This week's special
As tempting as it was to go overboard, I limited myself to make just one machine-embroidered element for my recent wedding: the table numbers. In retrospect, I’m not so sure anyone noticed that the numbers were embroidered but that’s okay with me. I enjoyed the process. Since our wedding took place in a natural...
12 Household Tools for the Machine Embroiderer Digital Camera– best design tool in the house (besides pencil and paper). I use a digital camera to record my progress when designing an embroidery layout, auditioning fabrics or setting blocks in a quilt. Any task that takes several attempts to get a certain look can be...
How to Embroider on Minky Do you love the feel of Minky but have been afraid to add embroidery to this luscious fabric? Its cuddly-soft texture, stretchy give and lush fibers tend to scare the most courageous embroiderers. But don’t worry; it’s fairly easy to tame Minky. Let me show you how. First, select...
Those stretchy, skinny t-shirts are so popular. Here are some tips on how to stitch them successfully. First, the right embroidery design for the right fabric is crucial. Don’t try to force a design on any fabric. Look at the limitations of this baby soft knit fabric (sheer, 4-way stretch and nubby). That’s an...
Let me introduce you to PAL – Perfect Alignment Laser. I use PAL for common machine embroidery tasks: finding the center of a quilt block or pocket, squaring my fabric/design in the hoop and continuous embroidery. First, I’ll show you how easy it is to set up PAL in your sewing room. Once it’s...
It’s been a great week and we’re planning a fabulous Fall! What a week! Last Thursday I traveled to Cleveland to tape the second series of It’s Sew Easy television show. I had a blast connecting with my dear friend June Mellinger, Director of Product Promotion for Brother, meeting other guests and doing my...
I’ll let you in on a little-known secret – I hate to remove the hoop during the embroidery process to trim applique. I dislike it so much, I rarely do it. I’ve come up with two very different solutions to this dilemma. The first – and easiest – is to embrace raw edge applique....
A few weeks ago, we received many comments requesting information on stitching on knits. Well, knits is a pretty large category! So I’ll give you some general guidelines on stabilizing t-shirt knits. Eliminate the Stretch The number one goal of hooping and stabilizing knits is to eliminate the stretch during the embroidery process. My favorite...
Embroidery machines are wonderful because you become a designer—a creator—an artist. The challenge as I’m sure many of you have discovered—is having the right tools to execute your creative ideas. Traditional hoops don’t always fit your needs. I understand this challenge—I face it daily in my sewing room. That’s why I try to solve...
I stitch almost every day, and if I’m not stitching, I’m usually thinking about my next project. My thoughts often lean toward how to make this hobby more enjoyable and how to teach techniques that simplify the process. I try to stay in touch with embroiderers and their needs. So I’ve really listened when...
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