Inspiration – Page 5 – Eileen's Machine Embroidery Blog

Archive of ‘Inspiration’ category

December Update in Perfect Embroidery Pro

November 29, 2014 by eileenroche / Digitizing, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Techniques, Embroidery Tips, Holiday Stitching, Inspiration, Perfect Embroidery Pro, Software Saturday, Software Techniques, Software Updates / 20 Comments

Beads, Crystals, Pearls and Rhinestones

Do you love to add crystals, beads and pearls to some of your embroidery designs? Then you’re going to love December’s free update in Perfect Embroidery Pro! Now you can audition gems on a design in Perfect Embroidery Pro before you ever take a stitch. Click on the video below to see how easy it is to add crystals to a lace neckline.

If less sometimes leaves you wanting more, then watch the video below to see how a demure neckline can be transformed with holiday sparkle.

Gems are not just for garments as they make lovely additions to home décor items. LuLu Christmas includes a lovely trio of Christmas ornaments – perfect for linen guest towels when sprinkled across the towel. But I don’t always have time to fill the width of fabric with edge to edge embroidery yet I still want a fluid design. The video below shows how crystals are a simple solution in Perfect Embroidery Pro.

When you update, you’ll find 24 beads, 12 crystals, 16 pearls and 40 rhinestones – each customizable by size. And of course, you can add your own images to the library. Just set the position of each crystal by placing a node on the design or let the software automatically create a string of gems for you – all evenly spaced. Adjust the spacing by changing the instructions in the properties box or fine tune the placement by adjusting the individual nodes.

Stitch marks (you choose between a cross and a circle) are inserted into the design so that the placement can be easily achieved after the embroidery is complete. The size of the stitch marks is adjustable so that even the tiniest gems cover the small marks.

I hope you enjoy December’s free update – I know I’m going to have fun adding sparkle to my creations!

How a trip to the gym inspired today’s embroidery lesson!

November 19, 2014 by Denise Holguin / Guest Blog, Inspiration, Just for Fun, Software Techniques / 165 Comments

I was at the gym this week and decided to increase the weight on the Rotary Calf machine.

I added 5 pounds to what I thought was already pretty hefty. I completed the exercise with ease. Armed with a little more confidence I added another 5 pounds.

I braced myself for what would likely be impossible. The machine will certainly be immovable. My legs cannot move that much weight. There’s no way!

And once again, I surprised myself with success.

I wore a big grin on my face as I used the weight machine. I can now handle 265 pounds on the Rotary Calf Machine!

Incredulous with this accomplishment I photographed the machine— particularly the weight. It’s not that no one would believe my accomplishment. They would. It’s me that sometimes needs convincing of what I’m capable of doing!

I pushed myself and realized I can do more than I thought and I have proof!

This confidence spilled out when I approached this week’s blog. I decided to take one embroidery design and in 10 minutes see how many variations I could make using just one design.

This is the original design…

Here’s what I came up with…

But this lesson isn’t about me— it’s about you! When was the last time you sat and played with your embroidery software? Maybe you don’t have the latest and greatest software and feel limited. Maybe you don’t have time. Perhaps you aren’t inspired. There are dozens of reasons not to try. There are dozens of reasons to give up before trying. But why not give it a try? Spend a few minutes – even just 10 minutes using the embroidery machine and tools you already own. Skip stitches at your embroidery machine if you don’t have software. Experiment with thread colors. Push yourself to see what you can do with your resources and skills. You have what it takes to succeed.

Now give it a try!

Click here to download the design and see how many variations you can make. There’s no right or wrong answer. The prize is the time you invested in yourself to expand your embroidery skills.

Speaking of embroidery designs… stop by one of my favorite embroidery design resources – Embroidery Library! Whatever embroidery design theme you’re looking for, you’ll find plenty of options to suit your taste! The prices are very reasonable, their quality is spot on — and you can shop day or night for instant downloads! And best of all… you have a chance to win a shopping spree! Read on for more info!

Here’s your assignment this week:

If you won a $25 gift card to purchase anything from the Embroidery Library website, which designs would you purchase? Post your comments and FOUR, that’s right, FOUR random names will be drawn and each will win a $25 shopping spree to redeem at Embroidery Library! Oh my goodness – so many beautiful and creative designs to choose from!

