire village.

First Hooping: Wall with Door

Here’s an overview of the stitching process for the wall with the new door. The first 2 thread colors are the same process as the traditional house. The images show the red felt trimmed away.

The Christmas tree, star and placement stitch for the door are stitched. Then green felt was placed on top of the placement stitch for the door. Next, I stitched the tackdown (bean stitch) for the door. *Note in the software instructions I have you stitch the candy cane before any of the door elements. This is for ease. Either method is acceptable.

I trimmed the felt for the door and stitched the next thread color—the outline for the window.

Very carefully, I cut away the green felt from the window. I chose to leave the white felt. But you could cut through both layers of fabric to “peek” through the door.

The candy cane was then stitched. (Your design will have the candy cane stitch before the door elements.)

Second Hooping: Dog Door Converted to Window

The image shows the first two thread colors stitched.

The felt is carefully trimmed as shown. I did not trim the original dog door at this point. Leave it untrimmed.

Stitch the remaining elements: the ribbon and present. Remove from the hoop and trim the walls as shown.

The last step is trimming the dog door so that it resembles a window shutter. I trimmed up the center. Then trimmed along the top arch. Then I trimmed the bottom. The key to success: I didn’t trim the sides. See two photos below.

You can sew the shutters down with decorative buttons or use scrapbooking brads as shown. I used brads for the signs that were attached to the house as well.

Additional Highlights

Trees: The free standing trees are stitched on felt.

Trees are trimmed then a wooden bead with a flat bottom was glued to the back of the tree stump providing stability.

Roof & Lights

The roof was stitched and trimmed. I used Duck Tape to attach mini Christmas lights to the underside of the roof. The battery pack fit perfectly inside the base of the house. If yours does not, conceal it behind the house with additional felt and snow.

The base of the house was stitched on decorative tan felt.

I assembled the house and sign post following the original instructions included with the Stitch Swag Cozy Dog Suites. Embellish and have fun!

The Stitch Swag Cozy Dog Suites are available for purchase through an Inspirations Dealer. Use the dealer locator to find a dealer near you.

Christmas Village: Software Instructions

November 18, 2017 by Denise Holguin / Blue Hair Girl, Current Posts, Free Designs, Holiday Stitching, Home Decor, In-the-hoop, Just for Fun, Perfect Embroidery Pro, Software Saturday, Software Techniques / 13 Comments

Eileen tasked me with the responsibility of turning the Stitch Swag Cozy Dog Suite into an ornament. At first glance, I thought I’d use Christmas colored fabric for the dog house.

But between the home renovation television programs I watch and my recent experimenting with building a railroad model… I knew I could do more.

I decided to renovate! I converted the existing dog door to a window with shutters and installed a new front door. I used built-in symbol designs in Perfect Embroidery Pro to make the house suitable for a Christmas Village. With a little imagination and some robust software, there is no limit to what you can create.

Disclaimer: I broke every rule in the book. You have permission to do the same.

Embroidery Products
Stitch Swag Cozy Dog Suites: I used the Large Dog House 1 originally designed for the 6” x 10” hoop. There is a 5” x 7” version of the design, but the finished house is smaller. I wanted a larger house.

Free Candy Cane: http://www.dzgns.com. Go to the Free Designs page.

Free Candy Cane Frame: http://www.dzgns.com. Go to the Free Designs page and scroll through the archives.

Denise’s Notes:
Although the original design combines design components into as few 6” x 10” hoopings as possible, I don’t work that way. As a personal preference, I like to work with the 5” x 7” hoop. I took the design components apart from the 6” x 10” design and stitched them using a 5” x 7” hoop. I also didn’t use all the components. Do what works for you. This is a creative process.

Renovations at a Glance:

A new front door was digitized and placed on the side of the original dog house.
The original dog door became a window with shutters – just by changing how the opening was cut away.
Symbols: Star, Ribbon2, Present, Christmas Tree were added to embellish the house. These are built-in designs in Perfect Embroidery Pro.
Mini Christmas lights were attached to the underside of the roof. These are available at craft stores.

At the Computer:

Open Doghouse1 6×10 in Perfect Embroidery Pro.

Select and delete the Home Sign, 2 rows of grass and the lines of stitching separating the designs.

Since this is a winter scene, I decided to delete the floral elements on the house. In the Sequence window, select and delete the grass and flowers on the house.

Your design should now look similar to the image shown.

We will use both portions of this house but I prefer working in a 5” x 7” hoop. We will create two separate hoopings from this design.

