Nancy Zieman – Eileen's Machine Embroidery Blog

Archive of ‘Nancy Zieman’ category

Sewing Friends are the Best Friends

April 12, 2017 by eileenroche / Blue Hair Girl, Current Posts, Eileen Roche, Nancy Zieman, Seminars and Conventions / 17 Comments

I’ve met so many wonderful women who share my passion for sewing and machine embroidery. Often, strong friendships develop because of this common bond. All it takes is a mutual love of creating with fabric and thread and everything else falls in place. Age, race, sex, politics, religion or geographical location don’t matter because the connection is through a love of fiber. If we’re really lucky, we learn about each other’s lives outside of sewing. For instance, my good friend, Nancy Zieman, danced at my wedding and I played bocce ball in her backyard! Great memories!

One of my favorite sewing friends

Sewing and embroidery are solitary endeavors so when you do meet someone who shares this passion, make the extra effort to find out more about them. Start with the common bond you already share. Does the encounter occur in class? Perfect, start the conversation there. Ask how long they’ve been coming there, what other classes have they taken, and would they recommend another class. People are always flattered when asked for their opinion or recommendation.

If you work in the industry, a new friend may just be an email or two away. In today’s digital world, many of us never meet, yet, we connect via email. We have deadlines to meet, criteria to fulfill and materials to send back and forth. We learn that we share the bond of creating. It’s happened to me and I’ve watched this happen to others. Take for instance, Denise Holguin and Joanne Banko; two talented ladies who met through their connection at Designs in Machine Embroidery, DIME. Through the years, they’ve learned and laughed together. Take a look for yourself, Joanne is the chief needle threader at her blog, Let’s Go Sew, and a regular contributor to DIME.

Joanne Banko on the set of It’s Sewing Easy TV show

Denise, Blue Hair Girl, is the managing editor here at DIME.

Click here to read Denise’s behind the scenes journey at DIME: http://www.letsgosew.com/joanne-bankos-blog

How about you, have you been blessed with sewing friends? How have they changed your sewing experience? Share your thoughts – we’d love to know how you’ve enhanced your life with sewing friends.

Quilt with an Embroidery Machine in 8 Easy Lessons

January 25, 2017 by eileenroche / Current Posts, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Techniques, Embroidery Tips, Nancy Zieman, Organization, Planning Embroidery, Quilting, Sewing tips, Thread, Wildcard Wednesday / 272 Comments

I’m excited to announce (and give away a copy to one lucky reader) my new book: Quilt with an Embroidery Machine in 8 Easy Lessons. This book has been the culmination of over 20 years of quilting with an embroidery machine. I’ve done everything from embroidered quilt tops to quilt as you as go to quilting king size quilts on an embroidery machine. I’ve learned an awful lot on this journey and I’m happy to share it with you on Sewing with Nancy. You can watch it online at http://wpt.org/SewingWithNancy/ or check your local TV listings to watch on PBS.

This book teaches you several different methods for quilting with an embroidery machine: quilting and appliqueing in one step; custom quilting and allover quilting. Quilting and appliqueing in one step is a patented process that I designed in 2008. Since then, I’ve created 16 Stipple Collections, and in this book you’ll find two projects that incorporate that revolutionary technique.

Custom quilting is no doubt the type of quilting that makes your jaw drop at quilt show competitions. The quilting is designed to specifically enhance and fill a shape (block), applique or area. To be honest, custom quilting is probably best achieved through expert free motion quilting. When custom quilting is done on an embroidery machine, you do not have the ‘freedom’ to move the needle as you do in free motion quilting so the results are not as ‘customized.’ However, custom quilting is how many of us want to finish our tops. I show you how to do it in the Patriotic Pillow and Diamond table runner.

Allover quilting is often the result you get when you ‘quilt by check’. Quilt by check mean you pay someone else to quilt your quilt. When you send your quilt to a longarmer, they select an allover pattern that complements your quilt top unless you have specifically requested (and agreed to pay for) custom quilting. There are two types of allover quilting: nesting and linking. You’ll learn the difference between the methods with two projects.