The winner of last week’s assignment answered the following question… What Holiday goodies are you creating this season? Tell us what you’ve got stitching and one random comment will be selected to win a $25 shopping spree to the Designs in Machine Embroidery website.The random drawing winner is… Lynette“I am making fabric boxes for the ladies in my sewing group, a fabric book for my great grandchildren, hanging towels for the grandchildren. Hopefully I will get some time to do some baking too.”

Add Fabrics to MQE or MBP’s Fabric Library

November 8, 2014 by eileenroche / Digitizing, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Techniques, Inspiration, Inspiration Software, Uncategorized / 1 Comment

Want to add new fabrics to your Fabric Library in My Quilt Embellisher or My Block Piecer? Let me show you how easy it is to that.

First, gather the digital images of the fabrics. Most fabric companies have all of their collections in a downloadable format on their websites. I popped over to Moda fabrics to download one of my favorite designers, Stephanie Ryan.

Go to unitednotions.com and click on downloads at the bottom of the page. Select the design collection of your choice and click on the blue scissors to download a zip file of the digitial images of each fabric in the collection. Once the file is downloaded, unzip the folder. Remember where you stored the folder.

Open a new file in My Quilt Embellisher. Select the Fabric icon. Left mouse click on the Moda folder.

Select New Folder.

Type in the name of the new collection, Stephanie Ryan for this example.

Right mouse click on the Stephanie Ryan folder and select Add.

Go to your unzipped folder and select all of the images. Click Open.

Boom! All of the images are in your fabric library! Love that!

Manipulating Designs in Perfect Embroidery Pro

October 18, 2014 by eileenroche / Digitizing, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Techniques, Embroidery Tips, Inspiration, Inspiration Software, Software Techniques / 7 Comments

Even if you don’t digitize, you can most certainly manipulate designs to get the look you need. All you need are building blocks. What are building blocks? Building blocks are designs – designs that are stashed in Perfect Embroidery Pro.

Let’s take a look at a design from the Monogram catalog.

Click on the Monogram catalog icon and select Mon10683.

Select and Ungroup the design (right mouse click or use the Ungroup icon on the tool bar). Select the branch on the right.

Copy and paste the branch. Move it to the upper right, connecting the bottom scroll to the original branch.

Let’s close the space at the top between the original branch and the new one. Zoom in to get a magnified view. Select the Shape Tool and move the last two black dots to expose the blue squares underneath (the points).

Select and pull the blue squares down to the original branch.

Position the black dots back on top of the blue squares, this sets the direction of the satin stitches.

Hit Enter on the keyboard to extend the satin stitches.

Select the new branch, copy, paste and mirror image the section. Move it to the opposite side.

Voila! A perfectly shaped design for a child’s neckline.

All for Me!

October 15, 2014 by Denise Holguin / Color and Design, Embroidery Techniques, Embroidery Tips, Guest Blog, In-the-hoop, Inspiration, Just for Fun, Quick Gifts / 227 Comments

Improvise! Create! Have fun!

I wanted to create something fun and personalized for my friends. These luggage tags featured in Shelly Smola’s book, All for Me, fit my needs for creativity. They can be used as gift tags, luggage tags or even Christmas ornaments!

The luggage tags are designed with a handy pocket made of clear vinyl to slide a name tag with contact information. Unfortunately, I didn’t have vinyl and I didn’t want to drive all the way to the fabric store. (It’s a whole 5 minutes away from the office!)

I decided to improvise…

Improvise on Materials

First attempt: Clear plastic from a paper CD sleeve.
I wasn’t using the CD sleeve and the plastic seemed like it would work. However, the needle penetrations perforated the plastic making it easy to rip away.

Undaunted, I hunted the office for other clear plastic materials…

Second attempt: A Ziplock bag!

I thought I was pretty clever for trying this technique. Again, the needle penetrations perforated the plastic.

Suggestions from office mates: Use a clear shower curtain.

This idea has been used and tested in the building… but sadly there wasn’t a shower curtain in the office. And the nearest retailer is at least 20 minutes away….

Next attempt: Tulle.

I used two layers of tulle and placed water soluble stabilizer on top. This method worked! Plus tulle comes in countless colors to coordinate with my fabric selection for the dresses. The card insert I placed in the pocket is still legible through the tulle.