First Hooping: Wall with New Door

Select the top portion of the design as shown.

Cut and Paste the design into a new workspace. (Press Ctrl + X to cut). Click on File / New. Press Ctrl + V to paste. The remaining design will be revisited in the Second Hooping section of this article.

The newly pasted design should look like the image below.

For ease of working with the design, go to Properties – Transform. Type 180 in the Rotate field. Click Apply.

The design should look like the image below. It will be easier to add the decorative elements when the wall is facing the correct direction.

Adding Symbols

Tree:
Go to the Symbols icon on the top toolbar.

Scroll through until you locate the Christmas Tree. Click Ok.

In an empty space on the screen, left click the mouse button to create a tree. Select the tree. Go to Properties – Transform. Change the width of the tree to: 1.25 and the height to 1.95.

The tree should now look like the sample shown.

Select the tree. Reposition it on the wall as shown.

Star:
Go to the Symbols icon on the top toolbar. Scroll through until you locate the Star. Click Ok.

Click the left mouse button to create a star. Select the star. Go to the Properties – Transform tab. Change the width to .52 and the height to .49. Click Apply. Reposition the star on top of the Tree.

New Front Door

Select the Rectangle from the Artwork icon on the top toolbar.

Hold down the left mouse button and draw a rectangle in an empty area on your work space.

With the rectangle still selected, go to the Properties – Transform box. Uncheck the “Maintain aspect ratio” box. Change the width to .77 inches and height to 1.14 inches.

Reposition the door so that it is centered on the side panel of the house as shown.

Denise’s Tip
Depending on the design, placement stitches may or may not be necessary. For this small-scale project, I decided to include a placement stitch for the house. This would prevent any doubt regarding the size of fabric needed for the door and where it should be placed. If you’re comfortable without a placement stitch, skip the step!

Select the door artwork you created. Right click. Select Convert To / Run.

In an open space on the screen, create another rectangle shape using the Artwork tool. Make the width .77 inches and height 1.14 inches. Assign a new color to this shape that is different from the previous rectangle. I chose green. With the rectangle still selected, right click. Select Convert To / Run.

In the Properties – Run box, select Bean for the stitch type.

Drag and drop the bean stitch door on top of the placement stitch door as shown. Adjust the thread sequence so that the run stitch version of the door is stitched first followed by the bean stitch version of the door.

Using the Artwork tool, make the window for the door by drawing another shape. This time, .46 inches wide by .43 inches tall. I made this Artwork the same green color. With the rectangle/square still selected, right click. Select Convert To / Run. Change this shape to a Bean stitch as you have done before. Position this shape on the door as shown. Make sure the window stitches after the bean stitch door.

Embellishments: Candy Cane

Download the free Candy Cane design. Once downloaded to your computer, go to File / Merge. Select the Candy Cane Design. Place the design on the left side of the door.

Rearrange the color sequence so the candy cane stitches before the door elements. This will help prevent any mishaps if you don’t trim the door properly.

The design will be stitched in a 5″ x 7″ hoop. Rotate the design 90 degrees to fit the hoop. Save the design in C2S format and your machine’s format.

Second Hooping with Dog Door Converted to Window

Return to the original design (Doghouse1 6×10) we cut and pasted from as shown in the image below.

Copy and paste this design into a new work space (or work from this screen)

Go to the Symbols icon at the top toolbar. Select the Ribbon2.

In an open space, click and drag the mouse button to create a ribbon. Go to the Properties – Transform window. Change the width to .93 inches and the height to .82 inches.

The ribbon should look similar to the image shown.

Reposition the ribbon above the window opening as shown.

Adding a Present

Go to the Symbols icon on the top toolbar. Select the Present.

Drag the left mouse button to draw a present. Resize the present to .92 inches square. Reposition the present as shown.

The design will be stitched in a 5″ x 7″ hoop. Rotate the design 90 degrees to fit the hoop. Save the design in C2S format and your machine’s format.

Roof & Free Standing Trees

Open the Dog House Roof 1 6×10 design.

Delete all elements except the roof. Rotate the roof so it fits in a 5” x 7” hoop.

Go to the top tool bar and select the Symbols icon.

Locate and select the Christmas Tree.

Click and drag the mouse to create a Christmas tree. Go to Transform – Properties to change the size of the tree to 1.28” x 1.95”.

Copy and paste the tree for a total of 2 trees.

Save the file in C2S format and your machine’s format.

