Merry Christmas

Every year (at this time) I make a plan to finish my Christmas gift sewing early for the next year. Well here we are again, a couple of days away from Christmas, and I am still sewing at the last minute. Oh well, maybe next year. I hope all your baking and gift sewing and shopping is complete.

Have a safe and very Merry Christmas.

Heirloom Fabric

The January embroidery club project and designs are up and ready for download, click here to get to the download page. The heirloom stitching on this lovely sachet is completed right in the hoop. It includes several delicate heirloom techniques, such as cutwork, lace insertion, candlewicking and hemstitching.

There are two different patterns – I know, they look similar. But, one has lace insertion down the center and the other has faggoting down the center. I was toying with the idea of stitching several repeats of the designs to make a whole strip of heirloom fabric; you know for a pillow or a camisole or something like that. Well needless to say I didn’t get to it. Too many other ideas to work on. If anybody is inspired and makes some, please send me a picture.

Christmas Gift Ideas

Every Christmas I try to make some small item for friends and family – mostly for my nieces. Last year I was quite ambitious, I made cosmetic bags/pencil cases for my little nieces. You’ll notice the embroidery design is from July’s Embroidery club project the Jewelry Roll.

Plus, garment dust covers for my older nieces and my sister. They are monogrammed – a big hit.

Plus a pretty wallet and tissue holder for my sister. I used the cotton print for the wallet lining and the tissue holder top; and the linen solid for the outer wallet and tissue holder back.


Actually the wallet and tissue holder were for my sister’s birthday, but it is so close to Christmas that I consider it part of the Christmas sewing projects. These are all such quick and easy projects that you can literally make them at the last minute. Now, what to make this year, hmmmmmm.

Countdown to Christmas – Stockings for the Kiddies

My little great niece and nephew will love their new Christmas stockings. My niece Erica asked me to embroider a princess on Alexa’s stocking and trucks on Christopher’s stocking. There is definitely a theme here.
 
I wonder if Alexa will notice that the princess is really a ballet dancer? Hmmm.

Wondering about the embroidery designs? Here’s the scoop; the trucks and the ballet dancer will be used on an embroidery club project later on in 2010. Sorry can’t be more specific than that. I still have not worked out the last three or four projects for this embroidery club year and of course there is a whole new year coming up.

A princess dress for my little princess

Actually she is my little great nice, Alexa. She has a “princess” themed birthday party to go to this weekend. And of course I had to make her the perfect princess dress. I started with this fun pattern from Simplicity.
The dresses are all pretty, but a bit too much. So, I combined views C and D to get the final look, a more streamlined dress. The pattern instructions were a bit confusing, especially because I was taking a bit here and a bit there. And of course I serged the tulle strips together, instead of sewing them, like the pattern instructed. Nothing like a fine rolled edge to finish tulle.
I think it turned out pretty nice. I was hoping that Alexa would model it for me so that I can take a few snapshots. But she wasn’t in the mood. I’ll try to sneak a couple when she puts it on for the birthday party.
 
A pretty bow in the back.

Downloadable Instructions for Snowflake Ornament

I’ve had a couple of requests for printer friendly or downloadable instructions for the Snowflake Ornament. I am not sure about the printer friendly business, but you can click here to download the instructions. Have fun.

An early Christmas freebie

Appliqué Snowflake Ornament with Crystals
Since I am feeling particularly generous this season, I decided to put up this pretty holiday ornament. Not only are the instructions free, but so is the embroidery design. It’s really quick and easy to make, and it’s made almost entirely in the hoop. I added the crystals for a holiday sparkle. The snowflake takes about half an hour to make, so you can easily make lots! If it looks familiar?? I did have it on the Embroidery club download page a couple of years ago, but not sure if anyone noticed it. Anyways, have fun!
Here’ what you need:
Snowflake Ornament Design 502sbd_01
9" square brown felt
5" square white cotton
8" length of 1/2" wide ribbon
10" square tear away stabilizer
40wt rayon thread in desired color
Embroidery bobbin thread
Temporary adhesive spray
Lorna Hot Fix wand
Swarovski hot fix crystals in desired colors and sizes
Embroidery Directions
1.
Setup your sewing machine for embroidery, following
manufacturer's directions. Thread on top with the rayon and the embroidery bobbin thread in the bobbin. Select embroidery design 502sbd_01.
2.
Hoop fabric and stabilizer. Put hoop into position onto your embroidery sewing machine. Stitch out the first color stop. This stitches placement for the appliqué.