Next attempt: Sheer ribbon.

I used two layers and placed water soluble stabilizer on top. This method also worked. I prefer the ribbon because it’s easier to work with but that’s just a personal preference.

Create!

Sample 1. Pretty Blue!

I selected blue satin fabric for the dress and soft thread colors to coordinate with the fabric. I accidentally stitched the leaves in pink. Surely there are pink leaves found in nature somewhere! I added hot fix pearls to the flowers for added embellishments.

Sample 2. Bridal Party

I selected the same blue satin fabric. This time I stitched everything in white. The blue is subtle enough that it could be used for a bridal shower gift tag. I added the hot fix pearls to the flowers and the buttons. Also consider making one as a Christening ornament for a baby.

Sample 3. Celebrate the Crinkles!

When discussing our serious fabric shortage in the building with Eileen, I came upon a delightful brown crinkle type fabric. I hesitated but had to ask anyway, “will this work or am I crazy?” Fortunately, Eileen encouraged me to try. In fact, she shared a tip to ensure success.

Eileen’s tips:

Add fusible polymesh cut-away stabilizer to the back of the fabric. This will add stability and will also keep the wrinkles in place as you stitch the crinkle fabric. The particular concern was ensuring the stipple stitches would stitch properly on the fabric.

Another tip, the fusible polymesh comes in black. This is especially useful if you’re working with a dark colored fabric. I’ll keep that in mind next time!

I love the added texture this fabric brings to the dress. In fact, I’d wear this dress if it were full size!

Sample 4. Embrace Color!

Now with 3 dresses successfully stitched, I was feeling quite bold. I found a bright yellow satin fabric. I fused polymesh to the back of the fabric. I opted to embrace contrasting colors… and during the process I must admit I got some inspiration from the movie, 27 Dresses. I used two layers of pink tulle for the pocket and of course a bright pink for the stitches. While stitching the flowers I noticed the leaves look like hearts. I decided to skip the flower centers and add hot fix crystals as embellishments.

Have Fun!
The primary motivation when I create anything is to have fun. During this process I enjoyed focusing on variety and details. For this project I only made dresses and challenged myself to try and make each one slightly different. What details can I add? I experimented with fabrics, thread colors, skipping embroidery details, adding hot fix embellishments and more!

Looking at the dresses, I realized hangers would be a nice addition. Using wire and some pliers I fashioned a small hanger for the embroidered dress. I cut two pieces of wire—one for the hook and the other for the base. I wrapped the end of the hook to the base. Next I covered the wire with a decorative fiber.

The hanger was an afterthought for my pretty brown dress. Next time I would skip stitching the hole for the ribbon since the hanger serves the same purpose.

What a wonderful way to have fun with small scraps of fabric!

There are additional luggage tags included with the book as well as other fun projects.

A total of 6 projects are included:

Tea Party Luggage Tags
Glamour Girl Makeup Case
Petite Purse
Vintage Apron
Time for Tea Pillow
Time for Tea Quilt

Did you know? All for Me is now available as a download! That’s right, now you can download the book and the designs from the comfort of your home. This is especially ideal for overseas customers!

Visit the Designs in Machine Embroidery website for more information.

Here’s your assignment this week:

Urban Threads is giving away four (4) $25 gift certificates to their website. Just leave a comment below about a design you re-purposed for something new, something different! Maybe you turned a kitchen towel project into some doll clothes or made a bracelet out of a sashing – whatever it is, we want to know.

The winner of last week’s assignment is:

What is your most prized monogram project? Tell us your favorite and one comment will be chosen to receive a $25 gift certificate to spend on the DIME website. Thank you for reading and good luck!

Gift-Card

And the winners is..Shea – “My favorite monogram is the stacked one that I put on one of three t-shirts I gave to my 30-year old son for his last birthday. I’ve seen him wear that shirt three times in the month since then – he LOVES it.”

Designing Quilt Blocks

October 11, 2014 by eileenroche / Digitizing, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Techniques, Inspiration, Inspiration Software, Quilting, Software Techniques / 3 Comments

Designing quilt blocks has never been easier. Just click on the Block icon in My Quilt Embellisher and take your pick. I chose the Broken Stone block under Curved Blocks, Miscellaneous.