Decorative Signs

Open the Doghouse SignPost design. Copy the Welcome sign and paste in to a new workspace.

Rotate the sign 270 degrees.

Select the first thread color in the Color Sequence. This portion of the design is the outline of the sign.

Copy and paste the outline of the sign as shown.

Select the Text icon from the top toolbar. Select the Goudy Small font.

Type “2017”. Center the date within the sign as shown.

Copy and paste another outline of the sign. Select this new copy. Resize to 2.76 inches wide x .62 inches tall. Flip horizontal.

With this new sign still selected, copy and paste another copy as shown.

Go to File / Merge to insert the letters to spell CANDY on one sign and LANE on the other. (A complete alphabet is included with the Stitch Swag Cozy Dog Suites collection).

Rearrange the color sequence so the sign outlines stitch first, from top to bottom followed by the text.

Return to the original Doghouse SignPost design you opened.

Copy and paste the SignPost into the workspace.

Rearrange all elements so they fit in a 5” x 7” hoop. Save the design in C2S format and your machine’s format.

Candy Cane Frame as Base

Download the Candy Cane frame from http://www.dzgns.com. No edits were made to the design. Send the design to your embroidery machine in the appropriate format.

The Sewing Instructions are included in Part 2 of this blog series.

The Stitch Swag Cozy Dog Suite is available through Inspirations Dealers. Click the image below to find a dealer near you.

Software Saturday: Stitched Poetry!

June 24, 2017 by Denise Holguin / Current Posts, Free Designs, Home Decor, Inspiration, Inspiration Software, Just for Fun, Lettering, Perfect Embroidery Pro, Quick Gifts, Software Saturday / 12 Comments

Farewell to My Red Pen
By Denise Holguin

As Managing Editor, a portion of my time is spent editing the magazine. This includes making sure advertisements are placed, the Buyers Guide has the correct page numbers and the Table of Contents leads readers to the proper articles. I do all these tasks with a red pen.

And as strange as it sounds, I have only one (favorite) red pen that I use issue after issue. I was at a great loss the day it ran out of ink.

I penned a poem to commemorate the ‘passing’ of my red pen. Humored by the absurdity, I decided to take it one step further and embroider the tribute on to fabric.

Goals for this article:

Inspire you to start thinking about custom gifts you can make for family and friends that only they would understand.
Help you to discover your inner poet!
Practice your lettering and layout skills in embroidery software.
Problem solve on the fly.

Embroidery Products
Make Something UT5084 from Urban Threads (3.39” x 3.86”)
Free Skull Design courtesy of Designs in Machine Embroidery.

Embroidery software (Perfect Embroidery Pro was used)
Hoop Size: 300×200

At the Computer
First, we will type each line of text. Then we will rearrange and add other elements.

In Perfect Embroidery Pro, select the Text icon and type the words, “arewell, my friend.”

Click on the Text icon again and type, “You’ve served me well.”

Click on the Text icon and type, “When we, upon the page, would dwell”

Click on the Text icon and type, “To an editor, your color”

Click on the Text icon and type, “Was heaven, but now you’re dead.”

Select the Hoop icon on the left side of the screen. Select the 300×200 hoop. This will establish boundaries to rearrange the poem.

Select all the text. (Control-A). Change the font to “Times.”

Click on the first line of text. Go to the Transform tab and change the height to .69 inches. Repeat this step for each line of text.

Once finished, your text will look similar to the sample shown.

Click on File / Merge. Select the Urban Threads design. Place the design in an open space. We will be editing the design to fit our needs. Select the design. Right click and select Ungroup.

Select “Make Something” and delete it.

Since this is a tribute to a red pen, I selected and deleted the other tools that didn’t fit the pen theme.

You should only have two pens remaining.

Slide the last pen to the left of the marker. Then copy and paste the same pen and place to the right of the marker. Flip the last pen Vertically.

Copy the marker and place it to the right of the pen. Flip it vertically. Copy the first pen and marker and paste them to the right. Your version should look similar to the image shown.

Select all the pens and markers. Right click. Select Group.

Rearrange the rows of lettering to fit within the hoop. This isn’t the final stage of rearranging but it’s the first step.

Slide the pens to the right side of the hoop as shown.

Click on the Text icon. Type the letter “F”. Select Old English. Size the Width and Height to 1.77 inches.

Position the letter in front of “arewell”.

Select the Text icon. Type the word “red”. Select the Athletic font and resize it to 2.05” wide x .80” tall.

Position the word after “color” as shown.