You’ll discover three different ways to handle the quilt during the stitching process: furniture you have on hand, the shortE and the Weightless Quilter. My goal for this book is to help you expand your embroidery skills into the world of quilting and get more out of your machine. I hope you find quilting with an embroidery machine as rewarding as I do.

Want to win a copy of Quilt with an Embroidery Machine in 8 Easy Lessons? Just leave a comment and tell me if have any quilt tops that need to be quilted. Do you have one, two, three or more? One lucky winner will be selected to win the book and the accompanying collection of 20 embroidery designs.

Want to order your copy now? This week you’ll find free shipping on all autographed copies of Quilt with an Embroidery Machine in 8 Easy Lessons. Click here to order.

Multi-Needle Monday: On the Set of Sewing with Nancy

January 25, 2016 by eileenroche / Current Posts, Marie Zinno, Multi-Needle, Nancy Zieman / 9 Comments

What an honor it was for me to tape two episodes of Sewing with Nancy last month in Madison Wisconsin. Sometimes I have to take a moment and think of all the places, experiences and amazing people have met through this hobby turned business of machine embroidery. One of the top moments was to be invited by Nancy Zieman to tape on her PBS show “Sewing with Nancy”.

The brainstorming and planning of what will be featured and taught on an episode can be stressful. As an educator I want to keep things simple and concise as much as possible. As a business owner, I want to showcase beautiful embroidery. I think in these two episodes we covered both of these points.

Once the design selection and products are finalized the real work begins. It starts with stitching out the embroidery designs to see how they will look on camera and how long each design takes to stitch out. I usually test my new embroidery designs on craft felt and keep a reference of each sample. Then I need to source my “blanks”. The blanks used are items I sell through my embroidery business but you need to provide multiple sets of each blank item for the various T.V. shots. So basically 3-4 samples are used for each product show on camera.

The real focus of the program was to teach the new book Hoop it Up and demonstrate the simplified hooping techniques for baby items, tote bags, slippers and a cosmetic case. We decided on a two part series: Baby items and Spa theme.

I arrived at the Madison WI airport in early December and proceeded to drive to the small quaint town of Beaver Dam, WI, home of Nancy’s Notions and Nancy Zieman Productions. Cheese Head Hats! You know you have arrived in Wisconsin when the Cheese Head hats are sold at the first airport convenience store.

Nancy has the most efficient and energetic staff who really help to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Although the guest does the actual sewing and step outs, the producers make sure the step outs make sense to the viewers. Can you make sense out of this mess?

After spending a day planning and stitching on two Babylock Destiny machines simultaneously I had all the step outs needed and ready for taping.

Nancy’s offices looks a lot like the set of her show (and her home too by the way). I love her cool greens and blue paint colors because they are my favorite colors too. As you can see by the way we dressed at our first taping.

The set is located at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI. The PBS station also tapes a number of different shows and apparently they are prepared if extra lighting is needed.

All joking aside, all of the hard work and planning really paid off. I think the samples turned out nicely and my techniques came across seamlessly (no pun intended). I hope you have a chance to watch the episodes. You can view them online here or check your local PBS listings for Sewing with Nancy-Hoop It Up series with Marie Zinno.

I hope you can join me in my Craftsy class “ How to Start a Machine Embroidery Business” Clink the link below for a special coupon.

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

Simple to Chic T-Shirt Remakes

January 13, 2016 by eileenroche / Current Posts, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Techniques, Embroidery Tips, Nancy Zieman, Wildcard Wednesday / 168 Comments

When you get the opportunity work with a friend, work doesn’t feel like work. My last big sewing adventure in 2015 was no exception. I had the pleasure of working with my good friend, Nancy Zieman, on our latest joint venture – Simple to Chic T-Shirt Remakes on Sewing with Nancy. What a fun way to end the year!

It all started last April at Nancy’s home in Wisconsin. During a social visit, we started brainstorming about a new project – an updated version of our popular Designer Necklines collection. A few sketches, a page or two of notes and we were off on a new journey. Of course, the process takes a couple of months and is all done by long distance (thanks to email and text messages!), but before you know it, we had the makings of a fun new technique – Simple to Chic T-Shirt Remakes.