I like the shapes but not the colors so my first step is change the colors of the block. Even though the block shows just two colors, you can select each patch and transform a two-color block into a three-color block or more! Click on the Fabric Library and browse through the hundreds of swatches. Select a fabric and click OK. Repeat this process for each patch.

You can color multiple patches at one time by holding down the CTRL key and clicking on each patch. When you select a fabric in the fabric library, all selected patches will be colorized.

Now, let’s add the quilting! Click on the Embellishments icon. When the drop down menu appears, select Elegant06.

Elegant06 is a great choice for this block because it features a center medallion and corner motifs that complement the patches.

First, delete the artwork outline (the blue outer line). Now, delete the scrolls because they do not fit in the curved patches.

Select, rotate and enlarge the center medallion to fit the inner block.

Select the curved patches.

Click on the Combine icon to treat the patches as one.

Click on the Texture icon.

Select texture 144 and click OK.

Play with the pattern length setting in the properties box to make the circles larger or smaller. I chose a pattern length of 15.0. Save the block as BlueGold.

Now that the block is designed, let’s see how the whole quilt will look. Select the block and right click, select Group. Copy and paste the block. Repeat as necessary. Save this file as BlueGoldQuilt. Now you have two working files – one of the block and one of the quilt.

When I save designs that I’ve created in My Quilt Embellisher, I create a new folder titled the name of the quilt, in this case, BlueGold. I save all working designs in that folder. That makes it easy for me to find the block and quilt files if I need to make adjustments – and the work is done!

Virtual quilting is fun – almost as much fun as actual quilting. But nothing beats quilting with fabric and thread!

Applique – It’s Not Just for Quilting

September 24, 2014 by Denise Holguin / A Closer Look, Applique, Guest Blog, Inspiration, Quick Gifts, Special Offers / 47 Comments

Oh, dear readers! If you had been guests in my office last Thursday you’d have seen chaos, pandemonium and some really fun projects being put together using the new Stipple Baby collection. What you wouldn’t have seen was my desk. It disappeared during the ‘creative process.’

The Stipple Baby collection is a slight departure from our usual Stipple products. It includes the Stipple quilt block designs but it also includes the individual clothing designs so you can mix and match to create your own blocks. Plus we’ve included the digital files (SVG and FCM) to use with your favorite digital cutters!

You can make quilts and pillows. Embellish clothing or home décor. You can also make banners, birth announcements, birthday cards and more! Just remember, if you make the item for baby, make it safe! Save the tiny embellishments (beads, buttons, rhinestones, ribbons, etc) to embellish a gift for the parents rather than baby. The inspiration you see in this blog post is intended for adults.

I could ramble on about the collection but pictures are worth a thousand words. And to get us started… here’s a behind the scenes look my office. As I mentioned, the desk somehow disappeared.

But the results are worth it! Take a look!

Sample 1. For the “Ralph Lauren” Baby!
I wanted an understated, sophisticated look for this little art project.

I used twill for the dress and added brown linen for the collar and sash.

I starched the brown linen before using it. It made a big difference working with it and almost makes me want to wear linen again next Spring!

Once the dress outline was stitched, realized I wanted to experiment. While at the embroidery machine I selected the outline for the dress again. I advanced the stitches until I reached the base of the dress. Then I carefully placed the lace at the base of the dress and stitched the design. Admittedly, glue is also an option for securing the lace. No one would know the difference. Or you can take the design into editing software and program an extra stitch at the base. The wonderful thing about machine embroidery – there’s more than one way to achieve a goal.

Ribbon Inspiration!
The ribbon I selected was originally too wide. No problem! I trimmed the ribbon and made it work for my needs. Since this project is for a card, I wasn’t as concerned about raw edges.

Next time you ‘think’ something won’t work, try to look at it from a different perspective. Ask yourself, “how can I make this work and perhaps make something even better than anticipated?” That should be the goal every time you hit a roadblock in your creative process!

Once the dress was complete I cut it away from the stabilizer and trimmed excess fabric and ribbon. I hand sewed two wooden buttons to the dress. Then I layered burlap and scrapbook paper for texture and interest. I used hot glue to attach all the pieces.

After cutting the burlap background I used the leftover scraps to make a small bow for the dress. I also cut small hearts from the burlap and layered them on scrapbook paper. Scrapbook brads were used for additional texture.