Go to File / Merge Design. Select the Skull design.

Place the skull at the end of the poem.

Change the “F”, the word “red” and the set of pens to red.

I decided to change the word “heaven” to blue. There are three ways to do this:

Inconvenient & Hard:

Stop the machine before it stitches.

Too Much Work:

Edit the line of text so that it’s made up of three designs.

Easiest! (but you need to be responsible)

Select the last line of text. Right click. Select Break up text. Note, when you do this, the text is no longer a font.

Each letter becomes an individual design.

Select all the letters for the word “heaven”. Change the color to blue.

The third line of the poem is a little tight in the hoop. Change the height to .67 inches. Make any other last minute adjustments to the layout of the design.

Select All. (Control-A). Go to Edit / Optimize Sequence.

Save the design and send to the embroidery machine.

I framed the design and added the red pen to its final resting place.

Memories, the threads of time

June 8, 2016 by eileenroche / Applique, Current Posts, Eileen Roche, Home Decor, Just for Fun, Quick Gifts, Quilting, Special Offers, Wildcard Wednesday / 28 Comments

Isn’t it fun to capture a happy memory in needle and thread? It’s not always easy to achieve but when memories and creative inspiration collide, it’s a heartfelt moment. That’s the story behind my latest Stipple! Collection, Life’s a Beach.

You see, when I was ten years old, my father, an avid pilot, restored a World War II open cockpit bi-plane and flew it for thirty years in our tiny seaside resort in New Jersey. He loved that plane and so did all of his daughters. Although it never towed a banner as it is in this quilt, it spiraled through the air crisscrossing the sky over the sparkling blue water of the Atlantic Ocean. He would buzz our house and we would head to the airport to get a ride. If we were on the beach when he flew over, we would wave and jump around on the white sand so he could see us. A tip of his wing meant he was heading home for dinner.

There are so many stories about that plane– thankfully all with happy landings – I just had to include this memory of my youth spent on the Jersey shore. Oh what I wouldn’t do to stand on that sand and hear him fly overhead.

Those happy memories include many days spent at the beach and with five sisters, there were always bathing suits drying in the sun on the backyard clothesline. In fact, I remember coming home from my morning waitress job at a local coffee shop and checking the clothesline to see what suits were left – several of us wore the same size. My mother used to say, “First one out, best one dressed!”

And then off to the beach it was. With a good book, suntan lotion (OMG probably baby oil, how times have changed!), chair and towel, everything revolved around the beach. Everyone (except my mother) was on the beach: neighbors, tourists (same families, same street every year) and family. The more the merrier; the bigger the circle of chairs, the better.

The scene depicted in the bottom row on Life’s a Beach shows the end of the day at the beach…one chair, one umbrella, a peaceful quiet time in the shade.

I stitched the three panels independently and they hang together with ribbons of raffia looped over wood buttons. Since each row stitches quickly, I finished a row in an afternoon, binding included! Once I had one done, I was motivated to start the next one. If you’d like, piece the three rows together to make one wall quilt. I had so much fun designing this project and focusing on the simple days of my youth, I hope you enjoy making it as much as I enjoyed designing it.

Question of the week: What are your favorite summertime childhood memories?

Visit the Designs in Machine Embroidery website for a limited time special offer on Stipple Life’s a Beach. Enjoy free US shipping. Use coupon code: beach

Multi-needle Monday: Rush Order Madness

June 6, 2016 by Marie Zinno / Behind the Scenes, Current Posts, Guest Blog, Home Decor, Marie Zinno, Multi-Needle / 15 Comments

After returning from a beautiful vacation and trying to get back into work mode, I received a call from a good friend, neighbor and parent of a boy’s lacrosse player. Somehow the volunteer parent who was supposed to order the senior gifts for the sports banquet dropped the ball. The banquet was being held the next evening and the parents were disappointed and desperate for a personalized team gift. They requested 17 items, one for each senior boy on the team, of anything I could embroider. This is when I always seem to come to the rescue. Unfortunately I did not have enough time to order blankets from my wholesale vendor and embroider the 17 items in time for delivery in exactly 27 hours. However I live approximately 3 miles from a number of big box stores and I was hoping I could find something appropriate for the gifts. In the past, the teams have ordered blankets, sweatshirts and duffel bags with the athlete’s name and new school/college name.