And then of course, it was time to shop. We sampled tons of t-shirts to find the right ones for this technique. We wanted to make sure the technique would work on readily-available blanks so we designed around ladies’ shirts at Kohl’s, Target and WalMart. We figured just about everyone has access to one of those three retail stores. When I look back on the receipts, it looks like I was outfitting a softball team – I was buying t-shirts by the dozen!

But it was well worth it because this is my absolute favorite collection that I’ve ever designed. I love how wearable it is. When we photographed the samples at our studio here in Dallas, the stylists wanted to know where they could buy the embroidered shirts. I took that as a good sign. And Nancy and I had similar reactions when we presented the program on Wisconsin Public TV. Another good sign!

So what’s so different about this collection? It features classic designs that mimic ready-wear and a nifty finish that’s completed in the hoop for professional results. There are neckline, sleeve and side seam designs so you get a total package. You can watch the series on your local PBS station or online at WPBS. Just click here to view. http://wpt.org/SewingWithNancy/Video/simple-chic-t-shirt-remakes-part-one

And if you’d like to purchase the collection, just click here. http://www.shop.dzgns.com/collections/elieen-roche-nancy-zieman/products/simple-to-chic-t-shirt-remakes

Here’s your assignment this week:

Last week, Nancy asked her blog readers what t-shirt they liked best. How about if you do the same here so we can see if both sets of readers have similar taste? Just tell us what t-shirt is your favorite and we’ll pick a random comment to win a copy of Simple to Chic T-Shirt Remakes!

Will the person with the initials SFN please step forward?

July 29, 2015 by Denise Holguin / Current Posts, Guest Blog, Just for Fun, Monograms, Nancy Zieman, Wildcard Wednesday / 10 Comments

Will the person with the initials SFN please step forward? We have a free towel to give you!

Here’s an unusual problem you have probably never encountered: we end up with some unusual embroidered samples in our offices! No, we didn’t randomly pick SFN. This towel has an exciting history. It was used on the set of Sewing with Nancy!

I was tapped to demonstrate one of my favorite sewing tips in a brief 5-minute segment on Sewing with Nancy. I selected the initials because well, frankly, they’re beautiful! After all, how many ERs and NZs can one embroider? The filming went off without a hitch and now the towel sits in my sample room begging for a more elegant resting spot. And now that it’s served its purpose, we’d love to see it go to a better home. So if your name is:

Sarah Francesca Norris
Sally Florence Nicholas
Samuel Filipe Nunez
Steven Frank Nelson

Or any other wonderful name with the initials SFN, we want to hear from you! We will ship anywhere in the continental US. One random person with the correct initials will be selected as the lucky recipient of the towel. Now you might be asking, how will we verify if you have the right initials? This will be the honor system. Besides, how many of us want a towel with someone else’s initials hanging from our towel rack? Looks a bit suspicious to me! Although it’s not uncommon to collect and display vintage linens adorned with a variety of initials.

If it has been awhile since you’ve reviewed monogramming etiquette and you’re wondering about the proper order for initials—here’s a quick review.

If the embroidered initials are the same size, arrange them: first name initial, middle name initial, last name initial.

If the middle initial is larger, then it is the last name and should be placed in the center. first name initial, last name initial, middle name initial.

While these are the standard recommendations, you are welcome to exercise creative license! Just always be sure to make sure the initials don’t spell something unexpected that won’t be appreciated.

Here are some additional blog posts on Monograms:

Monograms for Men

Lowercase Monograms

Monograms for Today’s Marriages

Monogram of the Month – January 2015

January 21, 2015 by Denise Holguin / Guest Blog, Monograms, Nancy Zieman, Software Techniques / 48 Comments

Create a monogram for Nancy Zieman? The stress mounted as I thought about the assignment. I opened EmbroideryWorks™ software and started experimenting.

There’s a unique quality about Nancy Zieman’s initials that I hadn’t considered. Rotate the N and it becomes a Z. Rotate the Z and it’s an N.

I started out with the N and rotated it to create a Z.

Then I started playing with angles. I like the idea of being able to read NZ horizontally and vertically. When I think of Nancy, I think of her beautiful landscape quilts. I added some greenery to the design. This is a built-in design with the software!