Around this time I had a few pieces of chocolate to help continue the creative process…

Sample 2. For the Country Chic Baby!
Do you hoard fabric like I do? The floral scraps of fabric used on the collar and sash are at least 10 years old. It was time to dust it off and put it to good use.

Remember when working with print fabric that scale is important. The flowers were just the right size to use with the dress.

I added the same ribbon embellishment to the base of the dress.

At this point the dress looked boring to me. It needed a splash of burgundy to coordinate with the floral print fabric.

I wove some decorative fiber through the ribbon – it was THE perfect accent!

Next I wove the same decorative fiber through a button. Then I added the button to the sash (I cheated and glued the button.) Additional fun included using scrapbooking supplies to make a card for the dress. I love the results!

To celebrate the launch of Stipple Baby, we’re offering FREE shipping and handling on US orders! (For those of you in the US who ordered between September 18, 2014 – September 24, 2014 – have no fear. We’ll be giving you a refund on the shipping and handling fees for those who ordered standard shipping.) Visit the Designs in Machine Embroidery website to take advantage of this limited time offer. Be sure to use the coupon code: baby

Here’s your assignment this week:

Leave a comment below about something you’d like to create with Stipple! Baby. One random comment will be chosen to get their very own copy of Stipple! Baby for free.

The winner of last week assignment:

Embroidered shoes are not your typical embroidered item. Leave a comment below about the most unusual thing you’ve embroidered. One comment will be chosen at random to receive a $100 gift certificate courtesy of Pickle Pie Designs for use at PicklePieDesigns.com – thanks for reading and good luck!

And the winner is Patricia. – “The oddest thing I’ve ever embroidered is a bathroom set of a bar of soap, a candle, and a matching roll of toilet tissue. Makes a cute gift!”

Software Saturday

September 20, 2014 by eileenroche / Eileen Roche, Inspiration, Inspiration Software, Software Techniques, Uncategorized / 19 Comments

It’s exciting to hear so many of you are anxious to receive the link to update your G7 Solutions software program. I thought I would take this opportunity to address many of your questions.

1. How can I be Inspired? How can I get the download link?

The link will come in a joint email from your dealer and DIME and will contain a form to fill out. Once completed and submitted online, you will be given a link to download the software when we have identified the dealer that is closest to you. When you receive the email, it will look similar to this – a joint message from DIME and your local dealer.

As you scroll down the email, you’ll spot a large blue box.

Clicking on this link will take you to a form. Fill out the form and click on the Submit button.

Once you click on Submit, a message appears with instructions. I’ve highlighted two important points – you’ll receive the download via email and a reminder to check your spam folder.

The email will list the appropriate links. Click on each link to download. If the links are not active (you cannot click on it) in the email, your anti-virus software is blocking the link from working. Turn off your anti-virus program for about 15 min. You will then find the link is active. You can also try to copy and paste the complete link into your browser.

2. Should I save or run the program when I click on that link?

We suggest that you save the file into a folder that you call My Special Files (or a name you choose).

It’s a large file, so please be patient while it downloads.

After you download/save the file into the selected folder, go to the folder and double click on the file….and you will be Inspired!

If your anti-virus software is active, you may receive an alert because this is an executable file, designated by the .exe extension. Most likely you have encountered this message on an earlier occasion when you installed a new software program.

To proceed, click on Allow this File.

And click on OK to install the program.

Once installed, fill out the registration form. If the submit button is greyed out make sure all required areas are filled in.

Is this the computer that has a registered Floriani software program on it? You must have a registered version (registered prior to August 1, 2014) of the software in order for Inspiration Software to install properly.

3. Is the software name correctly chosen in the top box? Use the down arrow for the dropdown selection (if provided) to select your proper software name.

4. Will the Inspiration Software do anything to my computer, or previously-installed software programs?

No. Inspiration Software will not do anything other than to create additional icons on your desktop so that you can easily be Inspired!

5. Is there a deadline to update? No, there is no deadline.

6. Do I have to update? No, you do not have to choose…..the Inspiration Update is free to registered owners of Floriani software (registered prior to August 1, 2014). Take one or take both….. no pressure…..Be Inspired!