My daughter and I were on our way to BJ’s Wholesale club to purchase groceries and I happened to check out the plush blankets they had in stock. BINGO! Gorgeous plush blankets in a few colors were on sale for $8 each! Lindsey and I dug through the shelves and yes, 17 gray blankets were found. The gray color is a perfect backdrop for a variety of thread colors and is a bit masculine.

I took a photo of one blanket and texted it to my friend for approval while I shopped. After she replied we loaded all of blankets in a cart. The blankets will be embroidered with the college name and the player’s name in the colors of the new school. Let’s just say people were giving us some strange looks as we proceeded through the store with a car entirely full of gray plush blankets!

My first reaction to the phone call was to just say I could not fill the order, but as a mom and parent of recent graduate and athlete I wanted to help. I made a nice profit even if it was a rush order. The blankets turned out great and the parents were thrilled that I could help with such a short notice.

When working on a rush order if you are a business owner; remember the following:

Make a profit
Charge a rush fee
Get all names and information in writing not over the phone. (email or text)
Plan and simplify the embroidery design as best as possible –guide the customer and direct them as to what font/embroidery design will stitch quickly and look appropriate on the specific fabric.

In the finished photos you can see I used a college block type font for the text in a generous 1 ½ inch tall size. I also added an extra underlay to hold down the plush fibers and I increased my density to .40. Always stitch a simple stitch out on a similar weight fabric (not on a final product). Use a water soluble topper to hold down the fabric’s nap.

Join me in my Craftsy class “How to Start a Machine Embroidery Business” with Marie Zinno.

Click the link to save with this coupon.

https://www.craftsy.com/ext/MarieZinno_4963_H

Stitch Soup

May 4, 2016 by eileenroche / Current Posts, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Techniques, Embroidery Tips, Fairyland, Home Decor, In-the-hoop, Marie Zinno, Wildcard Wednesday / 39 Comments

Christina, the founder of Stitch Soup began embroidering over 12 years ago. After she embellished almost all of her wardrobe, she saw her first in-the-hoop project, a tissue holder, and had an ah-ha moment. She realized there can be so much more to an embroidery machine than just cuffs and collars! Since then she has focused on digitizing in-the-hoop projects for the home, birthday or Christmas gifts, for new babies, and for mom. She blends artistic talent with an engineer’s approach to function and the results are an offering of unique embroidery designs – something for everyone.

Over the past year, the DIME staff has been enamored with her collections. Denise Holguin, managing editor, swooned when she made her first fairy house. She couldn’t stop at one; in fact she made several dozen and has enjoyed photographing them in charming settings.

Her little fairy houses even jumped into her Caribbean-bound suitcase on a recent vacation. Clearly these fairy houses spread a whimsical spell over the stitcher’s creative talents. Because she dreamed up a resident – a silk flower skirted clothespin doll!

Denise had a ton of fun with the thatched hut.

She played with color and buttons on the roof.

The shell trim under the roof line was added in the hoop! She’s a brave lass, she is.

As fun as fairy houses are, some of us prefer a bit more function. Stitch Soup’s tea-light collections were born from necessity. You see, Christina, lives in a fairly remote part of Canada, and is often left in the dark due to power outages. Those ‘dark moments’ inspired her to keep tea lights close out at hand yet of reach of her canine companions (she has four!). Hanging tea lights were the answer. Marie Zinno shared the how-to in our July/August 2015 issue.

One of my favorite Stitch Soup designs was published in our May/June 2015 issue. What fun to use embroidery, fasteners, small ribbon and trim!

Visit Stitch Soup today – they’re having a sale!

Tell us about your favorite Stitch Soup design and you’ll be entered to win one of four $25.00 gift certificates to Stitch Soup.

Become a Social Butterfly! Part 2

April 6, 2016 by Denise Holguin / Current Posts, Fairyland, Home Decor, In-the-hoop, Just for Fun, Quick Gifts, Special Offers, Wildcard Wednesday / 10 Comments

Last week I explored a special offer in an ad featured in the current issue of Designs in Machine Embroidery. If you missed the blog, click here.

When you spend $49 or more at the Embroidery Online website, enter coupon code: DIME2016FREE and you’ll receive the Luminous Freestanding Butterflies collection for free. (Offer ends 4/30/2016).

As you can see, there are all sorts of special offers and promos featured in every issue of Designs in Machine Embroidery. If you don’t subscribe to the magazine, I encourage you to do so. Special offers, free designs and inspiration can be found from page to page. Flutter on to our subscription page to subscribe or give us a call at 888-739-0555.