When I consider Nancy’s qualities, I think of elegance. The addition of the dots reminds me of pearls and when stitched on pale pink linen it completes the look.

See the letters in a new perspective. Try rotating or mirror imaging the letters to see what happens. Consider the recipient. What embroidery font style suits their personality best? Are there additional design elements that can be added to enhance the design?

I was having so much fun with repetition and pattern, I decided to make a border with Nancy’s initials. I am rather pleased that you can still read her initials horizontally and vertically. The use of the triangles separates the letters and also directs the eyes.

Now you give it a try! Select some initials to work with, open your favorite embroidery software and have fun!

Here’s your assignment this week:

Experimenting with monograms can be fun and rewarding. Share with us one time a monogram you made didn’t turn out quite as planned. Maybe the set of linens to the newlyweds Adam and Stacy Smith wasn’t quite what you envisioned or perhaps your kitchen towels to Mom turned out with a real WOW factor. Whatever the case we’d love to hear about it. One random correct answer will be chosen and will receive a $100 gift certificate to use at the Sewphisticated Stitcher website. Good Luck!

The winner of last week’s assignment:

It’s a puzzle! How many squares are in the picture below? Leave a comment below with your answer. One random correct answer will be chosen and will receive a $25 gift certificate to the DIME website. Good Luck!

And the winner is…Sue Y. “40” Congratulations Sue – there are indeed 40 squares!

Today’s Crazy Quilting with Your Embroidery Machine

January 7, 2015 by eileenroche / Behind the Scenes, Blog Tour, Crazy Quilting, Eileen Roche, Nancy Zieman / 83 Comments

I never thought I’d write a book on crazy quilting but last spring I was inspired to explore the combination of piecing in the hoop and decorative stitches. It didn’t take much to leap into crazy quilting. After all, what’s not to love? It’s a time-honored technique coupled with today’s technology. Its ‘crazy’ moniker comes from the use of scraps and often includes whimsical embellishments. Crazy quilting has something for everyone. It appeals to quilters – the piecing part; embroiderers – the use of luscious designs in colorful threads; the thrifty – great way to use up scraps of all fiber types; and the splurger: new charms, buttons, ribbons and other tidbits are just waiting to be included in a crazy quilt block.

Technique-wise, the ‘crazier’ the block, the more tasks involved in completing the block. So in Today’s Crazy Quilting with Your Embroidery Machine you’ll find three levels of difficulty: Level 1 is piecing in the hoop with colorful fabrics; Level 2 includes the addition of accent designs to the patches and Level 3 is where the crazy kicks in with buttons, yarns, ribbons, charms and more. It’s hard to know when to stop once you reach Level 3.

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

If quilt blocks aren’t your thing, then you’ll enjoy three in-the-hoop projects: a wristlet, eyeglass case and small clutch. All small canvases to display your crazy stitches. The wristlet was just the right size project for teaching on TV with my dear friend Nancy Zieman.

We taped the Today’s Crazy Quilting series on Sewing with Nancy in September and it’s live now. You can watch online here if you don’t have it on your local channel.

When you watch, look for Nancy’s crazy quilt stitched by her great grandmother, Alice Lea Larson in 1920. Nancy shares her story of this wonderful family heirloom that has been lovingly restored by Nancy.

Although it’s a fun day with Nancy at Wisconsin Public Television, my favorite part of the week is the prep at her office the day before taping. That’s when we get all of our ducks in a row. Nancy is a visionary and literally ‘sees’ the taping once she understands the technique that we’re teaching. She works out the schedule and timing of the telecast while I work on the samples. Once we have a firm outline, all hands pitch in to finish the samples. And when 5:00 rolls around, everything is done and ready for tomorrow’s early wake-up call.

To document my visit to the studio, I had a staff member take some photographs with my camera. When I reviewed the images on the plane ride home, I realized I didn’t have one ‘serious’ shot. Oh no, I had images of smiling faces both on camera and behind the camera! The true spirit of crazy quilting.

Nancy and I cracking up on set.

