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More Denim Inspiration

by / Current Posts, Digitizing, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Techniques, Inspiration Software, Perfect Embroidery Pro, Software Techniques, Uncategorized, Vintage Embroidery Software / 1 Comment

Last week, we started with this flower in Inspirations’ Perfect Embroidery Pro (with Vintage Embroidery Software installed on the computer):

and ended up with this flower:

You can follow those steps by clicking here. Now, let’s take it a step further. Remove the complex fill (blue) and the center embellishment (red).

Resize the flower to 2.13” x 2.07” and move it to the top right corner.

Now that the flower is smaller, you might want to narrow the oval shapes a bit. Just click on each side center point and move the node in towards the center.  Copy and paste all elements.  Move the second flower below the first. 

Remove the two bottom petals and ovals (they are all separate elements).

Select the Shape tool, zoom in and click on the left petal extending below the square.

Move the stop point to a node just above the square outline.

Delete all nodes below the outline. Repeat for the right petal.

Change the colors of the second flower.

Copy, paste and rotate the third flower. Move it to the open space on the left.

Recolor and resequence all elements so that the 15 wt. elements stitch as one color and the 40 wt. ovals stitch as one.

Of course, you can add color stops to stitch three uniquely-colored flowers.

What a fun trio of flower patches!  

In a few months you’ll see what I decided to do with the patches in a future issue of Designs in Machine Embroidery magazine.  I know there is bleach, bling and a bit more of embellishment in their future. But I’d love to hear what you would do them. Please share!

Denim Inspiration

by / Current Posts, Digitizing, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Techniques, Inspiration Software, Perfect Embroidery Pro, Uncategorized, Vintage Embroidery Software / 7 Comments

A few weeks ago, I posted several photos of embroidered denim that I spotted in a department store.  You can read that post here.  I mentioned my favorite technique of the several options I showed was this one:

I love that embroidered patch. I found a similar design, Flo_0019Flower_D, in Inspirations Vintage Embroidery software. 

Once I started playing with the idea, I spotted another flower, Flo_0085_Buttercup_D in Vintage Embroidery Software that struck my fancy.

I stitched the flower on a scrap of denim with the intention of making a patch.

I couldn’t resist playing with it a bit more in Perfect Embroidery Pro.  Follow these steps if you want to play along. First, trace around the flower petals and add a complex fill. Apply a stitch length of 3.5 and the same number in the density setting to stitch this color with Inspiration’s 15 wt. Vintage Rope Thread.

Next, use the artwork tool to draw an oval inside of each petal.  Just draw one, then copy and paste each one into position.

Draw a square around the flower and apply a long bean stitch: 3.0.  Reorder the sequence with the complex fill in color 1 (15 wt. Rope), satin outline in color 2 (15 wt. Rope), oval shapes in color 3 (40 wt. thread), flower center in color 4 (15 wt. Rope) and finally the square outline in 15 wt. thread.

Next weekend, I’ll walk you through the third version of Flo_0085_Buttercup_D.

Turn Your Embroidery Machine Into a Longarm

by / Continuous Embroidery, Current Posts, Eileen Roche, Nancy Zieman, Quilting, Seminars and Conventions, shortE, Software Saturday, Uncategorized, Weightless Quilter / 22 Comments

If you want to successfully quilt with your machine, you have to learn the secrets to controlling the process.  In my class, Turn Your Embroidery Machine Into a Longarm at Wisconsin Quilt Expo Sept. 7-9, you’ll learn why handling your quilt like this is a recipe for disaster:

I’ll also share why having two versions of a continuous design, not just mirror-imaged, makes connecting designs a breeze.

And what to do when you have a thread break in the middle of a design.

Most of all, I’ll show you how to get your embroidery machine to do what you want it to do!

I hope you’ll join me in Turn Your Embroidery Machine into a Longarm, at 1:00 every day at the Wisconsin Quilt Expo, Madison, WI, Sept.7-9.

I’m really looking forward to this quilt show because I’ve been spending too much time in my office and studio!  It’ll be great to meet and chat with other embroiderers/quilters/sewists. Hope to see you there!