This week I decided to explore the process of incorporating natural elements into my embroidery projects. For the few that have seen my home (and for the rest who haven’t!) —it’s a mix of various collections including rocks and really neat branches that I’ve picked up during my adventures. I bet you’re wondering rocks? Branches? What in the world does a person do with these elements? I wondered the same until I found just the right use. Take a look!

While visiting friends in Kerrville, I wandered their beautiful property and found the most delightful rock. I got permission to take the rock and little did we know it would end up being a cute pedestal for a butterfly to rest upon. I had it sitting on my desk all week as a paperweight – but it will return to its home in Kerrville to my friends as a special gift.

The letters are chip board—you can find similar ones in the scrapbook aisle of your favorite retailer.

Next, I decided to cover a branch with butterflies and use it as wall décor. I love the mix of thread and natural elements.

Excited to find use for my other branches, I combined two small branches with carpenter’s glue. Then I created ribbon roses and placed them in one corner with a butterfly resting upon them. More chip board was used to spell the word “create” but I could have easily spelled my last name or other message. The Butterfly Fairy was a last minute addition to the scene.

Here’s a close-up of the Butterfly Fairy. One late night of butterfly stitching, my embroidery machine got hungry and started eating my fabric. The wings that were in the process of being stitched were incomplete but too pretty to throw away. I trimmed them and decided to use them to make fairy wings.

Since the underside of the embroidery would be visible, I covered the wings with organza. Then I made a doll using inspiration from Wee Felt Folk by Salley Mavor. The dress is made from the center of a daffodil. I loved the results and quickly posted the photo for my friends to see. But there was just one problem which I presented to them: “This Butterfly Fairy needs a name!”

I got a reply from a friend I recently reconnected with online. The name she presented and I fell in love with: Daphne! Look at her, she looks like a Daphne!

And that’s the story of how Daphne the Butterfly Fairy came together. I think she represents the beauty of using the resources you have—though imperfect, to make something special, unique and meaningful. Imagine if I had tossed the half stitched wings in the trash bin! And I love involving others in my embroidery projects – even though some live far away they can be part of the process online. It’s a constructive and positive use of social media that I encourage you to embrace if you haven’t already. It is quite fun to be a social butterfly!

Opportunity Knocks!

March 2, 2016 by Denise Holguin / Current Posts, Home Decor, In-the-hoop, Inspiration, Just for Fun, Quick Gifts, Wildcard Wednesday / 17 Comments

My friend Tore works in a corporate environment—picture a quiet, organized, office setting. The exact opposite of my space where there’s an explosion of stitched samples, fabrics, trim, buttons… and somewhere there’s a desk.

He recently told me he volunteered to supply the office decorations for the common area at his workplace. I immediately smelled an opportunity to introduce embroidery into a new environment. I quietly agreed to help him buy some standard St. Patrick’s Day decorations but we both knew the odds were good I’d surprise him and his office with some of my embroidered handiwork!

But where to start?
I started on social media.

I noticed our friends at Sulky shared a St Patrick’s Day TBT blog post featuring a free downloadable shamrock design. Perfect! Want the design? Visit here!

Next I used the Scalloped Letter Squares from Joann Connolly’s book, Sweet Stitches. You might recognize the design… or you might not! Here’s the original design below.

I combined the two designs in embroidery software. You can do this in any embroidery editing software you own. Keep the following tips in mind:

Test, test, test. I feel like I’ve said this before!
Just like in arithmetic, you need to remember order of operations. You are combining two different applique designs. The Scalloped Letter Squares Design has a piece of fabric that covers the back to create a clean finish. But you also need to stitch the Shamrock design before you stitch the back. You will need to rearrange the sequence of stitches so the two designs stitch in the proper order. You’ll have to test and experiment—but that’s part of the learning process.

Here’s what happened during my “experimental” process. You’re looking at the back of the project that should not have the shamrock outline exposed. Oops. But flip it over to the front and no one will know the difference!

Here’s a look at the final outcome. For added fun, I added a shamrock ribbon as a hook and sewed a button to each piece. Then I glued some buttons onto some pushpins to make it easy to hang the shamrocks on their bulletin board.

I sure am lucky to have the opportunity to spread the love of machine embroidery everywhere! You can do the same!

Takeaways from this blog:
1. It’s ok to mix, match and have fun. Look for ways to repurpose designs. Combine, remove stitch elements—change the color sequences to fit your new invention. This is what makes the creative process fun.

2. Opportunity often knocks quietly and sometimes it might require some effort. But the results are worth it. You can create and design your happiness and growth as a person and in that process you might brighten someone else’s day.