Cassie Kienert on camera and Leslie Fitzsimmons in her true form.

It was well, crazy! Hope you enjoy the Sewing with Nancy series, Today’s Crazy Quilting with Your Embroidery Machine. You can watch here.

Don’t just take my word for it, read Nancy’s take on the series on her blog: http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog/machine-embroidery/todays-crazy-quilting-with-your-embroidery-machine/

Here’s your assignment this week:

Tell us your favorite stitch you use when crazy quilting. Once random comment will be chosen to get their very own autographed copy of Today’s Crazy Quilting with Your Embroidery Machine by Eileen Roche! Thanks for reading and good luck!

The winner of last week’s assignment:

If you had a day all to yourself to spend on a project, what would it be? Leave a comment and one lucky winner will receive an autographed copy of my latest book, Today’s Crazy Quilting with Your Embroidery Machine (to be released January 2, 2015).

And the winner is the Pam C. – “If I had an entire day to myself I would get lost in finding inspiration for my craft. I work full time and even though my kids are grown I still don’t get much alone time. So, to have a day to get lost in thought without any interruption would be a dream. Congratulations Pam!

Nancy Zieman’s Quick Column Quilts Blog Tour

September 10, 2014 by eileenroche / Crazy Quilting, Eileen Roche, Nancy Zieman, Piecing Techniques, Quilting / 57 Comments

I always say yes to Nancy Zieman because every time I do, I learn something. So when Nancy asked me to join the Quick Column Quilt blog tour, I jumped at the chance. But quilting, hmmm, I admit I paused for a second and then thought, oh what the heck, do it! Here are my top ten tips for getting the job done.

Select the quilt pattern. Thousands of quilt patterns exist so pare it down by going to a trusted source like anything designed by Nancy Zieman. Her Quick Column Quilts is a collection of very doable – and inspired – quilts. The Carefree Column Quilt jumped right at me and I’m glad it did – it was quick and easy.
Decide on fabrics. Use everything in your power to make the right fabric selection. Pay close attention to the quilt you’re duplicating making note of the light, medium and dark fabrics. Look at other quilts for pleasing combinations or go to your quilt shop and seek their advice. Audition as many fabrics as you want; photograph the combinations, edit your choices and finally select the winning combination. Once selected, stick with your fabric choices. Don’t sway off course; second guessing can be a huge time guzzler.
Get organized. Print or copy the instructions. As you complete each step, cross it off the how-to instructions. You’ll know right where to pick up after a break in sewing.
Label everything. Even if you think you know how all the pieces go together, label them anyway. Life gets in the way and distractions are inevitable.
Designate an area or box in your sewing room where you can store the materials for the duration of the quilt-making process.
Break apart the tasks into manageable time increments. Review the instructions and estimate how long each task will take: cutting, designing, piecing the columns, adding the sashing and so on. Make notations on the pattern to use as a guideline. These are just guestimates as problems do occur and tasks often take longer than we think they will – at least that’s my problem! But having an idea of the time involved will help you stay on the project because it’s easy to tackle simple steps once they are broken down.
Group similar tasks together. Cut all the fabrics in one session, piece as much as possible at one time and then move to the ironing board. I cut all the fabrics and stacked then according to size with a label on top of the stack.
Document the process. Once the fabrics were cut, I followed Nancy’s instructions for arranging the blocks on the design wall. I took several photos of the designing progress as I auditioned the fabric pieces. I reviewed the different versions on my computer and decided on my favorite. After rearranging the fabrics according to the photo, I labeled the top piece of each column. I used the photo as a reference guide when a block or two floated out of position.
Focus during piecing. To piece a column, I removed the pieces one at a time, starting at the bottom of the column and placing the next block on top of the stack. Once I moved to the machine, I methodically pieced that row, from the top down and then pressed the seams. Once the pieced column was returned to the design wall, I progressed to the second column.
Enjoy it! Racing through the quilt making process takes all the joy out of it. Savor the fabrics as you handle them, strive for perfect ¼” seams and concentrate on how you’ll use the quilt or who will receive it. Name your quilt – after all, it’s your baby now! My quilt goes by the name of Sun Kissed.