If you purchase your tickets online before the big event, you’ll save $2.00 per lecture.  Hurry – seats are going…

Wisconsin Quilt Expo 2017

by / Current Posts, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Techniques, Quilting, Seminars and Conventions, Uncategorized, Weightless Quilter / 8 Comments

 

In just a few short weeks, I’m heading to my favorite quilt show – Wisconsin Quilt Expo, in Madison, Wisconsin, Sept 7-9, 2017.  Why is WQE my favorite quilt show?  Well, first off, it was created by my dear friend, Nancy Zieman, so I know every detail has been covered.  Second, it’s in Wisconsin in early September.  Wisconsin literally sparkles in late summer.  Third, the food – oh my.  They don’t call it America’s Dairy Land for nothing!  Fourth – the people. I’ve never met a population that pitches in with such gusto and a smile.  If you don’t know what I mean, consider this: Green Bay Packer fans VOLUNTEER to shovel out the stadium on a snowy game day. In fact, they stand in line to do so!  Oh, I love Wisconsin.

I am honored to teach one of my favorite topics, Turn Your Embroidery Machine into a Longarm, at 1:00 every day. Tickets are on sale now and from what I hear – going fast!

I can’t wait to meet with fellow quilters especially those who want to get more out of their embroidery machines and finish those quilt tops they so lovingly created. I want to show them that it is possible to quilt an entire quilt – even a queen or king – on an embroidery machine. I’ve been doing this for years and along the way, I’ve made every mistake.  Now, I can confidently finish my quilts.  In my class, you’ll learn how to select designs for specific areas of the quilt, precisely place designs and handle all that bulk. To purchase a ticket to Turn Your Embroidery Machine into a Longarm, just click here.

We’ll discuss continuous line designs.

Custom designs (that fit perfectly into specific spaces.

And we’ll take a look at nesting designs.

I’ll share my secrets for perfect placement of all three types of quilting designs. To see what else is in store at Wisconsin Quilt Expo, visit https://wiquiltexpo.com/

Any chance I’ll see you there?  I hope so!

 

Embroidery is Not Just for Hemlines

by / Current Posts, Digitizing, Eileen Roche, Inspiration Software, Uncategorized, Vintage Embroidery Software, Wearables / 5 Comments

I was browsing in a department store this weekend and like normal, I was drawn to anything embroidered. Much to my delight, I saw so many embroidered t-shirts, sweaters and jeans. In the past, embroidery always seem to land at the hem. I’m sure you’ve had your fill of floral hemline borders!  Well, finally, the stitches have jumped out of the border.  I grabbed a couple of photos to share with you so you could see what I mean.

Some were embellished along the outside seam.

One just below the front pocket.

The brown denim was adorned above and below the knee.

While the mannequin sported a beautiful embroidered floral spray at the knee.  So wearable, wouldn’t that be flattering?

 

But I think my favorite technique was this one:

I love that embroidered patch. I know I can get a similar look with design Flo_0019Flower_D from Inspirations Vintage Embroidery software. 

It would be so easy to do. Start with a piece of denim scrap about 5” square.  Then, embroider the design on the square.  Next, trim the patch down so that the flower flows right to the edge.  Turn the edges, topstitch and apply to the jeans.  What a fast update to wardrobe staple!   Oh the possibilities are endless once you move away from the hemline!

 

Take These 5 Time-saving steps Before You Embroider

by / Current Posts, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Tips, Sewing Studio Tips, Uncategorized / 9 Comments

Embrace these five tips to save as much time as possible in your embroidery studio. These tips have saved me countless hours, I hope you find them helpful.

  1. Stock up on supplies. Nothing slows you down more than running out of the right materials for the project. Always have a variety of stabilizers and threads on hand. Take advantage of store sales and buy in bulk if necessary.blphoto1
  2. Pre-cut stabilizers to fit your most popular hoops. You’ll have a stack to go to whenever you’re ready to hoop.
  3. Consider purchasing extra hoops in your favorite sizes. This way you can prepare the next hooping while the first one is stitching. My number one go-to hoop is the 5” x 7”. I have four of them and I still believe they were worth the investment.
  4. Plan your project by using embroidery templates and target stickers. Mark the placement of the embroidery on the item with the target stickers. When you’re interrupted during the embroidery process (and who isn’t?) you’ll know where you left off.
  5. Test your designs! Stitch a sample using the same fabric/stabilizer/design/thread combination. Make adjustments to the variables before tackling the final project. Keep a towel, knit t-shirt, or cotton blouse on hand to test different designs. For specialty items, shop at thrift stores to find similar-fabrics. blphoto

Of course, once the towel or t-shirt is covered with designs, it’s time to start a new one. Starting a new one never seems to a problem for me, I save mistakes for that chore. Unfortunately, I have plenty of inventory!