Your assignment for this week:
Spread happiness. Take the time to thank a person. Be specific with your reason for thanking them. Spend some time listening to someone that needs to talk. Listen more and speak less! Smile at the barista the next time you are at the coffee shop. Instead of “liking” a post on Facebook, Instagram, etc, engage with the person by commenting a positive thought. Hug your husband, your grandchild or your best friend.

The winner of last week’s blog post answered the following question:
What type of projects would you like to see more of? Quilts, crafts, adult clothing, children’s clothing or home decor? One lucky winner will receive a 1 year subscription to Designs in Machine Embroidery.

The winner is:
Stella: “I would love home decor or useful items to use at home. There have already been a lot of towels and pillows, so new ideas would be fun to learn.”

Thank you, everyone for taking the time to comment. The information you shared is very helpful as we continue to come up with fresh content you’ll enjoy!

Diary of a Novice Embroiderer: A Harrowing Tale

October 14, 2015 by Denise Holguin / Current Posts, Home Decor, Hooping, Inspiration, Inspiration Software, Monograms, Planning Embroidery, Quick Gifts, Wildcard Wednesday / 59 Comments

Preface: My friend Gus asked me to embroider a pillowcase as a birthday gift for his wife, Sophia. I agreed and expected him to purchase a pillowcase. Instead, he purchased fabric, sewed the pillowcase and presented it to me to embroider. It was flawless—and I was so touched that a husband would do that for his wife. Not only that—he had a special sentiment he wanted embroidered for his dear wife.

For reasons that defy logic, I chose the day before Sophia’s birthday party to start stitching the gift. The timeline below showcases my thought process while completing the project. I share my tale in hope that you can relate and find solace in knowing the creative process is indeed a process—full of ups and downs but this is how we grow and gain experience.

6:00 pm. I guess I should start stitching the pillowcase. I am relieved Eileen improved the layout of my design. My original versions weren’t as artistic as I wanted. My biggest concern is hooping the pillowcase. It’s probably wise for me to stitch a test sample. I am glad Gus bought tons of extra fabric—hopefully I won’t need it to make a new pillowcase.

6:30 pm. Everyone at the office left for the weekend. Eileen gave me advice on hooping and assured me I could call if I needed help. Now it’s just me, the pillowcase and dozens of tools. I felt like Sheldon from the Big Bang theory. This pillowcase HAS to be perfect. I better unhoop it and try again.

This is an important engineering feat. Wait… no, it’s just a pillowcase. But it really does need to be precision placed. Yes, I should unhoop and try using a different method…

I decided to start over using a different hooping method…

7:38 pm. I sent a frustrated text to my friend: “the opposite of fun is right now! I will never ever agree to stitch something special for someone else. It’s so difficult! No, it’s impossible! However… I did learn how to use the camera function on THE Dream Machine… so that’s a positive.”

7:45 pm. I guess it’s time to hit the Start button to take my first stitch. I wondered if I would look back at that moment with regret. I looked at the design on-screen—it indicated it will take 31 minutes to stitch. After that time, I will know if the design is crooked or not. But by that time it’s too late. This is highly stressful.

7:51 pm. Wow! This is working! It’s absolutely working! The rich purple thread I chose is perfect!

7:53 pm. I kept a watchful eye on the machine as it stitched. Because the pillowcase is cylindrical (and a tight fit) in the hoop, I had to make sure the excess fabric didn’t get caught during stitching. I should have listened to Eileen and used one of our Hoop Guards. That would have helped.

There was a brief moment I took my eyes and hands away from the excess fabric. Sure enough, the fabric got eaten by the machine. I remained calm. This is why I’m at the machine, watching and waiting. I can fix this.

I carefully clipped away the few stitches that were eating the fabric. Then I used the machine’s stitch advance/reverse feature to back up and redo the stitches.

8:00 pm. Look at me! I’ve got skills.

8:15 pm. I sent a photo to my friend showing the progress. My friend’s reply, “Because stitching text wasn’t challenging enough, you had to add the butterfly! You really challenged yourself!”

8:34 pm. My ears perked up to the familiar, comforting chime of the embroidery machine, indicating the design is finished stitching. The friendly smiley face appeared on the machine, as if sharing in my joy of accomplishment.

I examined the pillowcase, still hooped in the machine and proclaimed, “look at me, I stitched my first pillowcase!”