You’ll notice my quilt isn’t quilted just yet. Oh but it will be! I have the most ingenious plan and tool for quilting Sunkissed on my embroidery machine. You’ll learn more in a future post. And be sure to visit Nancy’s blog where she will be giving away 15 grand prizes!

Blog tour stops – check out all the stops on the Quick Quilts blog tour!

09/04/14 Nancy Zieman

09/05/14 Quilt Taffy and Simple Simon & Co.

09/06/14 Diary of a Quilter and Stitchin Jenny

09/07/14 A Woman a Day and Craizee Corner

09/08/14 Jina Barney Designz, Lilac Lane Patterns, and Totally Stitchin’

09/09/14 Esch House Quilts and The Cottage Mama

09/10/14 Designs in Machine Embroidery and Pat Sloan

09/12/14 Happy Valley Primitives, Doohikey Designs, and Quilt in a Day

09/13/14 Quilt Dad and Just Arting Around

09/14/14 Lazy Girl Designs and Marie-Madeline Studio

09/15/14 Always Expect Moore and Polka Dot Chair

09/16/14 Amy Lou Who Sews and Riley Blake Designs

09/17/14 Indygo Junction and Amy’s Creative Side

Here’s your assignment this week:

Visit any or all of the stops on the blog tour listed above. Comment below about your favorite quilt or technique you saw on the tour. One comment will be selected to receive a copy of Nancy’s book Quick Column Quilts – good luck!

The winner of last week assignment:

After you’ve taken advantage of the great deal from EmbroideryArts.com leave a comment below about the three most used items in your sewing room. One blog reader will be selected to receive a $25 gift certificate for use on the DiME website. Thanks and good luck!

And the winner is Pamela B. – “Sewing machine, serger, iron, and tool box (it is full of essentials)”

A New Bag – Finale

July 30, 2014 by eileenroche / Embroidery Techniques, Nancy Zieman, Wearables / 97 Comments

Here’s the windup on my new bag. After embroidering the corner accents and grommet designs on both bag outer panels, I followed the instructions in Handbags 2, Designer Knockoffs for stitching the grommets on the lining. Now it was time to construct the bag. I used a centering ruler to find the center of the bag front. The long legs of the target ruler hit the grommets at the same measurement so the hole in the center designates the center of the bag. I slid my decorative trim under the ruler and pinned it in place then edgestitched the trim to secure it to the bag.

I burrowed into my stash of bag-making supplies to find the Clover Shape ‘n Create Bag & Tote Stabilizer. I found a packet and low and behold, it was mere scraps! Ugh!

But hey, since I can sew this piece to the bottom of the bag, I can probably sew the strips together to make a larger piece. That’s exactly what I did. I placed two strips under the needle, side by side and zigzagged over the joint.

Then I repeated that for the third strip. Worked like a charm! I wouldn’t recommend this for a laptop bag but for an everyday bag, it works fine.

I sewed the bottom seam, right sides together and taped the Shape ‘n Create in place. Then I sewed the stabilizer to the bag bottom and added the feet.

Designer Knockoffs shares some secrets for successful pressing because pressing during bag construction is crucial for a professional finish. I recently purchased Dritz Thermal Thimbles (heat resistant finger protectors) and loved using them for this task. It seems I’m always burning my fingertips while pressing the narrow ¼” seams open but not anymore! Love those Thermal Thimbles.

With the sideseams sewn, I slipped the lining into the bag and even tucked my phone into the pocket for one last fit check.

Next step is the grommets. If you read Designer Knockoffs, you’ll notice it calls for headliner interfacing not heavy craft interfacing. The grommets will not adhere to the heavy interfacing like they do headliner. Make sure you use the proper materials. Here’s a tip for inserting the grommets. Use a kitchen cutting board to insert the grommets. Place the prong side of the grommet on a flat surface. Center the hole (on the bag) over the grommet. Place the matching side of the grommet over the hole, connecting the two grommets. Place the kitchen cutting board over the grommets and push down on the board with the palm of your hand. You’ll hear a snap as the board forces the two sections of the grommet together evenly. Give it a try; you’ll be surprised how easy it to force the two sections together.