Exciting times like this involve the coordinated efforts of many people – including your local dealer. Dealers are really busy people so they and we, appreciate your patience as we continue to grow out network. More Inspiration to come – every Saturday!

Auditioning Crazy Quilting Stitches in My Quilt Embellisher

September 6, 2014 by eileenroche / Crazy Quilting, Digitizing, Eileen Roche, Inspiration, Inspiration Software, Quilting, Uncategorized / 23 Comments

My Quilt Embellisher features 50 crazy quilt stitches that can be combined, sized, rotated and morphed to create hundreds of gorgeous stitches. The stitches are so easy to add to any quilt block – just select a block from the block library and then left click on the Crazy Quilting icon. CQ2

Select a stitch from the drop down menu. One of my favorites is Stitch10.

Once selected, the cursor changes to a small crosshair. Left mouse click and drag the mouse to create the motif. The longer you drag, the larger the motif. Each motif can be dropped individually creating an organic, hand-stitched look.

Let’s take a look at how fun it is to play with the stitches and blocks. Click on the Block Library icon, Circle Blocks and Dresden Plate #3.

The block appears on the screen.

Let’s remove half of the block by selecting (left mouse click) and deleting (delete on the keyboard) each section.

Select the Shape Tool and click on the circle to show the points.

Select half of the points by dragging the cursor over the points.

Left mouse click and select delete points.

Now that the block appears as desired it’s time to embellish.

Select the Crazy Quilting icon and select Stitch04 from the drop down menu. Position the cursor over the first seam line, left click and drag the cursor to the end of the seam. Release the mouse. Repeat for each seam moving in a methodical manner around the plate. Start at the inner point of a seam and travel to the outer point. Release the mouse and move it to the next seam line. Left click at the outer end of the seam and move to the inner point. Applying the stitches in this manner will command the machine to stitch efficiently.

To apply stitches around the curved outer edge, select the run stitch icon. In the properties box, select Motif, number 178.

Apply the first point at the edge of the plate. Move to the center of the scalloped edge, hold the CTRL key while left clicking on the mouse to apply a curved point. Continue around the outer edge of the plate. When complete, right click to set the stitches. How easy was that?

My Quilt Embellisher opens a world of opportunities since many of us struggle to quilt our quilts. Control over the stitches allows us to turn our embroidery machines into longarms! You’ll be learning more about that in upcoming weeks and months as I’ve been working on a number of exciting new techniques to share with you. I really appreciate your patience as we grow our Inspired by DIME division. Our dealer network is growing every day so if you haven’t received notice from your dealer, please be patience, it’s coming to a dealer near you very soon!

Great Grandma’s Linens

May 14, 2014 by eileenroche / Guest Blog, Inspiration / 75 Comments

By Denise Holguin
Managing Editor

Where do you find inspiration? Oftentimes it’s right under my nose—or in this example, in my kitchen drawer!

This flour sack towel was hand stitched by my great grandmother. My mother gave it to me when I moved into my first home years ago. The simplicity and the cheerful colors make the towel charming!

While it’s hand stitching, there are similar designs you can machine embroider. Take a look at what I uncovered on the web.

Sunbonnet Sue Collection from Amazing Designs

ABC (#CK108) from Embroidery Online

Days of the Week Tea Time Birds (Vintage) from Embroidery Library

Little Fisherman Redwork from Bunnycup Embroidery

Need linens? Check out these resources:

Ultra Premium Flour Sack Towel from Embroider This!

100% Cotton Kitchen & Tea Towels from The Sewphisticated Stitcher

Here’s your assignment this week:
What vintage goodies from your grandmother, great-grandmother or other special family member do you have tucked away? It’s time to pull the linens out and use them as inspiration! For those feeling especially social, take a photo and post to our Facebook page! (No worries, everyone who just posts a comment on the blog has a chance to win!)One comment will be randomly selected and will win a $25 shopping spree to the Designs in Machine Embroidery website.

Designs in Machine Embroidery Shopping Spree

The winner of last week’s assignment answered the following question:
How would you use the Wild Side Alphabet? One random comment will be chosen to receive the Perfect Towel Kit. The Perfect Towel Kit will help you produce flawless monograms on towel sets every time!

The winner is: Lynn Harris! “Shades of brown on oatmeal aida cloth.”
Congratulations, Lynn!

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