3.
Spray temporary adhesive (such as 505 spray) onto the back of the cotton square and adhere into place over the mark out in the hoop. Stitch out the next color. This outlines the shape of the snowflake and keeps the appliqué fabric in place.

4.
Remove the hoop from your embroidery sewing machine, but do not remove the fabric from the hoop. Trim the appliqué fabric close to the stitching. Put hoop back into position onto your embroidery sewing machine and complete stitching the design.

5.
Remove fabric from hoop. Trim felt close to the satin stitching. Fold the ribbon in half to form a loop and stitch the ends to the back.
6.
Affix the Swarovski hot fix crystals as desired onto the ornament.

This Messenger Rocks

The December embroidery club project and designs are up and ready for download, click here to get to the download page. The idea for this slim messenger bag came to me last winter. While my husband and I were travelling to our fave sun spot in Mexico, it occurred to me that a messenger bag would be sooo much easier to travel with, than my bulky tote. And so this lovely appliquéd bag was born. Notice I used a print for the appliqué, how fun is that? Because the appliqué shape is quite simple, the print fabric makes it really pop. Oh, and I used the same print on the inside of the bag.

Look, it includes a zippered pocket, plus a credit card pocket to keep all your stuff completely organized. And those of you who know me, know that I have a bit of an obsessive compulsive disorder. Anyhoo, love this bag. Have been using it since I made it. Only thing I missed on my sample is extra stabilizer underneath the magnetic snap. Don’t know what I mean? Don’t worry, here is an easy “how to”.

The other thing I love about this bag is the way the base is done. No, stop, I’ve said too much, don’t want to spoil the sewing surprise. Have fun making it.

More White Poinsettias

Oooooh, all white from Brampton Sew N Serge. Love the jingle bells on the ties! Thanks John.

Gift Decorating

The November embroidery club project and designs are up and ready for download, click here to get to the download page.
I know, Halloween isn't even over and I am giving you Christmas projects. In my defense, Christmas will be here before you know it. I am simply giving you a head start. Actually, these projects are more for decorating the gifts rather than the actual gifts. Wrapping and decorating gifts is my favorite part of gift giving. Even with a practical gift, the wrapping can be as impractical as you like. This month’s projects are a Wine Bottle Gift Bag and a Poinsettia Ornament. They are both made from felt, so you know they are going to be easy to embroider and to sew.
 
For the project instructions I made the Poinsettia Ornament in Christmas red and green. But, I have this idea of making a whole bunch of these in white for my Christmas tree.
Here is the first one. I love it, it’s beautiful. What do you think?? I also used 7 tiny jingle bells instead of the three larger ones. I like both options, the larger ones make more of a sound. I know my great nephew is going love the jingle sound.

New Flickr Group

I’ve been getting some project photos from John Stam at Brampton Sew N Serge and Patricia from Life’s a Stitch in Sault Ste. Marie, so I though it would be great to have a place where we can share project photos. That’s where Flickr comes in. I’ve created a new Flickr group for Sew Creative Embroidery Club Project pictures. Please have a look. I don’t have too many photos up yet, but you can help. You can actually upload photos yourself, post topics for discussion, etc.

I hope that you decide to participate.

Tea for Two

The October Embroidery Club project and designs are up and ready, click here for download. I liked this project idea from the start. It’s pretty, practical and easy to make. Three very important qualities in a good project. Plus the wallet and cover make a great gift idea. With Christmas not too far away, this is very important. Add some specialty teas and a pretty cup and you have a gift truly worth giving.

More Casserole Carrier stuff

John Stam at Brampton Sew N Serge sent along a couple of pictures of the casserole carrier that he did for his class.



Very nicely done John! He says in his email:

“Hi Snez, had great fun making the carrier, was easy to plan and assemble thank you for all your work.

… I made one using the serger for serger bias. I used 30wt Sulky blendables didn't have the 12wt, would have been better result I think. Thanks again John”



I think it turned out pretty darn good.