I followed Nancy’s instructions for adding a zipper then bound the upper edge and voila! That was fun – I love making bags!

Here’s your assignment this week:It’s an easy one! Just CLICK HERE and Like our Facebook page then leave the comment “Like” below. TWO winners will be chosen to get a copy of Handbags 2 Designer Knockoffs.

The winner of last week’s assignment:Leave a comment below about what size bag you prefer. Small, medium, large or jumbo-jet size? One comment will be chosen to receive a copy of Handbags 2 Designer Knockoffs by Eileen Roche and Nancy Zieman.

And the winner is… Vicki B. – “Medium – I’m like you – I overload if it’s too big, and it has to have two straps that fit over my shoulder comfortably.”

A New Bag

July 23, 2014 by eileenroche / Applique, Just for Fun, Nancy Zieman, Planning Embroidery, Wearables / 181 Comments

Nothing puts a little kick in your step quite like a new handbag – especially when you make it yourself. Once or twice a year, I like to dip into my fabric stash and see what I can use to create a new bag. I gather some materials I’ve been hoarding, I mean saving, and see if they would work together.

I knew I wanted to make another grommet bag from Handbags 2 Designer Knockoffs. I really like the grommets but I also like ready-made straps. It seems the best ones, (right length, width and material -microfiber) come with a ring attached at the end.

The ring doesn’t work with the grommets but I wasn’t going to let the closed ring stop me, I have a seam ripper! So I released the stitches from each end and unbraided the strap. It left me with two slits on each end. Hmmm…I placed them on my cutting table for a few days in the hope a good idea would pop into my head.

Once my materials are gathered, I take my time and work on the bag over several days (ok, maybe weeks!). This gives me time to think the process through, make some subtle design changes, overcome any challenges and enjoy the whole process.

I start by measuring the bag I’m currently favoring and decide if I want to duplicate that size or make adjustments. I’ve learned through the years, the larger my bag, the more stuff I pack in there. So reducing the space is a good idea for me, less clutter, less bulk, less weight. I decided my new bag would be a bit shorter than my current favorite. Then I cut and interface my outer fabric.

Next, I prepare my four corner appliques by hooping just the faux suede and stitching the Corner App design from Handbags 2 Designer Knockoffs. Then I stash my pre-cut applique pieces in a plastic baggie to keep them safe. While I was stitching the appliques, I turned my attention to the straps.

I was concerned about trimming the straps above the slits as this would make the straps too short. So, I decided to just stitch them closed.

It looked so pretty that I stitched from end to end to make it a decorative detail. I used the triple zigzag stitch on my BERNINA 830. It’s normally a functional stitch but looks great on this strap!

On Monday, I’ll show you some speed techniques for embroidering the corners and grommets.

Here’s your assignment this week: Leave a comment below about what size bag you prefer. Small, medium, large or jumbo-jet size? One comment will be chosen to receive a copy of Handbags 2 Designer Knockoffs by Eileen Roche and Nancy Zieman.

The winner of last week’s assignment :Sewing Spoolie invites you to win a Slimline box of fabulous thread along with the pre-digitized designs to make all seven of the Spoolies in Sulky’s Collection #1. These popular sewing-themed designs, from the imagination of Joyce Drexler, are as fun as they are creative. And if you’ve ever tried to keep your stabilizers organized, you’re going to love Sue Hausmann’s bonus project included with the package. The whole package is a retail value of nearly $150 including 22 – 250 yd. spools of Sulky 40 wt. Rayon Thread, a 475 yd. spool of Bobbin Thread, and a CD with the seven Spoolie designs and bonus project. If you win, it’s all yours from Sulky. Now, go Express Yourself! Leave a comment below on where you would embroider a Spoolie to be entered!

And the winner is… Karen P – “Oh my gosh!! These are so cute!!! I would stitch them onto a bunch of tote bags that I have that I use for various different things, one is my Quilt Guild bag, one is my Crochet project bag, another has hand embroidery squares that I bring with me while waiting at various appointments, and so on. Plus, how could I resist putting a few of them on a sweatshirt or two!!! Ohhh I hope I won this one!!”

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