An Elegant Cover

The May embroidery club project and designs are up and ready for download, click here to get to the download page. This month we’re making an elegant Tissue Box Cover in two sizes.
 


The tissue box fits right inside the Tissue Box Cover, so it is completely hidden.

Two sizes are included; the small squarish box and the long rectangular box. Specific sizes are given in the instructions. We purchased our tissue boxes from No Frills. If you would like to make a different size, other than the ones given here, it is best to make one of the sizes given here and then adapt from there.

You will also need a monogram. For the small tissue box cover the monogram should measure approximately 1 1/4" x 2". For the large tissue box cover the monogram should measure approximately 1 1/4" x 2 1/2". You can create the monogram with lettering from your embroidery sewing machine's built-in lettering, using a monogram disk or card, or with your embroidery software.

And don’t forget how much prettier monograms look with a bit of Puffy Foam, so be sure to download our .PDF tutorial here.

Patricia from Life’s a Stitch in Sault Ste. Marie suggested using a light interfacing to add a bit of body and stability to lighter weight cottons.

Brushing Up

The April embroidery club project and designs are up and ready for download, click here to get to the download page. It’s a Cosmetic Brush Rollup. And, it makes a great gift for your favorite girl.
We used four different fabrics in this project; two prints and two solids. Sounds like a lot for a small project, but they work beautifully. I especially love the dot binding. You can’t buy funky binding like this, you have to make it. If you too would like to make your own bias binding click here to download the tutorial.
Patricia from Life’s A Stitch in Sault Ste. Marie, (my proof reader) wasn’t happy with the topstitching of the brush channels showing through to the right side, so she topstitched the pocket onto the lining and then stitched the lining onto the outer fabric.
 
Anyway, have fun with this one. Let me know what you think??

Warm and Cozy

It’s that time of the month for my retail embroidery club members. Time to download the February embroidery club project and designs, click here to get to the download page.

This month it’s a cozy hot water bottle cover. It’s embellished with embroidery designs from the coordinating design set Folk Art Appliqué Embroidery Designs #sc042d. This appliqué technique is very different from the satin stitch appliqué. I really hope you enjoy the embroidery process. Patricia from Sault Ste Marie used polar fleece for her hot water bottle cover. With the polar fleece background she found that the stems sunk into the pile, so she stitched over them once more and liked the results. So if you plan to use polar fleece, try this technique. Have fun and let me know how your club members feel.

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.

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.

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.

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!!"

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.

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.

Calendar Days

December's embroidery club project is up! You can download it anytime. This month's project may appear daunting at first, but it's really lots of fun to make. It includes a variety of different techniques, patchwork, quilting, embroidery, covering buttons, binding, etc. The embroidery is pretty simple, but there is lots of it. Having two sewing machines was a real time saver - I recommend it highly. While I was embroidering on one, I was quilting on the other. Twice the work, half the time.

 These mini motifs are cute as a button!

Covering buttons is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Remember, you'll need lots and lots of buttons for covering - so order quick. Patricia (Sault Ste Marie), suggested that she might stitch the days of the week on one fabric strip, instead of using the covered buttons. Good idea if you can't get enough buttons for your class. There will be a run on them!