Some Nice Words

Patricia, my proof reader from Sault Ste Marie, had a chance to work on the casserole carrier before I made it live. She has some comments and tips:

I must say that I was not looking forward to putting the binding on this project but so far it has gone on without a hitch.  I just have the outside binding to apply and will do that tomorrow.  I used my adjustable bias binder to attach the binding to the handles and since I wanted to make my own binding and wasn't sure of what width would work I went back to the Jewelry Roll project and found what I needed but did not use the fusible web.  I did not try the edge joining foot to sew down the second side of the binding but used my left edge topstitch foot instead and it worked great.  I really like the way the casing is "magically" made and instead of a string or ribbon I may use my smallest bias tape maker to make a narrow tie.  Will have to see if it will fit in the casing.  Great project and easy to do and should be easy to present  to a class.
Thanks,
Patricia



Dianne from Knit-N-Stitch from New Minas, NS just joined, she says:

What a awesome project!  I just finished printing the instructions and your teaching tips and ideas and I can hardly wait to get started.  Everything I need is here and so well done.  Thank you so much!

And Yvette from Pine Ridge Knit & Sew emailed me with her kind words:

Thanks Snez, it's lovely, we'll have a great day stitching this out.

Thanks all for the kind words.

It's a new year!

Welcome back everyone. I am pleased to say that almost every one renewed. Plus we have a couple of new retailers.



I have spent the last few months planning, digitizing designs and sewing projects for this year’s embroidery club. I am hopeful that you will find the projects and designs both fun and interesting. And, that you will have a good embroidery club year. Our first project is this pretty and practical Quilted Casserole Carrier. Click here to download the instructions and designs. Also, don’t forget to download the Teaching Tips, Supplies List and the CD label.



The Quilted Casserole Carrier includes fun sewing techniques and embroidery in a circle. The sewing is fairly simple, but the embroidery can be challenging, especially for those members using smaller hoop sizes. The designs stitch out quickly, but there are quite a few repeats.

We used a purchased bias binding for our Casserole Carrier. However, you can make your own binding, if desired, showing the Clover bias tape makers. Click here to download a tutorial on how to "Make Your Own Bias Binding".

Have fun with this project. And, don't forget to email me with stories of your embroidery club. I am certain that others will love to hear what’s happening in your store.

Tailored But Still Heirloom

The August Embroidery Club project and designs are up and ready for download. These pillowcases are so beautiful – they would make a great wedding shower gift! Add a set of bed sheets and you have the perfect Wedding gift.





There are two pretty motifs to combine with your favorite monogram. We love the raised look of hand stitched monograms, but really don’t have the time for hand embroidery. You can achieve the same look with machine embroidered monograms by using Puffy Foam. Download our .PDF tutorial to learn how to add depth to your monograms with Puffy Foam.

 

The pillowcase band or cuff is stitched onto the pillowcase with faggoting. The faggoting is created with the Spanish Hemstitch Foot and Plate (Husqvarna) or the Bridging Guide (Pfaff) and the 3-step zigzag stitch. We used Sulky Blendables in the top and bobbin to give the faggoting a hand stitched look.

Wow, with this project this Sew Creative Embroidery Club year has come to and end. Don’t forget to renew your membership before August 15th to ensure that you get uninterrupted service. Be sure to download a registration form from your Embroidery Club page.

All Rolled Up

The July Embroidery Club project and designs are up and ready for download. I loved the final project, but I will warn you it was a bit tricky. There are lots of bits and pieces. Keeping track of them was the challenge. So take your time making this little gem.



The inside has two zippered pockets, a ring bar and a bracelet bar. I like the plastic canvas to hold earrings; be sure to choose a finer canvas.

Patricia made a little change to her Jewelry Roll, "instead of ribbon I used my 1-inch bias binder maker and my pansy fabric to make a quarter inch wide strip and top stitched it on both sides. This jewelry roll will get a lot of use and I wasn't sure how the ribbon would hold up. The ribbon would be easier and quicker. I really like the monogram design option and may have to make a sample of that before my next class. What a nice gift that would make for a special family member or friend!!"

Summer Fun Dress!

These pretty shirred sundresses were made by Robyn Thompson, from Sault Ste Marie, and her students. She writes, "Here are the sundresses we made. I love them! they are so much fun to make and the embroidery on the straps is really cute. I am going to make one now out of a pastel gradient fabric and think I will embroider the straps with different coloured daisies to match the colours in the fabric. Lisa's dress has embroidered straps, mine has plain and Laura's has the daisies on top of the plain strap." 

Thanks Robyn, the dresses are lovely.

Sew Fun Accessory

 The June Embroidery Club project and designs are ready to download! This month it's a pretty sewing accessory. I love the Chatelaine because it keeps my basic sewing tools handy. I can't tell you how many times I go back and forth between my sewing machine and my cutting table, just looking for my snips. With the Chatelaine, they are always with me - it's so convenient.