About the design:
Butterfly from Kreations by Kara. http://www.kreationsbykara.com Search: BB Shadowed
Lettering from Perfect Embroidery Pro software. The path tool was used to create a unique curved effect.

Here’s your assignment this week:

We are going to turn the table and ask you to post an embroidery related question for us in the comments below this week! Denise and Eileen will do their very best to get you an expert anwser and one lucky commenter will be chosen to win Eileen and Marie Zinno’s new, yet to be released Hoop It Up book!

The winner of the last assignment answered the following question:

Thank you all for allowing me to share this occasion with you. I hope you’ve learned some tips and maybe even thought of using an idea or two for a special bride in the future. What tip or idea from this wedding do you think you are most likely to use?

The winner is:

Beth Daniels: “I would use the ribbon idea on even some clothes that I would make with the pattern number and name of clothing.”

When my time in Sewing Utopia took a downward spiral…

July 10, 2015 by Denise Holguin / Current Posts, Guest Blog, Home Decor, Inspiration, Just for Fun, Quick Gifts / 12 Comments

I was in Sewing Utopia the other evening. You are probably familiar with that magical place where everything runs smoothly.

The Loop-de-Loop designs from Embroidery Online were stitching like a dream. The digitizing quality is superb. And to make things even more dreamy, I was at the height of efficiency, running not one, but two embroidery machines in my EmbroideryLand, USA. I’m so blessed to have access to plenty of resources at the office. At this rate, I’ll finish sooner than later!

I finished the letters and took my stitch-outs to the store to audition frames.

Shopping Tips
Plan ahead! Go ahead and use those coupons that come in week after week from the craft stores! It’s an obvious tip but oftentimes when you’re in the middle of a project, like I was, you don’t have time to shop around for the most affordable frames available. Your favorite craft retailer with those nifty 40% or 50% off coupons are great for stocking up on frames. Pick a size and style that you’ll know you can use easily—white, black or even wood grain. Go with a standard stock so you’ll be confident they will be available time and again. Every time you get a coupon in the mail, your inbox or through an app, pick up a frame. Before you know it you’ll have collected enough frames to complete a project.

It was at the store that my Utopian world vanished. (Insert dramatic sound effects here!)

Do as I say, not as I do! (the ongoing series!)
Excited with my stitched letters, I got to work by adding the rick rack and buttons on a sample before heading to the store. It was a masterpiece! My friend Dianna will love this! But when I went shopping for the frames, I realized to my great disappointment that I trimmed the fabric too short. Gasp! I flipped through each of my embroidered samples at the store. By my estimation, two samples were cut too short.

I returned to my not-so-sewing-utopia armed with more fabric. This time I cut the fabric to fit the frames. I won’t make the same mistake three times.

I’m reminded of that saying: measure twice, cut once!

I think I’d change it to: measure twice—then cut and stitch once!

While I didn’t have anything to measure when I first began the project, it’s important to plan ahead. Allocate enough fabric around the embroidery so you have options.

After stitching all the white rick rack, on my yellow samples, I reached for the green rick rack to stitch on the orange samples. It was at that point I made the unfortunate discovery that the rick rack widths were not the same. I didn’t have enough of a single color to use for all the samples (not that I wanted to rip out my newly stitched rick rack). Nor did I want to make a trip to the store for rick rack. Downtrodden, I took my samples to my trusty adviser – who also happens to be the Creative Director for the magazine – Sam Solomon. He said the difference in widths is too minuscule for it to matter. Besides, we can call it creative license! (I will admit that when I photographed this shot below, the difference really is minuscule! It’s funny how monumental it felt at the time.)

Concluding Thoughts
When you start getting weary from making a project, remind yourself the gift is always about the recipient. Think about the person and what they mean to you when you are making the project. I certainly did when I was re-stitching the two letters. I consoled myself thinking—Dianna has had some long nights and weekends working. This project will be worth it! I surprised her by placing the frames in her office while she was in a meeting. I’m not sure who was happier—we were both smiling from the experience!

Also hiccups along the way, like my “rick rack” width disaster – can seem monumental when you’re in the middle of the project. But step back to look at the matter from a different perspective. If possible, get feedback from others – and exercise your right to be a whimsical, creative designer. Improvise, problem solve and have fun!

Whether you have a friend, family member, coworker or someone else you want to thank—do so in an action-oriented manner. Taking the time to make something specific for that person shows you appreciate them enough to sacrifice your time for them.

Click here if you missed Part 1 of this blog post. Part 1 goes through the software steps for adding the decorative stitching.

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