 

 

70 Free Training Lessons!

by / Current Posts, Digitizing, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Techniques, Embroidery Tips, Inspiration Software, Perfect Embroidery Pro, Software Saturday, Software Techniques, Uncategorized, Webinar / 4 Comments

Really? 70 free training lessons on software?  Yep – it’s all on the Inspired by DIME YouTube channel.  You can learn about Inspirations software programs in the comfort of your home, in your pajamas, in the middle of the day or in the middle of the night.  And they’re free. Each video is about 60 minutes so that’s 4,200 minutes of education!   

Every month, our resident software wizard Katherine Artines uploads a new video that’s chockful of information and often includes a project (or two or three) for you to create in your software.  For instance, in this month’s video, PEP Text Trails Project, she explores text on a path, spiral text and circle text.  

 

You’ll learn how to go from this:

To this:

She includes references to other videos that delve deeper into specific subjects.  In this month’s video,  she included this call out:

That’s so helpful when you’re trying to understand the difference between backdrops and artwork.  She also includes keyboard shortcuts (my preference when digitizing) such as this:

If you’re serious about machine embroidery – and you must be or you wouldn’t be reading Software Saturday! – then you are probably contemplating purchasing software or you already have.  I want to encourage you to use it and not to be afraid of your software – it’s such a fantastic tool and help is just a click away!  Use it to learn it. Watch instructional videos to master it.  You’ll be so glad you did.  Click here to view the Inspired by DIME YouTube channel.  Subscribe today to receive notification when a new video is posted. You’re going to love learning with Katherine Artines.

 

 

 

 

Text Editing Tips

by / Current Posts, Digitizing, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Tips, Inspiration Software, Perfect Embroidery Pro, Software Saturday, Software Techniques, Uncategorized / 1 Comment

Often, new users in Inspirations Perfect Embroidery Pro struggle with making simple changes in text files.  It’s really quite easy so follow along in your software to get a better understanding of text editing.

Open a new page in Inspirations’ Perfect Embroidery Pro. Click on the Text icon. The cursor changes to an A and the Properties Box opens. Select your font. I’ve chose Arial Small. Type a fictional recipe into the Properties Box, then click Apply. 

With the Text tool still selected, change the justification to Left Alignment.  Click Apply. Notice all of the editing features available on the text itself. You can move individual letters, whole words and lines. 

When the Select Tool is used, your options diminish. You can size the design (the software sees it as a design and not text when the Select Tool is used), rotate, mirror image, duplicate, etc. But you do not have the freedom to edit the individual letters. 

Click on the Text tool again, and all of your text editing options appear. I’ve readjusted the kerning on the word chips.

When I click on the Select tool again, my changes are there.

Save the design now in C2S – the native format of Perfect Embroidery.  Change the color of the thread to green and save it as Chips.pes. Close both designs.

Open Chips.pes. The design is no longer recognized by the software as text – it’s just an ordinary design. When you click on a letter, the sequence field now shows all of the individual elements of the design – runs and satins. Ugh – that’s very challenging to edit.  

Not to worry, you have the original file. Open it and you’ll find the software recognizes it as text and all of your editing abilities are right at your finger tips! 

For instance, you can increase the 5 cups to 6 cups if you’d like. 

This is a great example of why it’s so important to save the original file in C2S and a working copy in your machine format.  Make your changes to the original and you’ll always have the ability to edit.

 

 

Tropical Summer Stitching

by / Alignment and Placement, Clothing, Continuous Embroidery, Current Posts, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Techniques, Inspiration Software, Perfect Embroidery Pro, Software Saturday, Software Techniques, Uncategorized, Vintage Embroidery Software / 8 Comments

The May/June issue of Designs in machine Embroidery featured one of my favorite new projects: Hints of Havana. This project could have easily been called Hints of Hawaii summer Splash, Tropical Flavors or well, you get the idea. You’ll find this look in the women’s department of any retail store this summer. If you missed the issue, here’s how to do it in Inspirations’ Vintage Embroidery Software.