My proof reader, Patricia from Saulte Ste Marie,  found the strap that wraps around the neck was a little short for her. She says,  "What a nice project, so quick and easy. I can see myself making them for my sewing friends. I found the strap a little short at 30" so I split it in the centre back and added 5" which worked out to an extra 4" taking seam allowances into consideration and that works better for me." So, you may want to measure and adjust the length of the strap before you start, to ensure that it's right for you.

We've included cross stitch embroidery tips  with the sc034d_spec.pdf document, for those of you who haven't done machine embroidery cross stitch before. Let me just say that you will love it. It soooo looks like it's done by hand. And you can stitch it on the finest of linens. Friends and familly will be impressed.

From the Suggestion Box

Hope you all like the Clothespin Bag. Juanita from Juanita's Sew & Serge in Midland asked about the cotton print that I used for my Clothespin Bag. It's a lovely print from Heather Bailey's Fresh Cut Collection . The entire collection is quite lovely. In fact Heather Bailey is currently one of my favorite fabric designers. Here is a stack of  the Fresh Cut Fall Collection.

Juanita also suggested that I add a link to my Sew Creative Blog from both the Embroidery Club login page and the download page. I thought that was a fabulous idea, and so the links are up.

Did you all get the wallet finished up?? I know I had a couple of questions about the folding of the credit card pocket. It was a bit tricky. I think the phrase "accordion pleated" was the key there. Juanita had also suggested that color coding the fold lines would make it clearer. Again, great idea Juanita. I will definitely file away that instruction tip for future projects. 

If anybody has a better way to describe a sewing technique, please don't hesitate to let me know - email me please. I am always open to great ideas.

Patricia from Life's a Stitch in Saulte Ste Marie, sent me a picture of her finished wallet. How pretty! Thanks Patricia. 

Laundry Daze

The May Embroidery Club project and designs are up and ready for download. This month we are making a handy dandy Clothespin Bag. Line drying your laundry not only saves energy, you also get the added bonus of spring fresh linens and clothes. The Clothespin Bag hangs on the clothesline, keeping clothespins at hand. A word of advice, don't forget to bring it in after your laundry is done. The sun and rain can really ruin the fabric and embroidery.



I usually spend an inordinate amount of time deciding, designing and digitizing the embroidery designs for each month's project. This month was no exception. At first I thought about using an image of a clothesline with various clothing hanging on it. Makes sense right? It's the obvious desing idea. Well, I eventually dismissed this idea, because I couldn't think of any other place one would use the design. Sure, on other laundry items, but that's it. It's important to me that the embroidery design not only fits the project, but can also be used in many other ways and places. These chrysanthemum designs can be configured in may other ways and used on a wide variety of items. You can use to embellish bed linens, table linens, clothing, decorator pillows, kitchen stuff, and lots more. Want to see some design combination ideas?? Click here.

Appliquéd Wallet

The April Embroidery Club project and designs are up and ready for download. This month it's a fabulous wallet with an elegant floral appliqué embroidery. This embroidery appliqué is a bit different than you are used to. You'll have to make the project to see what I mean. Now, I know I say this practically every month, but I loved making this project. It's pretty, practical and looks sooo professional. My proof reader, Patricia said, "As I work through this project I am amazed by the thought and planning that went into the instructions! Very detailed and easy to follow." Yes, that's what I like to hear. Hope everyone else finds it easy to follow. 



On the inside, there are 6 slots for credit cards. A zippered pocket for change and a couple of pockets for paper money and other documents. You'll notice that I stitched on a label. Everything looks so store bought with a simple little lable. I included the instructions for the labels in the February project.

NEW this month, a Supplies List. This is a word document that includes a picture of the project, the write up and the supplies list. You can use this to email to your Embroidery Club members. There is a download link and instructions in the left column on the Embroidery Club page. You'll have to let me know how this works for you.

Sew Creative!

Hope everyone has downloaded the March projects and designs. Don't forget to check out the comment left by Patricia after she made her sample.



Kasey from Poco Sewing sent me this fabulous foto. Look what her girl, Kirsten Yee did with the designs from the January Sew Creative Embroidery Club Project. I was totally wowed when I saw the picture. Thanks for sharing Kasey. Hope this gives everyone a bit of inspiration.