Open a new file in Vintage Embroidery.  Click on the Designs Library icon and retrieve the following designs: ABS_0090_D, ABS_0093_D, FLO_0028_Flower, FLO_98_LilyD and FLO_0097_Flower.

Place Abs_0090 in the center.  Place ABS_0093 below it.  Flip 0093 vertically.  Ungroup 0093 and remove the leaf at the top right. 

And the top left. 

Add FLO_0028 at the top right. Copy, Paste and flip it horizontally. Move the second repeat to the left of the center designs. Use the alignment tools to position the designs symmetrically. 

Merge FLO_0097 into the screen. 

Delete the running stitch outline around the flowers.  Carefully group each individual flower.  One by one, select each flower and position it around the four larger motifs.   The fastest way to do this is to position all the flowers on the right side then copy, paste and mirror image.  Move the second set to the left of the larger motifs.  The Group and Ungroup tool is helpful here. Use it when moving all sections and you won’t leave any stray stitches behind.

Merge  FLO_0098_Lily_d into the design. 

Move the lily design to a clean area and delete the first two colors.  Select the remaining portion and mirror image it vertically. 

Center it under the newly-created design.

Save the designs as PB. The PB design measures 230mm x 240mm.  Since I don’t have a hoop that wide, I’ll split the design in Perfect Embroidery Pro.

Open PB in Inspirations’ Perfect Embroidery Pro. Select the design and click on the Split Design icon. 

The Split window appears.  Select your hoop from the drop down Hoop menu. 

Place the cursor in the 1:1 and 2:1 segments to toggle back and forth until you have a split that you are comfortable with.  

Click Save and the software will split and save the design into two files.  Both files include a long basting line.  Use this line to align the two hoopings.  

I’ll use my PAL 2 (Perfect Alignment Laser) to align the second hooping with the first. Love that tool – it’s makes aligning designs a breeze!

Tropical Stitching

by / Current Posts, Eileen Roche, Embroidery Techniques, Hooping, Inspiration Socials, Inspiration Software, Seminars and Conventions, Uncategorized / 4 Comments

It’s always been a dream of mine to have an ocean view out my studio window. 

Since I live in Texas, this is definitely not what I see out my window and it’s not likely to change any time soon. What would be the next best thing?  How about an embroidery class in a store that’s just steps from the Pacific Ocean?  Wouldn’t that be lovely?  Oh I how wish I was teaching (or taking) one!  But since I’m not available in July for Discount Fabrics Warehouse multi-island event, I’m sending Ashley Jones, one of our embroidery specialists to teach embroidery techniques.  Ashley has received over 300 hours of DIME training so she’s a whiz at our placement, hooping and stabilizing methods.  And she has a solution for almost every problem an embroiderer will encounter.

She’ll be showing Hawaiian embroiderers how to stitch a hat on a home machine plus she’ll share her secrets for flawless continuous embroidery. 

She’ll even insert a little zen into the activities with exploring color therapy designs.  Best of all, she’s bringing all of DIME’s tools for everyone to play with during class. So if you’re in Hawaii and have never seen or used DIME’s magnetic hoops, aligning lasers and rulers, then you’re in for a treat.  Not only will you learn everything Ashley has to offer but you’ll enjoy a “try before you buy experience.”

If you like to decorate tote bags, pillows or quilt blocks, Ashley’s secrets to speedy stitching with professional results will wow you.  

Want to expand your stash of embroidery designs? She’ll show you how. 

Think embroidery is too ‘dense or stiff for t-shirts? Think again. You’ll see fabric-friendly designs that are extremely comfortable to wear.

Plan on spending an afternoon with Ashley so that you can bring your embroidery skills up to a professional level. The Vintage Chic event will help you get the most of your machine. And isn’t that what we all want to do? Use our machine for all their worth and stop struggling with hooping, placement and stabilizing.  Click here to see what island event fits into your schedule! https://www.inspiredbydime.com/inspiration-socials/

This week’s winner is JUDY GRACZYK!  Her comment: Oh, yes, misspelling, upside down, you name it. My stitch ripper and erasers are my friends! was selected to win a copy of Hoop It Up, the Stitching Sisters’ Guide to Hooping. Enjoy Judy!

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